Free Disaster Legal Services Now Available To Victims Of California Wildfires
Release Date: November 6, 2003
Release Number: 1498-10
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Pasadena, CA -- For individuals who suffered losses from the recent wildfires in Southern California, free legal help is now available through an agreement between the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the American Bar Association's Young Lawyers Division.
The free legal assistance is designed specifically for disaster victims who have insufficient resources to secure adequate legal services, whether or not the lack of resources existed prior to the disaster. Such individuals can call a lawyer with the Disaster Legal Services Hotline at 1-800-310-7029 for help.
Participating lawyers can assist with a wide variety of issues, including:
- Federal disaster assistance rights
- Insurance claims
- New wills and death/probate matters
- Replacement of documents lost in the disaster
- Home repair contract and contractor issues
- Preparation of powers of attorney
- Guardianships and other similar legal matters
- Consumer protection matters, remedies, and procedures
- Landlord-tenant disputes, eviction, and foreclosure
Legal assistance is limited to cases that will not produce a fee for the attorney, such as lawsuits in which the lawyer receives a percentage of money obtained through the suit.
The Disaster Legal Services program is just one of many disaster assistance programs available to those affected either directly or indirectly by the California wildfires. To register for federal/state disaster assistance, call 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) Those who are speech or hearing impaired can call TTY 1-800-462-7585 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., seven days per week.
The Governor's Office of Emergency Services coordinates overall state agency response to major disasters in support of local government. The office is responsible for ensuring California's readiness to respond to and recover from natural, manmade, and war-caused emergencies, and for assisting local governments in their emergency preparedness, response, mitigation and recovery efforts.
On March 1, 2003, FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. FEMA's continuing mission within the new department is to lead the effort to prepare the nation for all hazards and effectively manage federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates proactive mitigation activities, trains first responders, and manages Citizen Corps, the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration.
Last Modified: Thursday, 06-Nov-2003 15:26:18