In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, several dozen shelters have opened across Georgia to house evacuees from Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. Evacuees are confronted with an array of issues, and while food, shelter and income replacement matters top the list, these issues often have legal dimensions.

The Pro Bono Project, Georgia Legal Services Program and others have initiated disaster legal services programs based on law-related materials found in the Library of this website in the Disaster Legal Assistance folder. Volunteer lawyers are needed to visit the Georgia shelters to provide basic advice on disaster unemployment insurance, replacement of identification, disaster food stamps, and FEMA grants and loans. The majority of evacuees will simply want answers to some very basic questions about insurance claims procedures, how to access benefits programs and how to cut government red tape.

Volunteers for Georgia Legal Services Program will be trained and supported by local program attorneys in GLSP's 154 county territory. To find the GLSP office in your region, visit www.GLSP.org or contact Cynthia Grant at the State Bar Pro Bono Project at cynthiag@gabar.org or 1-800-334-6865.