Hurricane & Disaster Relief Videos
These videos provide information on common disaster recovery legal issues for Florida residents.
Staff Attorney John Lawless and Managing Attorney Jason Susalla with Bay Area Legal Services’ Disaster Relief Team and the Florida Disaster Legal Aid Helpline discuss simple steps anyone can take to avoid common issues while recovering from disaster.
Disaster Recovery: Important Documents
Today, we’re here to discuss some important documents you will want to have available after surviving a disaster. In order to receive post-disaster aid, many programs will require you to prove it is your property that has been damaged. Additionally, your hazard and flood insurance companies will want to hear from you as soon as possible about any damage done to your home.
Disaster Recovery: Developing a Plan
Today, we’re here to discuss the importance of having a family disaster plan. A family disaster plan lets each member of your family know what to do in the event of a disaster. Making a disaster plan makes it more likely that you and your family will not leave out any crucial details, and place you in a better position to receive the aid and relief you need in the wake of a disaster.
Disaster Recovery: Knowing Your Insurance
Today, we’re here to discuss the importance of reviewing your insurance policies and verifying your coverage. Familiarizing yourself with both your rights and obligations will help avoid mistakes and delays in receiving insurance benefits after a disaster damages your property.
Understanding FEMA Applications
Today, we’re here to discuss FEMA disaster assistance. FEMA provides many different types of assistance, but today we are going to focus on FEMA’s “IHP”, or “Individuals and Households Program.” It is through this program that FEMA provides relief to disaster survivors in the form of money for repairs to their homes and replacement of lost essentials. For the IHP to become available in your area, a few things have to happen.
Understanding FEMA Appeals
Today, we’re here to discuss the FEMA appeal process. In the aftermath of a disaster, many survivors in need of assistance are lacking information needed to request relief. Others can misunderstand the procedure, and still other times errors occur in inspection and application processing. Whatever the reason, this can result in survivors receiving lesser benefits or outright denials.
Understanding SBA Assistance
Today, we’re here to discuss SBA disaster assistance. Many people are familiar with FEMA, but do not realize that the SBA, or Small Business Administration, also has a significant hand in providing relief to disaster survivors. Survivors often encounter the SBA as part of the FEMA application process, but it is not necessary to apply for FEMA relief in order to receive SBA assistance. When it comes to SBA disaster assistance, there are a few important initial points to remember.
Know Your Rights: Renter's Rights
Today, we’re here to talk about renters and their rights. We’re going to focus on disaster survivors, but many of these points apply to renters of all sorts.
Know Your Rights: Home Ownership and Inheritance
Today, we’re here to talk about generational, or heir property. Heir property is property that has been in a family for generations, and no formal legal processes have taken place to transfer ownership from one generation to the next.
FEMA Update: March 2024
As of March 22, 2024, there have been some major updates to FEMA’s individual assistance program. For any Federally declared disasters after that date, these new rules will be in effect for disaster survivors.
Renter Rights: Breaking a Lease After a Disaster
Today, we’re here to talk about some specific rights that renters have in the wake of a disaster. Our discussion will be about renters in Florida, so if you are watching this from elsewhere please remember that these rules can change significantly from state to state.
Renter Rights: Prohibited Practices by Landlords
Today, we’re here to talk about prohibited landlord practices. Our discussion will be about Florida law, so if you are watching this from elsewhere please remember that these rules can change significantly from state to state. Now, let’s see what our landlord is up to.
Renter Rights: Returning Security Deposits
Today, we’re here to talk about security deposits. Our discussion will be about renters in Florida, so if you are watching this from elsewhere please remember that these rules can change significantly from state to state.
Know Your Rights: Contractor Issues
Today, we’re here to talk about common issues that survivors have with construction contracts. Our discussion will be about work and contracts in Florida, so if you are watching this from elsewhere please remember that these rules can change significantly from state to state.
Substantial Damage: Understanding the FEMA Rule
Today we will talk about the FEMA Substantial Damage Rule. The "Substantial Damage" rule, commonly referred to as the FEMA 50% rule, is a regulation within the National Flood Insurance Program that applies to structures located in Special Flood Hazard Areas.
Trees: Trees
Today, we’re here to talk about: Trees. What are trees? Where do they come from, and who’s fault is it when they do?
New Videos:
Disaster Relief and Recovery Organizations
Hi, my name is John Lawless, staff attorney with Bay Area Legal Services Disaster Relief Team and the Florida Disaster Legal Aid Helpline. I'm here with my colleague Jason to discuss some simple steps anyone can take to avoid common issues while recovering from disaster. Today, we'll be joined by some of our disaster relief and recovery partners to hear how they can assist disaster survivors. We will have an opportunity to hear from each of them about the important work they and their organizations do so that you have a better understanding of the resources available to survivors after a disaster. Then each one of them will face a challenge to see who will be joining us for this disaster season. Let's begin.
Florida Mobile Home Act in Disasters
Hi, my name is John Lawless, staff attorney with Bay Area Legal Services Disaster Relief Team and the Florida Disaster Legal Aid Helpline. I'm here with my colleague Jason to discuss some simple steps anyone can take to avoid common issues while recovering from disaster. Today, we're here to talk about mobile homes. Specifically, we will be talking about mobile homes that are owned by the occupants but placed on rented lots. We'll also be focusing on disaster related aspects of the law specifically and how they apply in Florida. Remember, if you are watching from elsewhere, different laws may apply, even if the facts are the same.
Estate Planning and Disasters
Hi, my name is John Lawless, staff attorney with Bay Area Legal Services Disaster Relief Team and the Florida Disaster Legal Aid Helpline. And today I am not here with my colleague Jason. And that brings us to the subject of our discussion today, estate planning. Unfortunately, unexpected events can interrupt the normal course of our daily activities. Some of these events, including death, can significantly impact the lives of those around you, such as how your property is distributed among your heirs, avoiding family disputes, preserving wealth for future generations, and better protecting your family should something happened following a disaster. Indeed, estate planning should be an important aspect of your disaster preparedness plan.
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