FRANKFORT, Ky. – A free legal aid hotline is now available to eligible survivors of the severe storms, flooding, landslides and mudslides in Anderson, Breathitt, Boyd, Clark, Clay, Estill, Fayette, Floyd, Franklin, Greenup, Jackson, Jessamine, Johnson, Knott, Laurel, Lawrence, Lee, Leslie, Letcher, Lincoln, Madison, Magoffin, Martin, Morgan, Owsley, Perry, Powell, Pulaski, Rockcastle, Warren and Woodford counties.
Low-income individuals affected by the disaster facing legal issues who are unable to afford a lawyer may call a toll-free legal services hotline at (844) 478-0099. Callers should identify that they are seeking storm or flooding-related legal assistance, and provide the county where they are located and a phone number where they can be reached by an attorney.
This service is a partnership between AppalReD Legal Aid, the Kentucky Bar Association, the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division, FEMA and other local organizations.
Types of free legal assistance available include:
- Help securing FEMA and other government benefits available to disaster survivors
- Assistance with life, medical and property insurance claims
- Help with home repair contracts and contractors
- 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 mortgage-foreclosure problems
- Counseling on landlord-tenant problems
Callers should be aware that there are limitations on disaster legal services. For example, assistance is not available for cases that will produce a fee (those cases where attorneys are paid part of the settlement by a court). Such cases are referred to a local lawyer referral service.
For more information on Kentucky’s disaster recovery, visit https://kyem.ky.gov
and www.fema.gov/disaster/4595. You may also follow FEMA on www.facebook.com/fema and Twitter @FEMARegion4.