LONDON, Ky. — A major step in the tornado recovery journey begins with having the paperwork to start the process, which can be challenging after a disaster.

What You Need To Know

  • Jaimie Tomaw, a licensed attorney, is helping people affected by the EF4 tornado that hit Laurel County by finding documents and offering legal services for free

  • Tomaw is offering free services at a station in Sunshine Hill during weekday afternoons until 5 p.m.

  • According to the Federal Trade Commission, organizing paperwork ahead of a disaster should be prioritized

  • The FTC encourages people to consider safe and secure locations and storage options for documentation

In a matter of days, support and resource stations have set up shop from one end of the Sunshine Hills neighborhood to the other.   

Jaimie Tomaw is an attorney who’s been practicing for the last several months in Laurel County. Tomaw set up a pop-up service in London, offering guidance on how to recoup documentation that’s been lost in the storm. 

“People come in, they’re like, ‘hey, we need our deed for this process. What can we do?’ I’ll pull up on the computer here, I’ll pull up their data. I’ll pull up all their information, and then we have some cruisers set up back here that have Wi-Fi, so that’s how we’re operating the online things,” Tomaw said.

 Tomaw is working with the Laurel County Sheriff’s office to print off some documents the same day. 

“She called me and asked me what I thought about this, and the resources she’s got is just invaluable. We work hand in hand. This is a place that we thought would be centrally located because this is a heavily damaged area,” Laurel County Sheriff John Root said. 

According to the Federal Trade Commission, organizing paperwork ahead of a disaster should be prioritized. Keeping track of documentation like homeowners’ policies, financial and personal records like social security cards, and a list of irreplaceable items.  

Tomaw is offering free services at a station in Sunshine Hill during weekday afternoons until 5 p.m.

 “I don’t want anyone to have to pay a penny for any of this or any of my services. It’s the least I can do for my community. This is my home,” Tomaw said. “This is my family. A lot of times people are like family is everything, but the community is my family here. They help raise me. They help from my values.”

Tomaw said despite the destruction, the togetherness and strength to get others on their feet shown by neighbors has been inspirational.

The FTC said people should consider safe and secure locations and storage options for documentation and to keep this information regularly updated.

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