Page 12 - Florida Sentinel 9-19-17

Local
From left to right: Crystal Shavonne, Tim Abram, Shandale Terrell and Shree Chamber- lain.
Serving The Victims Of Hurricane Irma
Attorneys To Provide Legal Assistant To Hurricane Victims
On Wednesday Septem- ber 13th, the Lakeland Po- lice Athletic League, Lakeland (PAL) Program Members, Crystal Shavonne, Tim Abram, Shandale Terrell, Shree Chamberlain, along with several volun- teers were humbled and
honored to give out free water, prepared meals, food baskets, non-perish- able goods, fruits, vegeta- bles, lunchables, cases of chicken, cereal and milk to over one thousand victims without electricity and clean water, created by the horrific disaster of Hurri-
cane Irma.
The event took place at
the Lakeland (PAL) Com- plex. Donations were made by: the Agape Food Bank, Inc., Super Choice Food Store and The Baptist Chil- dren Home, in partnership with the Lakeland (PAL) Program.
Through a partnership between state legal organi- zations, a hotline has been established to help victims of Hurricane Irma.
The partnership is be- tween the Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division, the American Bar Associa- tion Young Lawyers Divi- sion, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The hotline will allow residents to leave a mes- sage requesting storm-re- lated legal assistance in Spanish and in English. The callers are required to leave their names, telephone numbers, county of resi- dence, and a description of their legal problems.
The hotline will allow qualified residents affected by the storm to be matched
with an attorney who will provide legal help with such issues as: securing FEMA and other benefits; making life, medical, and property insurance claims; dealing with home repair contrac- tors; replacing wills and other important legal docu- ments destroyed in the hur- ricane; helping with consumer protection mat- ters; and counseling on mortgage and foreclosure problems or landlord and tenant issues.
Calls will be returned to calls within two business days between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Anyone wishing to con- tact the hotline can call 1- 866-550-2929, or visit www.floridabar.org/hurri- caneinfo.
Operation Blue Roof Provides Coverings Available For Hurricane Victims
FEMA Designates More Counties For Individual Assistance
Residents living in Hills- borough County whose roofs were damaged by Hurri- cane Irma may be eligible to have free temporary coverings in- stalled through Operation Blue Roof.
Operation Blue Roof is a priority mission managed by the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers Operation for FEMA. The program pro- vides homeowners in disas- ter areas with fiber-reinforced sheeting and installation to cover their damaged roofs until arrangements can be made for permanent re- pairs.
The service is free. Hills- borough County residents may sign up for the program Sept. 18-22 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Seffner-Mango Branch Library, 410 N. Kingsway Road, in Seffner.
This program is for pri-
mary residences or perma- nently occupied rental properties with less than 50 percent structural damage. Vacation rental properties are not eligible.
Once the blue roof is in- stalled, the structure must be habitable. Roofs that are flat or made of metal, clay, slate, or asbestos tile do not qualify.
Some things residents should know:
All storm debris must be removed for the roof to qual-
ify.
Applicants must grant
permission for the Corps of Engineers and its agents to go onto individual proper- ties to install the temporary roof.
Beware of solicitations.
Blue Roof representa- tives never solicit participa- tion, nor will they ask for Social Security or bank ac- count numbers.
Look for identification. Corps employees who do as- sessments for Operation Blue Roof carry U. S. Gov- ernment ID cards. If you don’t see it, ask for it.
Contractors will have a copy of a signed Right of Entry form.
Representatives from Operation Blue Roof may call to clarify information or location, but they will not ask for sensitive informa- tion.
Pets must be kept inside or properly restrained away in order for workers to safely access the roof.
For more information about Operation Blue Roof and eligibility requirements, call 1-888-ROOF-BLU (1- 888-766-3258), or visit http://www.usace.army.mil /Missions/Emergency-Op- erations/National-Re- sponse-Framework/Tempor ary-Roofing.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has designated 37 Florida counties as major disaster areas. Business owners and homeowners in those counties can apply for federal assistance.
Residents living in coun- ties affected by Hurricane Irma are advised to contact their insurance companies to file a claim.
Homeowners and busi- ness owners may now apply for federal disaster assis- tance for uninsured and un- derinsured damage and losses resulting from Hur- ricane Irma.
To be eligible for federal aid under FEMA’s Individ- ual Assistance Program, storm damage and losses from the hurricane and flooding must have occurred as a result of Hurricane Irma, beginning Sept. 4.
Register with FEMA as soon as possible. If you pre- registered with FEMA, you do not have to apply again.
To register, call 800-621-
3362 (FEMA). Applicants who use 711 or Video Relay Service may also call 800- 621-3362. People who are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability and use a TTY may call 800-462- 7585.
* The toll-free num- bers are open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. ET, seven days a week.
* Multilingual opera- tors are available. Press 2 for Spanish and press 3 for other languages.
Assistance for eligible survivors can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, and for other serious disaster-related needs, such as medical and dental expenses or funeral and burial costs.
Long-term, low-interest disaster loans from the U. S. Small Business Administra- tion (SBA) also may be available to cover losses not fully compensated by insur- ance and do not duplicate benefits of other agencies or organizations.
PAGE 12 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2017