The Pepperdine School of Law and Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles have teamed up to ease the minds of those affected by the fire with disaster relief clinics.

“Being able to give them some sense of control over their life,” Emma Blackwood, a third-year student at the Pepperdine School of Law, said about the clinic’s impact on residents. “Being able to give them some sense of clarity or calm or point of hopefulness, really anything that we can do to help them.”

At various legal clinics, people receive pro bono legal aid and a listening ear. The clinics related to the Woolsey Fire help survivors work through FEMA applications, appeals, insurance issues, and many other aspects of life after a natural disaster.

Jeffrey Baker, the associate clinical professor of Law and Director of Clinical Education at Pepperdine School of Law, realized the need for Woolsey Fire disaster relief clinics while sheltering in place the night of Nov. 9 in Pepperdine’s Waves Café. Baker had led Pepperdine’s first disaster relief clinic in partnership with different legal aids in Texas after Hurricane Harvey hit Southeast Texas in 2017 and later included legal counsel for victims of the Thomas fires.

Baker tweeted information Feb. 5 regarding the Feb. 7 disaster relief clinic at St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church in Malibu. Pepperdine School of Law and NLSLA had hosted two clinics last year; Feb. 7 was the first clinic of 2019.

“[The] first one was packed, kind of standing room only … it was very informative … [Baker] stood up and lectured for, like, an hour and then had some Q and A,” the Rev. Joyce Stickney, who leads the church, said about the first clinic last year.

As time has passed, the clinics focus more on individual help. Tiffanie Bittle, a third-year student at Pepperdine School of Law estimated four or five groups came through the clinic for specialized help Feb. 7 compared to the approximately 80 to 100 for the first clinic. Baker said the decrease in clients makes sense.

“Now we have people who are coming in who … have processed a lot of their losses, they’re still grieving and they’re still working through that,” Baker said. “But it’s not the immediate acute shock and they are moving toward those next steps of trying to rebuild.”

But the rebuilding process is difficult when the natural disaster does not seem to end. The area impacted by the Woolsey Fire is more susceptible to flooding and mudslides. Baker said he has spoken to a few people whose homes were fine after the fire but are now dealing with mud or flooding damages.

“This natural disaster is still going on. I mean, if you had trouble getting to campus two weeks ago, you’re still being affected by the fire,” Baker said.

As the aftermath continues, Pepperdine School of Law and NLSLA continue to host clinics. They advertised the Feb. 7 clinic “specifically for FEMA applications and FEMA appeals and, sort of, related insurance issues,” Baker said.

FEMA extended their application deadline for a second time, now Feb. 15 with the original deadline of Jan. 11 extended to Jan. 31. Tiffanie Bittle said that, while they are helping a few new applications before the deadline, the implications of the extension will be more noticeable for the clinics the weeks after the deadline.

“I think it’ll have a greater effect down the line because there’s now more applications that will be approved or denied, that then we would appeal the denials so it’ll have a long term effect just because there’s more applications,” Bittle said.

Whether an individual’s legal concerns are met, the clinics are really about being present for people who have gone through this, Blackwood said.

“I know it’s difficult for a lot of people to come forward and say they need help and say I don’t have the money right now … That’s why we’re here; we want to help you,” Blackwood said.

The program has scheduled the next three clinics, Blackwood said.  The next clinic will be at Pepperdine’s Calabasas campus Thursday Feb. 21 from 5 – 8 p.m.