Long Island Disaster Relief Legal Resources

Transcription

1 Long Island Disaster Relief Legal Resources For Everyone: Touro Law Center HEART Hotline Provides fee legal consultation and advice over the phone to individuals who have been affected by Superstorm Sandy via pro bono student and attorney volunteers. Can be reached either via Phone at or at Phone lines are staffed live Monday Thursday 9:00 am 5:00 pm, and Fridays from 9:00 am 2:30 pm., voice mail is available 24/7. Touro Law Center Disaster Relief Clinic Provides free legal services through attorney supervised law students, in order to help individuals who have been affected by Superstorm Sandy. Please call TLC HEART (above) for more information. New York Legal Assistance Group (NY LAG) Provides free civil legal services to New Yorkers in the 5 Boroughs and Long Island who have been affected by Superstorm Sandy. Call hotline at or at StormHelp@nylag.org. Make the Road provides legal services and clinics for Spanish-speaking individuals affected by Superstorm Sandy. Brentwood, Long Island: 1090 Suffolk Avenue, Brentwood, NY o P: o F: Staffs a legal clinic at the Occupy Sandy Relief Center on Staten Island on Sundays from 1-4 pm. Nassau Suffolk Law Services Provides free legal assistance to residents of Nassau and Suffolk counties to support homeownership retention and foreclosure prevention in the wake of hardships caused by Superstorm Sandy. Eligibility is determined by income qualification and program capacity. Appointments are necessary. Nassau County Office o Hempstead Office 1 Helen Keller Way 5 th Floor, Hempstead, NY, P: ; F: Suffolk County Office o Islandia Office (Serves Suffolk West of Route 112) 1757 Veterans Highway Suite 50, Islandia, NY P: ; F: New York State Bar Association Legal Hotline:

2 Webinars covering FEMA, Wind and National Flood Insurance Claims ( List of New York Free Disaster Assistance Legal Clinics ( Nassau County Bar Association Source for legal information and services for the legal profession and the local community in Nassau County. Additionally, provides free legal clinics addressing Superstorm Sandy specific issues twice a month. Call for more information or to make an appointment. 15 th & West Streets Mineola, NY P: F: Suffolk County Bar Association Source for legal information and services for the legal profession and the local community in Suffolk County. 560 Wheeler Road, Happauge, New York P: F: General address: scba@scba.org Suffolk Academy of Law: Lawyer Referral and Information Service: Lawyer Assistance Program: NYC Pro Bono Center Provides information, resources and opportunities for pro bono attorneys seeking to assist in the Superstorm Sandy relief effort. Project Hope Provides Disaster Case Managers and crisis counseling to individuals affected by Superstorm Sandy. P (Lifenet): New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo Provides multiple resources for storm victims via the official NYS Governor s website; Subjects include: o Avoiding Post Storm Scams o How to file with FEMA o How to recover lost documents o Precautions to take when returning home o Tax filing deadlines and extensions o And many more Direct links to full text versions of the NYS Governor s executive orders available here:

3 o Note: executive orders pertaining to Superstorm Sandy begin at order number forty seven (47); Governor Cuomo Declares a Disaster in the Following Counties. New York State Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman Provides various resources to New Yorkers affected by Superstorm Sandy including: Civil Rights Bureau For individuals who have information regarding specific parties which may be violating civil rights laws post-sandy. o P: o E: civil.rights@ag.ny.gov Labor Bureau has established a hotline for workers who have suffered from labor issues stemming from the cleanup, recovery or rebuilding post-sandy. o P: Charities Bureau has established a website in which posts information on the fundraising and spending of various non-profits in relation to Superstorm Sandy. o WWW: For Homeowners and Renters: L.I. Housing Services Challenges different housing discrimination issues, including issues which have resulted from Superstorm Sandy. 640 Johnson Avenue, Ste. 8 Bohemia, New York P: Town of Babylon Posting new building code requirements for rebuilding and providing notice of permit fee waivers for 90 days West Main Street Babylon, New York P: (Mayors Office) Town of Hempstead Keeps an online list of licensed electricians and plumbers and is also waiving building permit fees until June 1, Also provides updates on Superstorm Sandy related news and events. 1 Washington Street, 2 nd Floor Hempstead, New York P (Building Department): Village of Lindenhurst Providing funds to village residents via a partnership with the United Way. Funds may be used for: Rent and Mortgage Utilities

4 Car and Home Repair Household goods Job Search Child Care Contact a Disaster Case Manager to apply (see Project Hope on this page for more info) South Wellwood Avenue Lindenhurst, New York P: City of Long Beach Providing regular updates on services and benefits for residents affected by Superstorm Sandy D00B86D2A%7D/uploads/Update_Handout_ pdf 1 Westchester Street Long Beach, New York P: Town of Oyster Bay Posting news on waivers for buildings being rebuilt to their preexisting condition. See website for more details. BE A A4A8606}&DE={64EED D-4B7F-BF6E- C77EB816DB94} Town Hall West 74 Audrey Lane Oyster Bay, New York P (Building Department): For Businesses: Hofstra Law School Clinic for Small Businesses free legal assistance to local small businesses as they recover from the effects of Superstorm Sandy. Contact for further information or to apply. Small Business Administration Provides low interest loans to individuals and businesses who have been affected by Superstorm Sandy. Loan amounts and limitations differ if individual or business. Contact SBA for further information: US Small Business Administration rd St, SW Washington DC P:

5 Nassau County Disaster Relief Sales Tax Program Provides sales tax exemptions for businesses rebuilding after Superstorm Sandy. Contact the Nassau County Industrial Development Agency for more information: P: E: Suffolk County Disaster Relief Sales Tax Program Provides sales tax exemptions for businesses rebuilding after Superstorm Sandy. Contact the Suffolk County Industrial Development Agency for more information: P: E: Or apply online at: New York Small Business Development Center at Stony Brook Provides disaster related small business loans and free assistance with application paper work and filing of business loan documents and other business needs. P: E: For Consumers: NY Attorney General Price Gouging Complaint line If you have noticed that the price of goods and services have gone up since the hurricane passed New York, don t stay silent! The NY Attorney General has issued a warning regarding the inflation of price of goods and services, you can read the complete warning here. If you have noticed this in your community please report this by calling the toll-free complaint line at: or visit the Attorney General s website at New York State Department of Financial Services Hotline For banking and insurance complaints (other than FEMA or Flood Insurance) contact How is your insurance company handling the storm? Check the Insurance Company and Public Adjuster Report Cards available at: Nassau County Office of Consumer Affairs Contractor Checklist in order to protect themselves from the risk of fraud or scam, homeowners should always check to be sure that the contactor or home improvement professional they seek to hire is licensed in their county. Contact the NCOCA for information on Nassau County issued licenses at: Or follow their checklist for hiring at contractor, located here:

6 Suffolk County Government Consumer Affairs License Search Provides free search of a contractor or home improvement professionals license status: Or contact via phone at: Environmental: New York State Oil Spill Hotline Complaint Hotline specifically for oil spills, open Monday Friday, 24 hours. P: New York State Oil Spill Fund For homeowners and individuals who have property damaged solely by oil spilled from another party. Find out more at: P: