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2020 General News

December

National Risk Index (NRI)

IRS warns people about a COVID-related text message scam

  • By: Internal Revenue Service
  • 12/08/2020
  • more info

FEMA looks to provide hurricane victims temporary housing

  • By: The Associated Press (via New Orleans City Business)
  • 12/08/2020
  • more info

Floods Follow Fires Those at Risk of Mudflows Encouraged to Buy Flood Insurance

November

Security Summit partners warn taxpayers of new COVID-related text scam

  • By: Internal Revenue Service
  • 11/05/2020
  • more info

October

Tax Tip 2020-140: What happens after a disaster that leads to taxpayer relief

IRS provides tax relief for victims of September wildfires in California; Oct. 15 deadline, other dates extended to Jan. 15

IRS provides tax relief for victims of Hurricane Delta; Oct. 15 deadline, other dates extended to Feb. 16

IRS Tax Tip 2020-138: Reviewing these disaster resources now can help taxpayers be more prepared later

COVID-19 National Emergency Declared: FEMA Should Act Now to Activate ABA Disaster Legal Services

  • By: American Bar Association
  • 10/01/2020
  • more info

September

Homes Are Becoming Harder To Insure Thanks To Climate Change

How people can reconstruct records lost in a natural disaster

Amid Virus, Disaster Attys Struggle To Reach Survivors

Inspector General Slams FEMA Over Repeatedly Flooded Homes

Federal Register Notice: Temporary Halt in Residential Evictions to Prevent the Further Spread of COVID-19

  • By: Center for Disease Control
  • 09/04/2020
  • more info

COVID Tax Tip 2020-113 Federal benefit recipients with children have more time to get the $500 Economic Impact Payment

  • By: Internal Revenue Service
  • 09/03/2020
  • more info

August

DHS Funds Research to Model Compound Flood Events

  • By: Department of Homeland Security
  • 08/31/2020
  • more info

Legal Aid Programs Announce Covid-19 Civil Legal Hotline

Free legal help for those affected by disasters

Free legal assistance available for residents affected by Hurricane Laura

Marshalltown hit hard by derecho just two years after catastrophic tornado

Homeless System Response:Leveraging Integrated Data to Support and EnhanceCOVID-19 Responses (PDF)

Homeless System Response:Public Housing Authority Data Sharing Agreements (PDF)

July

Fixing America’s Broken Disaster Housing Recovery System Part One (PDF)

FIxing America's Broken Disaster Housing Recovery System: Part Two (PDF)

Will the COVID-19 pandemic fundamentally remake the legal industry?

  • By: American Bar Association
  • 07/29/2020
  • more info

Help yourself recover missing documents after a disaster

New COVID-19 Law Lab to provide vital legal information and support for the global COVID-19 response

  • By: See link for full article.
  • 07/22/2020
  • more info

Community Legal Aid launches new project to curb eviction crisis

Legal clinic looks to support small businesses, non-profits during pandemic

Homeowners with mortgages from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac now have another option to defer payments during COVID-19

HUD PROVIDES EVICTION PREVENTION AND STABILITY TOOLKIT IN LATEST COVID-19 RESPONSE EFFORT

  • By: Department of Housing and Urban Development
  • 07/13/2020
  • more info

Legal Aid offers help to hurricane survivors

Legal Aid offers help to hurricane survivors

  • By: Carteret County News-Times
  • 07/07/2020
  • more info

June

Here are reasons people should file a 2019 tax return; Economic Impact Payment, tax credits available for some

Small businesses have COVID-19 questions, and the legal profession is working to answer them

State, FEMA Continue Working On Tennessee Recovery From April Storms

New Guidance Published for Housing Providers on Protecting Survivors of Domestic and Sexual Domestic Violence During COVID-19

  • By: National Low Income Housing Coalition
  • 06/29/2020
  • more info

FEMA Flood Map Service Center

Relief for taxpayers affected by COVID-19 who take distributions or loans from retirement plans

Title VII US Supreme Court Decision: A Discussion and Analysis

  • By: ABA Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
  • 06/22/2020
  • more info

Trump Signs Executive Order on Policing, Includes Provisions Related to Homelessness

