Lone Star Legal Aid to offer free legal advice to hurricane victims

HOUSTON � Lone Star Legal Aid has announced it will be offering free legal advice to areas affected by Hurricane Ike.

In cooperation with the Red Cross, community organizations and city officials, Lone Star will begin sending legal teams to work onsite at shelters emergency and evacuation shelters throughout Texas, a Sept. 16 press release said.

Teams will provide free advice on dealing applications to FEMA and other government benefits, lost or destroyed document problems, evacuee relocation housing, school enrollment questions and other common disaster recovery legal matters.

Lone Star Legal Aid is a non-profit law firm, operating as the fourth largest legal aid organization of its type in the United States. The firm provides free civil legal assistance to low-income individuals and families who have immediate needs but cannot afford an attorney.

The firm will also distribute thousands of free "Must Know" legal packets in both English and Spaish with self-help brochures and important recovery benefit deadline information. As Disaster Recovery Centers operated by FEMA are opened, Lone Star Legal Aid teams will manage Attorney Help Desks at those locations.

The firm has offices in the following locations: Angleton, Beaumont (closed and services rerouted through Houston), Bellville, Belton, Bryan, Galveston (closed and services rerouted through Houston), Houston, Longview, Nacogdoches, Paris, Texarkana, Tyler and Waco.

A toll-free Hurricane Hotline staffed with disaster legal specialists is now in place to provide free legal help as well as referrals to other critical local resources. The Hurricane Hotline phone number is 800-733-8394 or 713-652-0077. Information is also available at http://www.lonestarlegal.org.