Editor’s Note: The State Bar of Texas is providing a daily collection of important links, blog posts, and media stories to keep its members and the public informed of the latest news and resources related to Hurricane Harvey relief and recovery efforts.
Important Harvey Links
If you have been adversely affected or wish to assist a colleague, please take a moment to complete the State Bar of Texas’ Hurricane Harvey assistance survey.
If you would like to donate money to the hurricane relief effort in Texas, you can give through the Texas Bar Foundation by clicking here.
If you are an attorney who wants to help by giving brief advice, limited-scope service, or full representation to Harvey survivors, please complete the form at texasbar.com/attorneyvolunteer.
State Bar Disaster Resources for Attorneys — Information on this page includes recovery plans, court closures, court orders, and other items.
State Bar Disaster Resources the Public — The State Bar of Texas legal hotline — (800) 504-7030 — helps people find answers to basic legal questions and connects them with local legal aid providers following declared disasters.
Disaster recovery centers to open in 3 more Texas counties — The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced Wednesday it would open three additional disaster recovery centers in Texas counties affected by Hurricane Harvey. — Texas Bar Blog
Video: Hotline helps disaster victims with destroyed legal documents, insurance claims — The State Bar of Texas’ legal hotline can assist disaster victims with replacing lost or destroyed legal documents or those who need help with insurance claims or home repairs. — Texas Bar Blog
Latest Harvey News
Trump sides with Democrats in deal that ties Harvey relief to debt ceiling hike — The deal, announced by House and Senate Democratic leaders, ties Hurricane Harvey relief to a host of pressing fiscal issues the federal government must address in the coming weeks. — The Texas Tribune
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott appoints hurricane recovery czar — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is appointing the chancellor of Texas A&M University to oversee the rebuilding of state coastal communities following Hurricane Harvey. — The Wall Street Journal
After Hurricane Harvey, Texas lawyers come to the rescue — Using a pool float and a borrowed boat, Houston lawyer Hal Hale helped rescue as many as 75 people in west Houston last week—Hurricane Harvey victims who were trapped in houses or apartments filled with floodwaters from the hurricane’s downpour. (Subscription required) — Texas Lawyer
Continuing coverage: Rob Ellis: Saving lives and gutting homes — The Texas Lawbook is providing constant updates on Hurricane Harvey’s impact on the legal community. (Subscription required) — The Texas Lawbook
Storm damage forces courts to relocate for months, disrupting criminal cases — Houston’s misdemeanor and felony courts will be relocated for the next six to nine months because of storm damage to the Harris County criminal courthouse, the county’s judges announced Wednesday. — Houston Chronicle
City to provide up to a year of housing for 300 Harvey evacuees — Houston officials are considering leasing a warehouse in east downtown to provide a year of housing for up to 300 Harvey flood victims still sheltered at the George R. Brown Convention Center a few blocks away. — Houston Chronicle
Video: Harris County judge expects large-scale buyout of houses — Harris County Judge Edward Emmett discusses the recovery from Hurricane Harvey. — Bloomberg
Chief Judge DiFiore sends pro bono help to Texas to aid Hurricane Harvey victims — Chief Judge Janet DiFiore announced the creation of a task force on Wednesday that will send pro bono legal help to Texas in order to lend assistance to those dealing with Hurricane Harvey victims. — Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Mayor Turner: ‘We shouldn’t do any building in flood-prone areas’ — PBS NewsHour Correspondent Marcia Biggs caught up with Mayor Sylvester Turner in Northeast Houston. — Houston Public Media
In Harvey’s wake, critics see big money behind lax petrochemical reporting — In the wake of Hurricane Harvey, an exploding chemical plant and spikes in cancer-causing emissions are highlighting how little the public knows about potential dangers from the oil and chemical industries. Critics say one reason for the darkness: tons of campaign money. — The Texas Tribune
A year before Harvey, Houston-area flood control chief saw no ‘looming issues’ — Experts say the flooding in the Houston region could have wreaked far less havoc if local officials had made different decisions over the last several decades. But the former head of a key flood control agency strongly disagreed with that take in an interview last year. — The Texas Tribune
Who is responsible for hurricane damage? Suits could be based on climate-change science — Pioneering lawsuits based on climate-change science could blame hurricane damage on municipal planners, architects and engineers who failed to plan for foreseeable damages, some lawyers say. — ABA Journal
What to do when the FEMA inspector arrives for an inspection — If you apply for FEMA assistance after Hurricane Harvey, an inspector will call and schedule an appointment as the first step toward receiving aid from the federal agency. — Houston Chronicle
An apartment dweller’s guide to managing Harvey’s aftermath — Should flooded-out apartment dwellers get their current unit repaired, move to a different unit within the same complex or seek lodging elsewhere? — Houston Chronicle
Hurricane Harvey: Swan Songs musicians sing to nursing home evacuees — Myrtle Wendell rests in the bed of a Bee Cave nursing home tapping her hands to the music of “Take These Chains From My Heart” by Hank Williams. At times she closes her eyes or tries to sing along softly. — Austin American-Statesman
McKinney Falls State Park offers refuge – and distraction – for Harvey evacuees — Standing on the bank of Onion Creek at McKinney Falls State Park, De Ding watches his wife and two kids splash in the water. — KUT – Austin