Landmark SCOTUS Ruling Weakens Administration Attempts to Allow Discrimination against LGBTQ People in Shelters

HUD PIH Summarizes Public Housing Tenant Protection Voucher Policies

Florida’s Small Businesses Still Need Pro Bono Counsel

The three P's of disaster preparedness: Legal issues critical during hurricane season

Houston-area legal aid organizations provide assistance to those struggling to pay rent during COVID-19

Counsel Who Care: How Attys Are Helping During A Crisis

The Three P’s of disaster legal preparedness

From Rent Freezes To Liquor Buybacks: How States Are Helping People Cope

Here’s what you need to know about disaster relief for undocumented immigrants in California

WATCH LIVE: FEMA head testifies on federal government’s response to COVID-19 pandemic

FEMA prepared for upcoming hurricane season thanks to pandemic response

Volunteer Lawyers Project provides free life planning documents for healthcare workers

Coronavirus Surge in Legal Cases

Counsel Who Care: How Attys Are Helping During A Crisis

Hurricane season 2020 and COVID-19

  • By: Federal Trade Commission
  • 06/01/2020
  • more info

May

What happens if you get coronavirus at work? Experts say it might be hard to prove.

Law and Technology: Online Legal Services that Help Bridge the Access-to-Justice Gap

Do detainee transfers increase COVID-19 cases? Judge orders ICE to disclose data

Eviction proceedings and debt collections can resume this month, Texas Supreme Court order

COVID-19 Has Made It Harder for the Poor to Get Legal Aid. Here's What Lawyers Can Do Today to Help

  • By: Connecticut Law Tribune
  • 05/28/2020
  • more info

Eviction filings down, non-profits still prepared for the worst

An ‘Avalanche of Evictions’ Could Be Bearing Down on America’s Renters

How to stay cool without air conditioning this summer

Coronavirus and the Courts: Challenges Faced

Disaster During a Pandemic – The Tornado that Hit Onalaska, Texas in the Midst of the Novel Coronavirus

Announcing The First-Ever Virtual Bar Exam Summit

Counsel Who Care: How Attys Are Helping During A Crisis

In Search Of A Silver Lining: How The Legal Community Is Serving During COVID-19

Legal ‘Rescue Corps’ To Aid New Yorkers Affected By Coronavirus

Atlanta Firms Start Pro Bono Clinic to Aid Small Businesses With COVID-19 Problems

Embracing Legal Technology Is Critical in the COVID-19 Era

  • By: The Legal Intelligencer
  • 05/13/2020
  • more info

COVID-19 Has Created A Legal Aid Crisis. FEMA's Usual Response Is Missing

CLEA: Social Justice in Legal Clinics: Tennessee and Memphis Collaboration on Housing and Eviction Justice During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Lawyers as Essential Second Responders in Catastrophes

How South Carolina storm victims can get free legal assistance

How to find free legal help in Houston during the coronavirus pandemic

Want to provide COVID-19 pro bono help? Try this new portal launched by ABA and Paladin

Disaster Aid Portal Aims To Ease Hunt For Pro Bono Work

COVID-19 Threatens A New Eviction Crisis

LegalZoom Sponsors National Disaster Relief Portal Created by American Bar Association and Paladin to Provide Free Legal Services to Those Impacted by COVID-19

How can law students help in the midst of COVID-19?

Legal Services Alabama standing on the front lines with public during coronavirus crisis

April

Sharp increase in applications, calls for help as eviction ban ends May 1

BAR REPORT - NJSBA seeks volunteer attorneys to assist those who need legal aid because of COVID-19

For some law students, clinic work during COVID-19 feels more real than ever before

Pro Bono Legal Plan To Help People Secure Unemployment Benefits in NY Takes Shape

Isolated and scared: The plight of juveniles locked up during the coronavirus pandemic

Tracking COVID-19’s Impact On Employment Law: Difficult At Best, Contradictory At Worst

Health Care Providers Seek Legal Protections Amid COVID-19

Legal Battles Loom As Businesses Hit By Coronavirus Sue Insurers Who Won’t Pay Claims

Landlords Are Illegally Evicting Tenants During The Coronavirus Pandemic. Lawyers Fear A “Tsunami” Of Evictions When State Moratoriums End.

