The Sixteenth Judicial District Bar and Durham County Bar Association are deeply concerned about the devastation Hurricane Helene cause in the western part of the state. Our leadership is in communication with statewide organizations coordinating disaster assistance relief, and we will be regularly updating this page with information as to how members of the Bar and the public can help. For more information, please email info@durhambar.org.
Legal Aid of NC - Donation Link
Legal Aid need immediate donations to support mobile legal clinics, staff for what is expected to be a huge number of calls seeking help, and support for our pro bono program to get cases to volunteer lawyers. Specifically, funding would provide additional staff to handle intake, plus volunteers (estimated 20 people). LANC has used temps in the past for programs such as these and can do so again. A rough cost estimate is $25,000 - $30,000 per month for this initiative. LANC also need resources to support our mobile legal unit, including gas, service, staff, and supplies, with an estimated need of $25,000. There is also a $15,000 employee assistance fund targeted to help our employees in the disaster zone with immediate or emerging needs. Please feel free to reach out to Alicia Edwards if more info is desired or needed.
LANC Disaster Legal Services (DLS)
This page offers detailed assistance links to those impacted by the hurricane including FEMA filing links, crisis cleanup requests, and finding open pharmacies and shelters. It also offers a wealth of long term resources that can be used as the recovery period continues.
Disaster Legal Services Volunteer Sign-up
Volunteers will be needed well into the future as those affected start rebuilding their communities, however it may take as long as a year or more for a volunteer to receive referrals; this has far more to do with where legal support enters into the cleanup, stabilize, recover and rebuild timeline.
Donate to the NC Bar Foundation DLS Fund
The NCBA YLD coordinates the NC Disaster Legal Services (DLS) effort in partnership with the ABA YLD, FEMA and LANC. The DLS pro bono program provides disaster-related resources and services to the public and attorneys with the support of the North Carolina Bar Foundation.
NC State Bar Resources for Disaster Relief & Citizen Support
This site offers attorney-related resources including courthouse closings, filing timeline changes, court orders, and disaster recovery guides for law firms, as well as links to mental health resources for attorneys.
NC Advocates for Justice Hurricane Helene Resource Center
The NCAJ also has a robust resource list for attorneys and the public.
If you would like more information about the volume of rain dropped on WNC and how it impacted the region, the graphic above came from this article.