09/06/2023

Bar Association Providing Support for Maui Wildfire Victims

Its program is designed to help disaster victims access legal guidance and avoid fraud

The American Bar Association has mobilized a legal support team in response to recent devastating wildfires in Hawaii, part of a long-running disaster-response program that’s become increasingly busy.

Last week, ABA announced that it had set up a hotline and other supports for victims of the August wildfires on the island of Maui, which have reportedly killed more than 100 people, with nearly 400 people missing. Lawyers coordinated through ABA provide legal support to victims around insurance claims, access to FEMA benefits, and consumer fraud.

ABA’s effort is managed by its Disaster Legal Services program, a volunteer group managed by the association’s Young Lawyers Division. According to Amanda L. Brown, current director of Disaster Legal Services, the group has around a dozen volunteers that gather to coordinate responses in cases where state and federal authorities have officially declared an emergency. ABA has a memorandum of understanding with FEMA that permits the association to provide legal support.

Please select this link to read the complete article from Associations Now.