Tornado Team providing free legal advice to tornado victims [The Joplin Globe, Mo.]
By Andra Bryan Stefanoni, The Joplin Globe, Mo. | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
"We had about
That meant hiring a contractor and working out payments between the insurance and mortgage companies to get the home rebuilt. But shoddy workmanship from the first contractor ended in Gott firing him.
Then, a second contractor's habit of showing up late and leaving early ended the same way.
To date, Gott estimates that he and his wife have lost at least
"We've gotten more done with the help of volunteers than anybody we've paid," Gott said. For his legal battles, he needed a professional. He sought help from three
"We're not sure yet of the end results, but we know that they are helping, and we appreciate that," said Gott. "We'd advise others to look at getting help from them, too, if they have a similar situation."
Personal investment
The three refer to themselves as the Tornado Team.
One member,
With a degree from
After the storm, he would learn that his aunt and uncle,
"For me personally, it was hard to go back to law as before," Tusinger said. "I was -- I think people were -- looking for something more fulfilling after the tornado."
Another member of the team,
Her mother,
The next week, Rodriguez returned to
She said she watched news of
"I wished I was a contractor who could do something," Rodriguez said. "Then I realized, 'I am a lawyer. I CAN do something.'"
A disaster unit that was dispatched to
It was there that Tusinger and Rodriguez found their calling.
They applied for and accepted two-year fellowships that were created with the express purpose of helping those affected by the
The third member of the team,
She remained there for 24 hours, making bandage packs and rounding up flashlights and supplies for those who went out into the dark to help victims.
Like Tusinger and Rodriguez, she lost friends in the storm. Her home at
She brings that experience to a grant-funded paralegal position at Legal Aid, working with Tusinger and Rodriguez.
Farrill-Blood must drive through the tornado zone to and from work each day, reminding her of the need that exists. "I'm still picking up my own house, too, so I know what these people are going through," she said.
Legal Aid
Legal Aid of
Priority is given to cases involving housing, employment, domestic abuse, immigration, consumer problems and public benefits.
Among them:
--Victims of Hurricane Katrina. Fellows were deployed to help by providing free legal representation. The fellows still work in the area, helping those victims as well as those affected by the 2010
--Homeless veterans, who officials say make up more than one-quarter of the current homeless population, as well as an estimated 500,000 veterans who are at risk of becoming homeless.
--Those facing financial challenges as a result of the recession and the mortgage foreclosure crisis of 2009.
In
"I knew I wanted them," Franklin said.
Tornado troubles
Legal teams in other communities devastated by tornadoes -- including
In the weeks after the tornado, landlord-tenant issues were at the forefront, with residents facing challenges with getting security deposits back and cutting through red tape associated with rent-to-own residences and beneficiary claims.
Insurance companies have sometimes refused to pay for post-storm repairs, and fraudulent contractors have prowled neighborhoods and suckered the helpless into payments for faulty or inadequate work.
One of the biggest struggles that remains for many is finding adequate housing.
The legal team has seen numerous head-of-household challenges and issues pertaining to disability and
"And that's an issue -- we have no documents," Tusinger said. "They're covered in mud and scattered from here to
"It takes persistence," Rodriguez said. "It can be overwhelming for those going through it, and they already were traumatized."
The team keeps the lines of communication open with other groups such as the
"We know there are legal needs we're not seeing," Rodriguez said.
Added Tusinger: "A lot of people don't realize their problems are legal problems, or are afraid of involving an attorney."
"Some are wary of outsiders coming in to help, so we always try to emphasize that we are from here, we grew up here," Rodriguez said.
On the horizon
The lawyers believe that in coming months, cases will involve restoration companies, evictions from
"The challenge is our clients are low-income, so they're living paycheck to paycheck and barely making it," Rodriguez said. "This adds a great deal of stress to their lives."
Part of that stress has taken a physical form: The domestic violence caseload at Legal Aid has increased 44 percent since
"People have had to move in with others, often into a small space, or they might be sharing a car, or their child's day care got blown away," Rodriguez said.
She said some clients have stayed with an abuser because post-storm relief is provided based on the residence affected, not the number of residents living in it.
"A lot of us are quickly becoming experts on things we never would have imagined," Tusinger said. "We're learning about child care, roof estimates and siding."
Because transportation remains a barrier for many, the team hopes in coming months to further engage the community by staging "know your rights" seminars and conducting walk-in legal clinics for those displaced by the storm; the sessions would be held close to the
Tusinger and Rodriguez also hope to coordinate with law schools throughout the region to provide law students with internships during spring break.
While cases can be emotionally draining, "We're doing something positive for our community, and that feels rewarding," Tusinger said.
But there are good days, Farrill-Blood said, when a case is resolved in a positive way. "That's when I do a happy dance," she said.
Getting help
Legal aid of
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(c)2011 The Joplin Globe (Joplin, Mo.)
Visit The Joplin Globe (Joplin, Mo.) at www.joplinglobe.com
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