BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) -
Survivors of Hurricane Isaac who
need legal advice may take advantage of free legal counseling via a toll-free
hotline (1-800-310-7029), part of the overall disaster response and relief
plan.
At the request of Louisiana Gov.
Bobby Jindal, President Obama signed the major disaster declaration authorizing
the release of federal disaster funds and resources for the survivors of the
storm.
Through the call center and staff
provided by Louisiana Civil Justice Center, as well as volunteer efforts coordinated by the Louisiana State Bar Association and the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division, working with FEMA, legal information/advice will be provided to
low-income storm survivors who have been financially impacted as a result of
Hurricane Isaac.
LCJC operates from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through
Thursdays, and returns voicemail messages on Fridays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Staff will provide resources and assist callers with legal issues, including
FEMA disaster assistance, insurance claims, landlord-tenant issues, home-repair
contracts, consumer-protection matters. Legal assistance for Spanish-speaking
callers can be arranged via a callback appointment.
Hurricane victims contacting the
toll-free hotline (1-800-310-7029) should indicate they are seeking
legal advice in connection with Hurricane Isaac. Referrals to appropriate local
or state agencies will also be provided by the hotline volunteers.
Callers should be aware that
there are some limitations on disaster legal services. For example,
assistance is not available for cases that will produce a fee (i.e., those
cases where attorneys are paid part of the settlement by the court). Such
cases are referred to a local lawyer referral service. Hotline staff can
help you determine whether an issue qualifies for free legal assistance.
Other Federal Assistance
Individuals, families and businesses also may be eligible for federal
assistance if they live, own a business or work in a parish declared a Major
Disaster Area, incur sufficient property damage or loss, and, depending on the
type of assistance, do not have the insurance or other resources to meet their
needs.
To apply for assistance for
individuals and households, Louisiana residents should call the toll-free
number, 1-800-621-FEMA (TTY: 1-800-462-7585) and register. Specially trained
operators at one of the FEMA's National Processing Service Centers will process
applications.
FEMA has declared the following
16 parishes disaster areas: Ascension, Assumption, Jefferson, Lafourche,
Livingston, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. Helena, St.
James, St. John the Baptist, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Terrebonne and
Washington. Individuals and households in these parishes are eligible for
aid.
For more information on the Web: http://www.lsba.org/dr/index.asp or
http://www.abanet.org/disaster.
