MIDLAND, Mich. – As part of the presidential disaster declaration for Bay, Gladwin, Isabella and Midland counties, Disaster Legal Services is now available for eligible residents to begin the recovery process.
Flood survivors who are unable to afford a lawyer may call 800-418-8315 between 9 a.m. and
5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday to request assistance.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provides free legal assistance to disaster victims in partnership with the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division, the State Bar of Michigan, the State Bar of Michigan Young Lawyers Section, Lakeshore Legal and Legal Services of Eastern Michigan.
Legal advice is limited to cases that will not produce a fee (i.e., these attorneys work without payment). Cases that may generate a fee are turned over to the local lawyer referral service.
The assistance that participating lawyers provide typically includes:
- Assistance with insurance claims (life, medical, property, etc.)
- Counseling on landlord/tenant problems
- Assisting in consumer protection matters, remedies and procedures
- Replacement of wills and other important legal documents destroyed in a major disaster
Anyone impacted by the June 22-27 storms and flooding is encouraged to register their household for FEMA disaster assistance by calling 800-621-3362. TTY users can call
800-462-7585. Those who use 711 or Video Relay Services can call 800-621-3362 to register. Operators are multilingual and calls are answered from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. EDT seven days a week. Michigan Speech to Speech Relay Services:
- English: 1-866-656-9826
- Spanish: 1-866-656-9827
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FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.
English: https://www.fema.gov/disaster/4326
Spanish: https://www.fema.gov/es/disaster/4326
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All FEMA disaster assistance will be provided without discrimination on the grounds of race, color, sex (including sexual harassment), religion, national origin, age, disability, limited English proficiency, economic status, or retaliation. If you believe your civil rights are being violated, call 800-621-3362 or 800-462-7585(TTY/TDD).