Disaster Advocacy Task Force, “Legal Eagles” Virtual Meeting
25 February 2026

When disaster strikes, KYEM keeps Survivors First in all efforts directed toward Response, Recovery, and Mitigation.

Our partners now include “Legal Eagles.” Kentucky has four primary civil legal aid organizations providing free legal help to low-income, elderly, and vulnerable residents: 

• Kentucky Legal Aid, 
• Legal Aid Society, 
• Legal Aid of the Bluegrass, and 
• AppalReD Legal Aid.

Together, they’ve formed the Disaster Advocacy Task Force, to help survivors with non-criminal issues such as housing, family law, and securing benefits, including Individual Assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

“Individual Assistance can be convoluted,” KYEM’s Volunteer and Resources Program Coordinator DawnMarie Beals told task force members Wednesday (February 25). You have to be knee-deep in the mud to understand it.”
Beals describes her liaison role as “the bridge between the survivor and FEMA. If needs exist, we connect the survivor to meet that need.” 

FEMA’s current flux complicates matters.

Governor Andy Beshear and KYEM Director Eric Gibson have pledged that Kentucky will step up regardless of whether FEMA steps in. 

“If FEMA’s not gonna provide legal assistance, it doesn’t mean survivors don’t need it,” Gibson told Task Force members.

KYEM partner attorneys can help survivors determine which types of FEMA assistance might suit their needs best. They also can help negotiate with landlords on the terms of a lease, said AppalRed Legal Aid’s Whitney Bailey, an advocate for disaster survivors in Eastern Kentucky.

Proximity matters.

Bailey urged Task Force members to push for space in KYEM’s Multi-Agency Resource Centers (MARCs) and FEMA’s Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs), the one-stop shops the respective agencies establish to help survivors apply for and secure the variety of federal assistance programs available following disasters. 

“We’d like to have you (attorneys) in from Day One,” Beals said. “FEMA will not send you its Guides, but we’ve been in those weeds. We can be your partner.”

For more information regarding services available, contact:

Kentucky Legal Aid (KLA) - Region 1: Serves 35 counties in Western and South-Central Kentucky from offices in Bowling Green and other locations, focusing on housing, safety, and income.
• Bowling Green: (270) 782-1924
• Madisonville: (270) 825-3801
• Paducah: (270) 442-5518 
• Owensboro: (270) 683-4585       

Legal Aid Society - Region 2: Serves 15 counties in Central/Louisville area (including Jefferson, Hardin, and surrounding counties), with offices in Louisville. Phone: 502-584-1254

Legal Aid of the Bluegrass (LABG) - Region 3: Serves 33 counties in Northern and Central Kentucky with offices in Lexington, Covington, Morehead, and Ashland. Phone: 859-431-8200           

AppalReD Legal Aid - Region 4: Provides legal services to low-income people in 37 counties across the Appalachian region of Eastern and Southeastern Kentucky. Phone: 866-277-5733

Authored by Gordon P. Boyd, KYEM Information Office Supervisor

Photo by DawnMarie Beals, KYEM Volunteer and Resources Program Coordinator