Free legal assistance available for low-income victims of St. Clair County flooding

Free legal help is available to low-income victims of the July 25-July 28 flooding in St. Clair County, FEMA announced Thursday.

“ Lawyers can answer questions and address concerns about FEMA benefits, home repair contracts, property insurance claims, landlord or tenant problems, disability-related access to assistance, and more,” according to the FEMA announcement.

Victims with flood-related legal questions can call this hotline: 877-342-7891.

Some of the topics that the lawyers could tackle: Benefits from FEMA and the U.S. Small Business Administration, home repair contracts and property insurance claims, will and other legal documents destroyed in the disaster, identity theft and other scams, landlord-tenant issues, foreclosure threats and disability-related access to federal, state, and local disaster programs

Hotline hours are Monday – Thursday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Friday, from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m

“The Disaster Legal Services program works with state and local partners to provide free legal help for low-income disaster survivors,” the FEMA relase states. “The service is a partnership between the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division and FEMA. The Land of Lincoln Legal Aid will be providing support.”