Deadline Nears to Claim Losses From Superstorm
(Mineola, Long Island, NY) Last year, Superstorm Sandy landed on Long Island, serving its devastating blow to the residents of Nassau County. Within weeks of the storm, NCBA volunteer attorneys set up legal clinics to assist residents with issues such as filing claims for insurance and for FEMA grants, dealing with contractors, and debt deferral. All used the successful award-winning model of the NCBA’s Mortgage Foreclosure Legal Consultation Clinics, which provide legal, government and agency resources in one room. On Monday, October 21, NCBA – along with the Long Beach Lawyers Association – will again bring volunteer attorneys to Long Beach to meet one-on-one to answer residents’ concerns from 4 – 6 p.m. at Long Beach City Hall, 1 West Chester Street, Long Beach.
NCBA President Peter J. Mancuso also reminded residents they only have one year from the anniversary of Sandy to file for loss with insurance carriers, and that all documents should be mailed no later than October 26 to meet the deadline. “The Bar Association is dedicated to continuing to assist those harmed by Sandy for as long as there is need,” he commented.
At the Long Beach clinic on Monday, October 21, attorneys will be able to help residents with:
- Homeowner, flood, property damage and automobile insurance claims
- FEMA assistance and grants
- Landlord-Tenant issues
- Debt deferral
- Bankruptcy
- Consumer Protection issues (contractors, etc.)
- Assistance in dealing with lenders to avoid foreclosure
Residents are encouraged to bring any significant documents, leases, insurance agreements or paperwork. No reservations are required; walk-ins are welcome.
Since the storm, NCBA attorneys have assisted more than 900 residents at 21 Sandy Recovery clinics held in Mineola, Long Beach, East Rockaway, Freeport, Island Park and Bellmore. As more people devastated from Sandy started facing foreclosure issues, the Sandy Recovery clinics were combined with the free monthly Mortgage Foreclosure Legal Consultation Clinics, and are being offered twice a month at the Bar’s headquarters in Mineola.
This program is funded through grants received from the NYS Attorney General Homeownership Protection Program and the New York Bar Foundation.
Founded in 1899, the Nassau County Bar Association, with a membership of nearly 6,000 private and public attorneys, judges, legal educators and law students, is the largest suburban bar association in the country. The Bar demonstrates its commitment to the community by offering a variety of services for the public, including lawyer referral services, mortgage foreclosure, Superstorm Sandy recovery and senior citizen clinics; mentoring, judicial screening, public education programs and support for the Volunteer Lawyers Project, which provides much-needed free legal services for the indigent of Nassau County. The WE CARE Fund, a part of the NCBA’s charitable arm, assists children, the elderly and others in need, through countless projects and donations. For more information call 516-747-4070, email infor@nassaubar.org, or visit www.nassaubar.org.
