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National Disaster

Legal Aid

Resources for People Who Need Help

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Do You Need Legal Help? 

The resources listed here are meant to provide legal resources to those who have been directly affected by a disaster. This includes general information helpful to disaster relief on housing, insurance claims, insurance, employment, and other vital issues. You can find organizations in your state that can provide free legal help to you, if you are eligible, by visiting LawHelp.org. You can apply for government disaster relief benefits online at disasterassistance.gov, by phone at 1-800-621-3362, by Smart Phone at m.fema.gov or by TTY at 1-800-462-7585. You can find a list of currently open Red Cross shelters at redcross.org/nss.

Free Legal Help

 Find organizations in your state that can provide free legal help to you, if you are eligible.

Government Assistance

 Apply for government disaster relief benefits online at disasterassistance.gov, by phone at 1-800-621-3362, by Smart Phone at m.fema.gov or by TTY at 1-800-462-7585. This guide offers a disaster assistance process overview. 

Disaster Legal Hotlines

 List of hotlines by disaster locations. Call this hotline to obtain information about legal procedures after a disaster.

Appeal FEMA's Decision

 Learn about how to appeal your FEMA decision and create an appeal letter using this easy tool.

FEMA Appeals FAQs

 List of commonly asked questions about the appeals process and other very important information.

Upcoming Free Legal Help Events

 List of upcoming events related to disaster legal aid. If there is not an event near you, please visit the Active Disaster Quick Links on the sidebar on the right for a list of resources in your area.

SBA Loan 

 Learn more about the Small Business Administration's disaster loans and frequently asked questions. 

Replacing Documents

 Learn more about replacing vital records like a birth certificate, power of attorney, and will. 

Housing & Mortgage Issues

 Special information for mortgage holders and on foreclosure issues after a disaster.

Insurance Claims

 Important information about filing insurance claims after a disaster. 

Immigration

 A list of information and resources that may be available to help undocumented individuals.

​OTHER RESOURCES THAT MIGHT HELP 

Tax Relief 

 Information on tax relief in disaster situations. 

Disaster Distress Helpline

 The Disaster Distress Helpline (DDH) is the first national hotline dedicated to providing year-round disaster crisis counseling. This toll-free, multilingual, crisis support service is available 24/7 via telephone (1-800-985-5990) and SMS (text 'TalkWithUs' to 66746) to residents in the U.S. and its territories who are experiencing emotional distress related to natural or man-made disasters.

Disaster Recovery Centers

 FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) are accessible facilities and mobile offices you can visit to learn more about FEMA and other disaster assistance programs. You may also visit to ask questions about your case. 

A DRC may be able to help you:

Apply for assistance. You may also Apply for FEMA Assistance online or Apply/Check your status by phone 1-800-621-3362.
Learn more about disaster assistance programs.
Learn the status of your FEMA application.
Understand any letters you get from FEMA.
Find housing and rental assistance information.
Get answers to questions or resolve problems.
Get referrals to agencies that may offer other assistance.
Learn about Small Business Administration (SBA) programs.

Shelters

 List of currently open Red Cross shelters.

Federal Student Loans

If you are a borrower in repayment who was affected by a natural disaster in the area where you live or work, you qualify for forbearance of loan repayment for a period of up to 90 days upon your request to your servicer. During forbearance, payments are temporarily postponed or reduced. Learn more here if you're a current student or a borrower. This site also offers a section on Frequently Asked Questions. For two quick information sheets on this process, click below: 

News & Alerts

 Our news pages is updated daily. Check for recovery updates and new announcements in your disaster area.

Disaster Resources

 Helpful disaster resources.

Free legal help in your state: LawHelp.org

LawHelp.org provides links to free legal help in your state.

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Resource for people who need legal help

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Resources for people who need legal help

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  • Recovering from Disaster | by FEMA
  • DisasterAssistance.gov | A secure, user-friendly web portal that consolidates information about federally funded government assistance to disaster victims, including the ability to apply for FEMA benefits directly online. [Example of body paragraph copy]
  • State Offices of Emergency Management | A list of the emergency management offices in all 50 states plus territories.
  • Disaster Distress Helpline | The Disaster Distress Helpline (DDH) is the first national hotline dedicated to providing year-round disaster crisis counseling. This toll-free, multilingual, crisis support service is available 24/7 via telephone (1-800-985-5990) and SMS (text 'TalkWithUs' to 66746) to residents in the U.S. and its territories who are experiencing emotional distress related to natural or man-made disasters.
  • Disaster Distress Helpline | The Disaster Distress Helpline (DDH) is the first national hotline dedicated to providing year-round disaster crisis counseling. This toll-free, multilingual, crisis support service is available 24/7 via telephone (1-800-985-5990) and SMS (text 'TalkWithUs' to 66746) to residents in the U.S. and its territories who are experiencing emotional distress related to natural or man-made disasters.

Other Resources [example of subhead]

 

ACTIVE DISASTERS

To find the latest information for those impacted by active disasters, visit the Active Disaster Quick Links at the top of this page, or go directly to our Hurricane Harvey resource page.