Legal Aid Services helps with disaster recovery
Isaac Morris of Legal Aid Services presented to the Poteau Kiwanis Club on Jan. 18.
Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma, a non-profit organization that offers free legal services to eligible disaster survivors, serves all 77 Oklahoma counties and strives to assist those earning less than 200 percent of the federal poverty guidelines and are within citizenship requirements.
The Legal Aid Service office in Poteau, which serves LeFlore, Haskell and Latimer Counties, is at 224 Dewey Avenue and can be reached at 918-6478136 or 1-800-299-8136.
Those who need assistance in resolving barriers to recovery, can call the Legal Aid Services hotline at 888-602-8494.
Online resources available at omalegaldisasterhelp. org include the disaster legal checklist, disaster insurance claim tip sheet, agricultural sister assistance, renters rights after a disaster and documents listing what the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) can do, explaining replacing important documents and hiring a contractor.
Legal Aid Services has a dedicated disaster team that responds to disasterimpacted areas to help identify legal barriers to survivors’ recovery.
Among the disasters the organization has assisted survivors in recovering from are the 2019 tornadoes and floods, the 2021 winter storms and other federally-declared disasters in the past two years.
Other types of disasters that Legal Aid Services helps with include wildfires and personal loss. Legal Aid Services points to the definition of disaster that states it as “a sudden event, such as an accident or natural catastrophe, that causes great damage or loss of life.”
Of the 40 natural disaster events in Oklahoma since 2013, 20 were severe enough to receive federal assistance.
Morris noted that Legal Aid Services does not stop its work when first responders leave and news stories related to the disaster are no longer issued.
Morris stated that lowincome families are more likely to live in housing that suffers more damage from a disaster and have fewer resources to assist them in recovery. In 2021, 570,089 Oklahomans had incomes below the poverty level.
After a disaster, tenants are required to notify the landlord in writing of the damage to the unit. The landlord is responsible for filing for insurance and to FEMA and Small Business Administration (SBA).
Tenants also need to take pictures or video of the damage, file a claim if the tenant has renters insurance, apply for FEMA assistance for renters (the renter must be able to show a denial from his or her insurance claim to receive assistance on personal property not covered under insurance) and mitigate for damage.
Morris gave recovery tips such as storing important documents in a safe place, keeping a list of important numbers (i.e. emergency contacts, landlord or mortgage company, utility companies, doctor offices, pharmacy, insurance company and banks) and to watch out for scams with contractors.
Morris advised that in hiring a contractor, a reputable contractor should be able to show an insurance certificate or provide one when asked, be wary of low bids (the lowest is not always the best) and of a contractor who wants full payment before the job begins or will only accept cash payments, verify that the company’s permanent business address is in this area and not out of state.
People should ask for a contractor’s references and check them. In Oklahoma, all HVAC, electrical and plumbing jobs should be permitted and inspected.
Morris advised to use a practicing attorney to make a will, advance directive or trust. Having one draft these can save beneficiaries the cost of litigation related to poorly drawn documents.
In a disaster, it is advised that people make sure all family members are safe, children should be kept with parents if possible, let other family and friends know they are safe and find a place to stay and a place to keep pets.
Legal Aid Services receives its funds through Legal Services Corporation, which operates from U.S. Congressional funding. The organization has actively collaborated with Oklahoma Indian Legal Services to create the Oklahoma Disaster Legal help website (oklahomadisasterlegalhelp.org).