In the past few weeks, Hurricane Ida brought devastation to Louisiana, New Jersey and New York. The wildfire season in California started unusually early this year and multiple large fires are ongoing. In August, heavy rainfall brought widespread flash flooding in Tennessee. Those are just a few of the natural disasters the ABA Young Lawyers Division (YLD) Disaster Legal Services Program is responding to currently.
DISASTER LEGAL SERVICES
ABA members can help those recovering from disasters
Through the program, YLD and the Federal Emergency Management Agency provide immediate temporary legal assistance to disaster survivors at no charge. Since September 2007, YLD has responded to more than 230 declared disasters in 45 states and five U.S. territories.
ABA members can help those in need by using the national disaster relief pro bono portal, a free, centralized, sortable database that lists opportunities to serve those impacted by natural disasters, including COVID-19. Disaster-related legal issues include landlord/tenant problems, insurance claims, FEMA claims and consumer issues such as contractor fraud.
In addition, attorneys who want to access additional specialized disaster advocacy resources can join the National Disaster Legal Aid Advocacy Center, a growing online community of advocates working on disaster response and recovery.