The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced this week that free legal help hotline is now available to eligible individuals affected by Hurricane Idalia in Citrus, Columbia, Dixie, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Hernando, Jefferson, Lafayette, Levy, Madison, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Sarasota, Suwannee or Taylor Counties.
The hotline is available to connect those who are unable to afford an attorney to free legal services. Survivors may call the toll-free legal services hotline anytime and leave a message for a callback at (866) 550-2929.
Callers may get help with legal issues such as:
Securing FEMA and other government benefits available to disaster survivors
Home repair contracts and property insurance claims
Replacement of wills and other important legal documents lost or destroyed in the disaster
Consumer protection issues such as price-gouging and avoiding contractor scams in the rebuilding process
Counseling on landlord or tenant problems, or threats of foreclosure
Disability-related access to federal, state, and local disaster programs
The Disaster Legal Services (DLS) program works with state and local partners to provide free legal help for low-income disaster survivors. The service is a partnership between the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division, FEMA and The Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division. DLS attorneys are not FEMA employees.
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