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automate the disaster hotline. This grant was approved and
stakeholders from SLLS, ALSC, Lagniappe Law Lab, and the
LSBA are meeting regularly to implement this grant.
o After Hurricane Ida, the subcommittee implemented the
ABA/YLD Disaster Hotline and began to meet regularly to
discuss pertinent issues. FEMA and Red Cross representatives
regularly attend these meetings as well. After establishing the
hotline, one of the first initiatives of the subcommittee was to
develop trainings for volunteer attorneys. On September 22nd,
two one hour trainings were broadcast via Zoom on FEMA
applications/ appeals and insurance claims. These CLEs were
held in conjunction with the re-scheduled evictions training for
judges. All 3.5 hours of CLE were recorded and posted to
probono.net/la for future use. The next initiative of the
subcommittee was to help facilitate a disaster legal clinic with
the City of New Orleans scheduled for Friday, October 29th.
This clinic will be held from 10:00 - 2:00 at Joe Brown
Community Center in New Orleans East where legal aid and
volunteer attorneys will be on hand to answer questions related
to disaster law issues (ex. FEMA appeals, insurance claims,
contractor fraud, etc.).
o The Disaster Response Subcommittee just decided to stop
meeting monthly, and in their final meetings decided to close
the ABA/YLD Hotline. As of April 1st, 2022 the ABA/YLD hotline
closed, anyone who calls the hotline will be routed to the
appropriate civil legal aid office according to their zip code. This
was made possible by the United Way Grant received earlier in
the year and collaboration between members of the Disaster
Response subcommittee.
o Between August 30, 2021 and April 1, 2022 the hotline
received 114 calls that were answered by 19 committed
LSBA YLD volunteers.
o An inaugural Disaster Law Collaboration Summit is currently
being planned with Southeast Louisiana Legal Services for
November 3-4, 2022. The Summit will invite non-legal first
responders on the first day for networking opportunities and to
learn about the importance of civil legal aid after a disaster. The
second day will host the state’s legal aid community for a day of
CLEs related to disaster legal issues.
▪ Identify and assess current substantive legal issues faced by civil legal
aid providers; and
o Coordinate substantive law task forces (CINC, Elder Law,
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