Legal Help Available For Flood Disaster Victims 

Release Date: October 20, 2004
Release Number: 1555-041

» More Information on Pennsylvania Severe Storms and Flooding associated with Tropical Depression Frances
» More Information on Pennsylvania Tropical Depression Ivan

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- Volunteer attorneys are providing free, disaster-related legal assistance to low-income individuals affected by the flooding from the September storms, state and federal officials announced today. The Young Lawyers Division of the Pennsylvania Bar Association in collaboration with the Federal Emergency Management Agency will provide legal counseling and referrals to Pennsylvania disaster victims through a toll-free hotline number.

Low-income callers can receive free counseling and advice from a Pennsylvania-licensed attorney regarding their disaster-related legal issues. Other callers will receive a referral to a local Pennsylvania-licensed attorney. The service is available 24 hours a day by calling 1-800-932-0311 Ext. 2224.

Attorneys are available to assist Pennsylvania disaster victims in designated counties with legal services such as:

Disaster victims are encouraged to leave a message on the automated answering system. A volunteer attorney will contact them within 48 hours to discuss their needs. Many problems can be addressed just by speaking with the volunteer lawyer. However, if further representation is required, low-income callers will be referred to a private attorney who may be able to represent them free of charge. Volunteer attorneys will not be able to provide assistance free of charge if the issue could generate a fee for the attorney.

Designated counties include Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Bedford, Blair, Bradford, Bucks, Butler, Cameron, Carbon, Centre, Chester, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Columbia, Crawford, Cumberland, Delaware, Dauphin, Franklin, Fulton, Greene, Huntingdon, Indiana, Jefferson, Juniata, Lackawanna, Lawrence, Lebanon, Lehigh, Luzerne, Lycoming, Mifflin, Monroe, Montgomery, Montour, Northampton, Northumberland, Perry, Philadelphia, Pike, Schuylkill, Snyder, Somerset, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Union, Washington, Wayne, Westmoreland, Wyoming and York.

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: Wednesday, 20-Oct-2004 10:58:07