This story, by Report for America corps member Carly Berlin, was produced through a partnership between VTDigger and Vermont Public.
Before the window to submit applications for Federal Emergency Management Agency grants and Small Business Administration loans closes, Vermont Law and Graduate School is hosting a series of free legal clinics to assist Vermonters through the application and appeals processes.
On Friday afternoon, FEMA granted the state’s request to extend the deadline for homeowners, renters and businesses to apply for federal aid tied to July’s historic flooding to Oct. 12. The original deadline was Sept. 12.
“We just want people to know that there is assistance available, and there is support — and if they have questions, this is a good place to go and get some education on the legal aspects of how they can recover from the impacts that they’ve had from the flooding,” said Lisa Lance, vice president for marketing and communications at Vermont Law and Graduate School.
The school’s Entrepreneurial Legal Laboratory has offered legal assistance specifically for businesses since the flooding. Now, it’s collaborating with its Environmental Justice Clinic to expand its assistance to homeowners and renters navigating federal aid applications to repair their homes or replace personal property lost to the flooding.
The three pop-up clinics are scheduled for:
South Royalton:
Wednesday, Sept. 6, 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Oakes 109
Vermont Law and Graduate School
164 Chelsea St.
South Royalton, VT 05068
Ludlow:
Saturday, Sept. 9, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Fletcher Memorial Library
88 Main St.
Ludlow, VT 05149
Barre:
Monday, Sept. 11, 2 p.m. - 6 p.m.
Milne Common Room
Aldrich Public Library
6 Washington St.
Barre, VT 05641
Attendees are encouraged to bring photos of their properties pre- and post-flood, receipts for repairs and replacement items and temporary lodging, insurance information, household income information, along with any additional notes on damage or impacts from flooding.
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