Tropical Storm Helene Disaster Assistance

Legal Aid NC Helpline

If you wish to contact Legal Aid NC for disaster-related legal issues, call our Helpline:

Toll-Free: 1 (866) 219-LANC (5262)

8:30 AM – 4:00 PM, Monday – Friday

For all other calls, our helpline is open:

8:30 AM – 1:30 PM, Monday – Friday
5:30 PM – 8:30 PM, Monday & Thursday

Apply for free help with civil (non-criminal) legal issues.

Recovery Resources

Assistance Now

Legal Aid of North Carolina can help immediately after the storm:

• Provide survivors with information about their rights
• Answer questions about insurance and claims
• Advocate for people when they are applying for recovery fund assistance and appealing decisions

Benefits and Appeals / FEMA

• Access assistance
• Appeal decisions
• Recoupment

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Long-Term Support

Housing

Homeowners – Assistance with insurance policies, recovery appeals, proving property ownership, avoiding foreclosure and mortgage issues, providing information on rights, and more.

Renters – Recovery appeals, evictions, lease terminations, landlord/tenant disputes, understanding renters rights and insurance policies, providing additional legal help during disaster recovery, and more.

Assist Long-Term Recovery Groups

• 501(c)(3) non-profit incorporation
• Provide general guidance to groups navigating the disaster relief ecosystem

Support Victims of Fraud

• Resources and assistance to avoid fraud
• Help fraud victims file a claim

Self-Help Resource Library

Check out the resource library on Legal Aid’s website at legalaidnc.org/disaster that includes 50+ videos with information on a range of disaster topics including replacing lost documents, Disaster Unemployment Assistance, property taxes, and more.

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Applying for FEMA Aid

FEMA has declared Individual Assistance (IA) for Hurricane Helene for 25 western NC counties and Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. What does this mean for you? It means that you can apply for disaster assistance from FEMA to help offset your disaster-related expenses.

The current deadline to apply for FEMA aid is January 7th, 2025. We recommend applying as soon as possible to receive prompt assistance with disaster needs.

As of 10/17/24, residents in the following counties are eligible for FEMA aid:

You can apply online at https://www.disasterassistance.gov/ or by telephone at (800) 621-3362. Otherwise, you can download the FEMA weather app from Google Play Store or the Apple Store and you can apply for assistance on the app and upload receipts. Whichever method you choose, the form has a few questions that are tricky. To avoid delay, please follow the following tips:

1. One of the questions that FEMA will ask when you register is “Do You Have Emergency Needs”? This means during your evacuation or since staying at home during the disaster, do you need help with Gas, Medication, Food (meals, water, had no power and everything spoils), Shelter (you are staying with friends, family or in a hotel); Clothing; or Durable Medical Equipment (oxygen, walkers, cane, glasses, all major equipment, etc). If this is true, say “YES” to this question. That will result in your receiving Displacement / Critical Needs Assistance, which is $750.

2. When asked if your home is/was accessible, answer “NO” if there was debris, tree branches, continued flooding, loss of power, damage or destruction that prevented you from staying there after Helene. This question is asking whether you can stay at your home or apartment and will trigger the ability for you to receive assistance to pay for hotels or provide funding to use while you stay with family or friends.

3. When asked if utilities are out, say “YES” if you incurred costs due to a utility outage, even if your utilities have since been turned back on. This allows you to receive reimbursement for costs such as generator fuel or motel expenses.

4. When asked “Are you willing to relocate” say “YES” if you cannot live in your home due to damage, loss of power, etc. This question means you are willing to stay in a hotel or apartment temporarily, and triggers that funding for you. It is not asking if you are willing to move away from your home permanently.

5. If you bought or buy a generator, FEMA will reimburse you up to $629, but you must submit the receipt. If you bought a chainsaw, FEMA will reimburse you up to $219. Again, you need to provide the receipt. Save your receipts.

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Disaster Unemployment Assistance

Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) benefits are available for residents of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and the following counties:

People in the above-listed counties who are unemployed as a direct result of Hurricane Helene may be eligible for unemployment benefits under the DUA program.

The deadline for the above counties to apply is December 2, 2024.

Update: DUA has been approved for the following counties:

The deadline for the above counties to apply is December 9, 2024.

DUA is a federal unemployment program that provides temporary payments for people who, as a direct result of Hurricane Helene:

• No longer have the job that provided their primary source of income.
• Are unable to reach their place of unemployment.
• Cannot work because of an injury caused by the storm.
• Were unable to begin employment or self-employment due to the storm.
• Have become the major supplier of household income due to a storm-related death of the previous major supplier of household income.

For more information, go to www.des.nc.gov/dua

Listen & Learn: DUA

Disaster Unemployment Benefits (DUA)

The National Association of State Workforce Agencies has organized a toolkit compiling all the laws, handbooks, and UIPLs regarding DUA. Find more at: https://library.naswa.org/dua-toolkit

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LANC Resource Library

• Learn more about the Disaster Relief Project
• Learn more about FEMA
• Tenant’s Rights After a Natural Disaster
• Avoid Scams and Frauds
• Learn more about Pet Care during a natural disaster
• Learn more about Insurance Claims and Appeals
• Hurricane Helene Disaster Food Assistance (D-SNAP)
• Insurance Claims and Appeals

For Kids

Disaster Relief Coloring Book

Videos

Donate

Donations to our disaster response support mobile legal clinics, additional staff for dedicated disaster hotline intake, support for our pro bono program preparing cases to volunteer lawyers, and other emerging needs. Your donation can be the lifeline that helps a family rebuild. Please consider giving today: Donate to Legal Aid NC

Pro Bono

Legal Aid of North Carolina’s Disaster Relief Project provides information, advice, and representation to disaster survivors, but the legal needs after Hurricane Helene far outweigh our resources.  We are proud to partner with the NC Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division, the Young Lawyers Division of the American Bar Association, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide pro bono legal services, and we need your help. 

If you are an attorney, please sign up here to volunteer.