Eight law students from UNC-Chapel Hill's School of Law will volunteer at two free legal clinics to help those impacted by Helene in western North Carolina.
The law students will assist clients under the supervision of lawyers from Legal Aid of North Carolina during two days of their spring break. Meghan Moran, the director of pro-bono initiatives at UNC's School of Law, said they will primarily focus on Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) financial assistance appeals.
“If somebody applied for financial assistance from FEMA, then they got their decision back and they disagree with it, (we) will be helping them appeal that,” she said.
She said those who were impacted also face other legal problems, such as dealing with the rebuilding of private bridges and roads, as well as insurance claims issues.
The first clinic will be held on Tuesday in Burnsville from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and the second clinic will be held on Wednesday in Boone from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Moran said the students will play a critical role in those two-day clinics, and they’ve gone through a lot of training.
“One of the things that they've been trained on is the trauma that a natural disaster can have, not only on an individual, but also on a community as a whole,” she said.
Moran said UNC-Chapel Hill is the only university helping with the legal aid initiative. For those who want to know more about the clinics, visit Legal Aid's website.
