Every now and then we can report something that makes me think, we world isn’t so bad!
The American Bar Association’s Disaster Legal Services program is designed to help disaster victims access legal guidance and avoid fraud.
he American Bar Association has mobilized a legal support team in response to recent devastating wildfires in Hawaii, part of a long-running disaster-response program that’s become increasingly busy.
Last week, ABA announced that it had set up a hotline and other supports for victims of the August wildfires on the island of Maui, which have reportedly killed more than 100 people, with nearly 400 people missing. Lawyers coordinated through ABA provide legal support to victims around insurance claims, access to FEMA benefits, and consumer fraud.
ABA’s effort is managed by its Disaster Legal Services program, a volunteer group managed by the association’s Young Lawyers Division. According to Amanda L. Brown, current director of Disaster Legal Services, the group has around a dozen volunteers that gather to coordinate responses in cases where state and federal authorities have officially declared an emergency. ABA has a memorandum of understanding with FEMA that permits the association to provide legal support.
“We really act as project managers, working face-to-face with the local organizations that are doing boots-on-the-ground work,” Brown said.
In the case of the Maui wildfires, Disaster Legal Services coordinated with FEMA, the Hawaii Bar Association, and Legal Aid Society of Hawaii, which will handle hotline calls, coordinate volunteers, and make lawyers available to answer questions at FEMA recovery centers
Source: https://associationsnow.com/2023/09/bar-association-providing-support-for-maui-wildfire-victims/
