1. Legal Aid of North Carolina
Welcome!
Weathering the Storm
Pro Bono Preparedness
Legal Aid of North Carolina
AUGUST 22, 2018

2. Disaster Legal Services
Presenter
Saundra Brown
Directing Attorney,
Disaster Legal Services
Lone Star Legal Aid

3. Agenda Preparedness and Pro Bono Attorneys
What you need to know before the wild wind blows
Questions and Answers
Resources and closing

4. What Should I know before the next disaster?
Lots. But there’s a lot of support, such as NC’s disaster manuals, your local and state bar associations, along with your local LSC funded legal aid provider and the National Disaster Legal Aid Resource Center.
Pro Bono Attorneys can help in every stage of the disaster response. Law Students are also a large help in this response and can provide the much needed information for survivors.
What Should I know before the next disaster?

5. Where Do We Go First?
After a disaster, the American Red Cross will open Shelters, and FEMA will open Disaster Recovery Centers. The LSC legal aid organizations can staff or take flyers to the ARC Shelters, per their national MOU. The LSC legal aids, and state and local bars can staff the FEMA DRCs as the agents of the ABA YLD Disaster Legal Services Program. FEMA_Legal_Services_Information
While at these locations, Pro Bono Attorneys can advise on any needed area by using the NC Disaster Manual. Another important thing is to get flyers in the hands of the survivors, so they can call for legal help when they need it. Right now, they need food, shelter, etc.

6. Why Can’t We Do More Now?

7. Why Can’t They Hear Me? Listen To What I Say?
Maslow says they need to deal with food, shelter, survival first.
Traumatized people have PTSD, or something like it.

8. Poverty Hurts
Just living in poverty impedes your intelligence. how-poverty-can-drive-down-intelligence
So what do we do? Be kind, and put a flyer in their hand. That way when they realize they need help, they know whom to call.

9. Understanding the dance between FEMA, SBA, and your insurance
FEMA might ask you to apply to the SBA.
If they do, apply. You don’t have to take it, but if you don’t apply, you won’t get other benefits, like personal property and ONA. If they deny you, they’ll send you back to FEMA for reprocessing.
If you’ve got flood insurance, or home owners, apply for both immediately. You need to have your homeowners deny you for displaced housing coverage, even if you flooded, for FEMA to help you with housing.
If your insurance won’t pay for more than 30 days, FEMA can advance you home repair money to get you back in your house asap.

10. ”And I think it's gonna be a long long time”
Disaster legal needs will continue for a long time, even years. They legal problems just change over time.
At first, in the DRCs and initial intake points, people need help with FEMA application, appeals and emergency landlord tenant help.
Later they need help with breaking leases, getting repairs, getting security deposits returned.
Longer term, they will need help getting CDBG –DR grants, title clearing, suing fraudulent contractors, etc.
In Texas, Ike hit in Lone Star Legal Aid closed their Ike title clearing project in February 2017; almost nine years later.

12. DisasterLegalAid.org

13. Collection of Disaster Trainings
DisasterLegalAid.org
Resources for Attorneys
Disaster Manuals
Collection of Disaster Trainings
Resources by subject

14. Sample Resources Disaster Counseling Videos by LSC
Hurricane Disaster Relief: FEMA Appeals Training by the New York City Bar
25 Pro Tips for Working with FEMA: Lessons Learned That Work by Lone Star Legal Aid and Pro Bono Net
Insurance Issues After a Disaster by United Policyholders
Other resources on:
Immigration
Recoupment
Domestic Violence
Government Benefits
Insurance
Housing
Foreclosures
Employment
Identity Theft
Mortgage
Consumer rights

15. Resources The National Disaster Legal Aid Resource Center
Flood Insurance Power Point by Martin Mayo

16. Best Practices

17. Questions

18. Thank you!
For questions, feedback, or ideas please contact Saundra Brown at