RALEIGH, N.C. – Free disaster-related legal counseling, assistance and referrals are available for eligible North Carolina homeowners and renters in disaster-designated counties as they recover from Tropical Storm Helene. People do not need to apply for FEMA assistance to receive Disaster Legal Services.

Low-income survivors can use this service to receive confidential, free legal assistance due to the disasters, but do not have the means to secure adequate legal services.

Typical services include assistance with:

·         Insurance policies and claims.

·         Foreclosure and mortgage issues.

·         Home repair contracts and contractors.

·         Landlord-tenant disputes.

·         Document replacement.

·         Government benefits information.

·         FEMA appeals.

·         Fraud.

For legal assistance, call 1-866-219-5262 and dial 2657. The toll-free hotline is available 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays. If contacted outside of operational hours, survivors can leave a voicemail.

Disaster Legal Services attorneys are not FEMA employees. They are volunteers who provide survivors with legal counseling, advice, and, when appropriate, legal representation in non-fee-generating cases that are not against the Federal Government. The service is a partnership between the North Carolina Bar Association, North Carolina Bar Foundation, Legal Aid of North Carolina, the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division and FEMA.

More information about legal assistance for North Carolina residents is available online at: legalaidnc.org/disaster.

FEMA’s mission is helping people before, during and after disasters.

For the latest information about North Carolina’s recovery, visit fema.gov/disaster/4827. Follow FEMA Region 4 @FEMARegion4 on X or follow FEMA on social media at: FEMA Blog on fema.gov, @FEMA or @FEMAEspanol on X, FEMA or FEMA Espanol on Facebook, @FEMA on Instagram, and via FEMA YouTube channel. Also, follow Administrator Deanne Criswell on X @FEMA_Deanne.