Lawyers from around the state and country are coming together to help North Carolinians get free legal help in the wake of flooding and mudslides that killed dozens of people, damaged thousands of homes and businesses, and washed away farms.
The Helene storm damage in western North Carolina is expected to cause many survivors to seek help with lengthy legal disputes over wills, insurance payouts, foreclosures, evictions, bankruptcies, contract disputes, property disputes, child custody disputes and other matters.
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Legal Aid and the North Carolina Bar Association together are partnering with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to connect people with the lawyers and paralegals who are now volunteering Helene-related legal help.
The groups have established a legal hotline at 866-219-5262.
The free legal assistance is only available to people in the western counties affected by Helene, and whose legal issues are related to the storm or its aftermath. The lawyers might not be allowed to help with all types of disputes. More information can be found by calling the hotline or visiting the Legal Aid of North Carolina website.
Jason Hensley, executive director of the North Carolina Bar Association and a western North Carolina native, said the call for help went out on Tuesday. By Wednesday, nearly 300 lawyers and paralegals had volunteered. More help would be welcome, he said, since there are expected to be so many people dealing with new legal issues due to the storm damage.
“Right now we’re at the beginning of the disaster so people are dealing with their most immediate needs,” he said in an interview Wednesday. “But as time moves forward they’ll realize everything else they’ll need to confront.”
Out-of-state lawyers can help, too
On Tuesday, State Supreme Court Chief Justice Paul Newby signed an order temporarily allowing lawyers from other states to help people in North Carolina, even if they haven’t passed the North Carolina bar exam. As long as they’re permitted to practice law in at least one state and sign the required registration form, they’ll be allowed to do pro bono legal work for Helene victims in North Carolina.
Similar rules have been put in place in North Carolina, and other states, after other storms in recent years as a way to help boost the amount of free legal help available to victims of natural disasters.
During the first few months after a damaging storm, Hensley said, people tend to need help with landlord-tenant disputes, insurance claims, emergency loan applications for small businesses and similar issues.
The longer-term legal issues tend to include foreclosures, bankruptcies, appeals of FEMA aid denials and efforts to recover money from scammers posing as roofers, pavers and other contractors.
“When it comes to those contractor scams, it is a predatory period right now,” Hensley said.
How else to find help
Legal Aid has more information on disaster help at www.legalaidnc.org/disaster.
People who sustained property damage, need immediate emergency assistance for food and water, or need immediate housing assistance as a result of Tropical Storm Helene can apply for government aid at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling the FEMA help line at 1-800-621-3362.
The state government has information on shelters, power outages, welfare check requests and more at NCDPS.gov/Helene and information on road closures at https://drivenc.gov.
Attorney General Josh Stein’s office said Wednesday it has received at least 100 reports of price gouging and will continue tracking other reports of scams; people who want to report those can do so at https://ncdoj.gov/helene.