Florida Bar Association Steps Up to Help Hurricane Irma Victims

The legal profession is stepping up to help Hurricane Irma victims.
Photo: Miami2you / Shutterstock.com

Aid for victims of Hurricane Irma’s wrath is coming from all quarters, including the legal profession.

Last week, the Florida Bar Foundation’s board of directors approved allocating up to $500,000 to support legal organizations after the hurricane. Those funds were earmarked for repairing building damage, covering equipment losses, and helping clients with hurricane-related legal issues.

“Legal aid is critical after a natural disaster,” said Florida Bar Foundation President Jewel White. “Civil legal aid organizations often help clients not only in the immediate aftermath of a disaster but for years afterward as they work to rebuild their lives and businesses. We want to make sure Florida’s civil legal aid delivery system is equipped for the massive job ahead, and we will work with our partners at The Florida Bar, the American Bar Association, and the Legal Services Corporation to make sure Floridians’ post-hurricane civil legal needs will be addressed.”

The Florida Bar Foundation has created a page on its website that provides hurricane-related civil legal aid resources and an online donation link for people who wish to support the foundation’s efforts.

The matters Florida’s civil legal aid organizations can assist Hurricane Irma victims with include:

• Securing FEMA and other benefits available to disaster survivors 
• Dealing with life, medical, and property insurance claims 
• Addressing issues with home repair contracts and contractors 
• Replacing wills and other important legal documents destroyed in the disaster 
• Handling consumer protection matters, remedies, and procedures 
• Preventing foreclosure and resolving landlord/tenant problems

The Storm Aid page also offers links for attorneys to volunteer to assist in the post-disaster assistance efforts.

In another effort to assist Hurricane Irma victims, the Florida Bar Association raised the income cap to qualify for aid from the Florida Free Legal Answers website. More than 500 lawyers have offered their free services for the website, and the American Bar Association is setting up telephone hotlines to connect hurricane victims in the U.S. Virgin Islands and the states declared disaster areas with attorneys to assist them with post-disaster legal issues.