YLD plans for hurricane season.

"Andrew's big brother, Hurricane Floyd, is predicted to destroy my home within the next 36 hours. The plan is ready to be initiated. I am evacuating and will contact you when I am able. Good luck to you all."

That was the e-mail Kimberly Bonder Rezanka, drafter and facilitator of The Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division Statewide Emergency Legal Services Response Plan, sent out last September to her committee and YLD leaders. As then chair of the YLD Disaster Legal Assistance Committee, her concern was to ensure those who were in need of legal assistance after the devastation anticipated by Hurricane Floyd would be served. Although the plan had been adopted and formalized, it had yet to be officially tested. Thankfully, Floyd turned north and spared the Florida coast.

The YLD is now seeking volunteers to assist in the program. The amount of time expended by a volunteer depends on his or her availability and willingness to help.

"It is crucial the plan have a wide geographic base of volunteers to assist, especially when the entire East Coast of Florida is evacuated," Rezanka said. "Spanish-speaking attorneys also are needed to help the ever-growing population of non-English-speaking Florida residents."

Rewind to June 1998. Fires are ravaging Flagler, Volusia and Brevard counties. Only months earlier tornadoes had ripped through Osceola. Lawyers across the state pitched in to help those in need of legal assistance -- insurance, wills, property damage, lost wages, evictions.

"Although not as significant or well known as the efforts by lawyers after Hurricane Andrew, the efforts of the community-minded and service-oriented lawyers were appreciated by those citizens unable to afford, or find, an attorney," Rezanka said. "Because of these disasters, the need for a formalized disaster legal services response plan became painfully apparent."

The Young Lawyers Division spearheaded the project, creating the Statewide Emergency Legal Service Response Plan, which is designed to provide basic legal services for low-income individuals, in nonfee-generating cases. The response plan can be initiated if a major disaster creates a need for legal services. The volunteers either assist through returning a telephone message taken through a toll-free hotline, or by working in a disaster relief/recovery center.

"The legal needs of these disaster victims range from insurance claim information to referring to appropriate authorities or agencies," Rezanka said. "The most pressing need for volunteers is to return the phone calls of the disaster victims."

Participating lawyers will be asked to volunteer their time to provide legal information advice in the following areas:

* Assistance with insurance claims.

* Counseling on landlord-tenant problems.

* Assistance with home repair contracts.

* Assistance with consumer protection matters, remedies and procedures.

* Counseling on mortgage foreclosure problems.

* Replacement of basic wills and other documents destroyed in the disaster.

* Drafting powers of attorney.

* Estate administration.

* Preparation of guardianships and conservatorships.

* Assistance with securing state and federal benefits.

Rezanka said the Florida Good Samaritan Act and the Federal Volunteer Protection Act provides protection for the volunteer's services.

The hotline/phone message volunteer is asked to do several things after receiving, via fax, the Disaster Legal Services Intake Form. First, the call to the disaster victim should he initially returned within 48 hours.

"Unfortunately, many of the victims are without homes or away from the phone number provided, and it may taker several days to contact the victim," Rezanka said. "Second, the Intake Form should be noted as to the action taken by the lawyer and the resolution of the legal problem, if any."

She said once the intake form is completely filled out, it must be faxed back to the program administrator for reporting requirements of FEMA.

The plan was initially implemented in conjunction with the ABA YLDFEMA Disaster Legal Services Plan during the aftermath of Hurricanes Earl and Georges in 1998. The Hillsborugh County Bar Association was the organization that handled the hotline at that time. More than 150 phone calls from disaster victims were received during a five week period. The volunteers were drawn from the Hillsborough area volunteer bar organizations and The Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division.

Hurricane Irene in October 1999 was the first real test of the YLD plan, with the hotline number terminating directly with the YLD Program Administer Austin Newberry. Newberry or his assistants took the information from the disaster victim and faxed the information form to one of the 72 statewide volunteers. Although 18 counties were declared federal disaster areas by President Bill Clinton, and federal funds were authorized to assist victims, less than 30 individuals sought legal assistance through the response plan.

Fourteen named storms, nine hurricanes, four category three or higher, are predicted this year, Rezanka said, adding fires have already destroyed thousands of acres and numerous homes throughout the state.

If you are interested in volunteering or receiving additional information, please contact current Chair Hillary Creary at [phone], or Kimberly Bonder Rezanka at [phone].