UNC law students provide legal support to families in western North Carolina after Helene
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (WTVD) -- From Chapel Hill to western North Carolina, UNC law students are out of the classroom and on the ground helping families that need support.
The help came in the form of legal support, which was made possible through the UNC School of Law Pro Bono Program and Legal Aid of North Carolina.
This comes months after Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina, destroying homes and communities.
Several students, including second-year law student at UNC Miranda Papes, spent their spring break in Boone and Burnsville, helping families navigate the appeals process of FEMA assistance.
Papes said they are searching for ways to tweak applications because the agency looks for specific words to grant assistance.
"This isn't something that's going to be fixed in a couple of months, or even just with us visiting one time," Papes said. "I think this is something that's going to affect their lives for many years to come. I think for us, it was important just to help in any way we could."
RELATED | 'Good Morning America' returns to Asheville 6 months after Hurricane Helene
For the Pro Bono Initiatives Director Meghan Moran, the mission hits close to home. Her first job out of law school was in western North Carolina serving families there.
"I know so many people from my time in western North Carolina who are personally affected by the hurricane," Moran said. "It is one thing to hear about it online or to talk to somebody who's experienced it over the phone. It's another thing to sort of see the devastation firsthand."
Students learned about disaster-related legal issues and trauma sensitivity to prepare them to work inside the legal clinics in WNC communities.
Moran said that Students who worked with clients who experienced the destruction firsthand had an even greater emotional impact.
"So, we hope that our students were able to provide really compassionate and comprehensive help to those folks," Moran said.
Papes shared these sentiments.
She said," It's been very eye opening to really get to see the communities that I'm impacting every single day, and to really put a tangible aspect to my law degree has been extremely rewarding."
The Pro Bono Program is considered a centerpiece to UNC's School of Law and students' experience. According to Moran, 97% of the last graduating class participated in the program.
SEE ALSO | Gov. Josh Stein reveals budget proposal that includes Hurricane Helene recovery