The Race to Get Migrants out of Detention Before COVID Strikes

Coronavirus will overwhelm our civil legal-aid system

Five Great Ways to Do Pro Bono Online (Coronavirus Edition)

Baker Botts Publishes Comprehensive COVID-19 Resource Guide for Individuals

  • By: Tyler Morning Telegraph
  • 04/15/2020
  • more info

Undocumented workers face obstacles qualifying for benefits during the pandemic

ABA Young Lawyers Division establishes national hotline for pandemic-related legal services

Counsel Who Care: How Attys Are Helping During Virus Crisis

Iowa Hotline Set-Up for Coronavirus-Related Legal Issues

  • By: Legal Services Corporation
  • 04/08/2020
  • more info

Three Rivers Legal Services Anticipates Increased Need During Pandemic

  • By: Legal Services Corporation
  • 04/08/2020
  • more info

Suffolk Law looks to increase court access during pandemic

ABA joins RingCentral for national hotline for pandemic, disaster-related legal needs

  • By: American Bar Association
  • 04/08/2020
  • more info

Law School clinical programs offer legal aid during crisis

The ABA Coronavirus (COVID-19) Task Force

  • By: American Bar Association
  • 04/07/2020
  • more info

A Gathering Storm Threatens the Future of Legal Aid

  • By: Connecticut Law Tribune
  • 04/06/2020
  • more info

Coronavirus could overwhelm legal help for America's poor

Unsafe At Home: Virus Stirs Domestic Violence Fears

March

Coronavirus could overwhelm legal help for America’s poor

Pro Bono Puzzle: Attys Try To Navigate Helping From Home

Pandemic disrupts justice system, courts

  • By: American Bar Association
  • 03/31/2020
  • more info

Web portal connects lawyers to those in need during pandemic

  • By: American Bar Association
  • 03/31/2020
  • more info

NY State Bar Association, Courts to Launch Pro Bono Network to Help With Pandemic Response

FEMA Extends Grace Period for Flood Insurance Renewal Premiums

  • By: Federal Emergency Management Agency
  • 03/29/2020
  • more info

How Policy Makers Can Support the Public’s Access to Justice During COVID-19 – Toll the Deadlines to File New Claims

NY Immigration Attorneys Demand Coronavirus Safeguards

An Equitable Systems Transformation Framework for COVID-19

  • By: National Innovation Service
  • 03/27/2020
  • more info

Inside The Fight To Block Evictions During A Pandemic

How Coronavirus May Change Criminal Justice

Isolation During the Coronavirus can be Dangerous for Domestic Violence Victims

ABA Task Force Chief On Meeting The Challenge Of COVID-19

Attorneys offer assistance to tornado victims

Law students to spend spring break giving back through free legal services

February

The Lack of Proof of Ownership in Puerto Rico Is Crippling Repairs in the Aftermath of Hurricane Maria

  • By: American Bar Association
  • 02/21/2020
  • more info

Flood disaster funds earmarked for housing recovery, federal rules state

Allocations, Common Application, Waivers, and Alternative Requirements for Disaster Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery Grantees

  • By: Department of Housing and Urban Development
  • 02/06/2020
  • more info

January

The Center for Urban Pedagogy and Pro Bono Net Announce "Figuring Out FEMA"

The Harris County Flood Control District’s Model and Map Management (M3) System

  • By: Harris County Flood Control District
  • 01/03/2020
  • more info

Homeowners will soon be required to report past FEMA claims to buyers

FEMA Can Assist With Furnaces, Wells And Septic Systems

  • By: Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan
  • 01/03/2020
  • more info

National Disaster Legal Aid

resource center

Disaster Legal Response Resources for Advocates

The National Disaster Legal Aid Advocacy Center welcomes all advocates and volunteers from nonprofit legal aid organizations, bar associations, pro bono counsel from law firms and corporations, law school students and faculty, and allied nonprofits working on disaster legal aid.

The Advocacy Center includes information disaster response initiatives, upcoming events for advocates, developments from the field, and access to a network of over 600 advocates across the country. It is free to join, but some areas are password-protected. The Advocacy Center is maintained by Lone Star Legal Aid, a legal service provider in Texas. 

Learn more about the history and programs behind DisasterLegalAid.org.