Talk Justice, an LSC Podcast: Disaster Preparedness and the Legal Needs of Survivors
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WASHINGTON - Experts discuss disaster preparedness and the role of civil legal aid in recovery on the of LSC’s “Talk Justice” podcast, released today. Lynn Jennings, LSC’s Vice President for Grants and Management, hosts the conversation with guests Mark Sloan, Homeland Security and Emergency Management Coordinator for Harris County, TX; Shrushti Kothari, Disaster Program Counsel at LSC; and Leslie Powell Boudreaux, Executive Director of Legal Services of North Florida (LSNF).
September is National Disaster Preparedness Month. Since 2022 the federal government has issued more than 75 major disaster declarations across the U.S. and its territories. This number doesn’t include federal emergency declarations, or state and locally declared disasters or emergencies.
Yet even with the increasing frequency and ferocity of natural disasters, the overwhelming majority of Americans are unprepared if disaster strikes.
“The worst time [people can] get involved is after a disaster—once they've been impacted, they don't know what they should have done prior to,” says Sloan. “And then they're trying to be prepared and they're in a reactionary mode and that's what delays our recovery as a community.”
The impact of natural disasters disproportionately affects low-income individuals and families. In the past several years, LSC has received more than $100 million in supplemental disaster funding so that LSC grantees in the most impacted areas can help low-income survivors with a range of disaster-related civil legal issues.
Post-disaster, survivors often need help obtaining copies of important documents such as birth certificates, driver's licenses and Social Security cards to apply for or restore benefits and supports. Kothari explains that many people affected by disasters need help sorting out the titles for the homes and vehicles that they inherited. If the title was never updated, securing disaster aid or working with insurance companies can be a huge issue.
“Preparedness is not just you know, having your food, essentials, everything ready—that’s the biggest part of it, but another part of preparedness is legal preparedness,” Kothari says. “Having your title cleared is one of the biggest things that you can do to help make your recovery process smooth and simple in the long run.”
Another problem area legal aid providers see is landlord/tenant disputes after disaster damage. Powell Boudreaux explains that it is important that renters know what their lease says and what their landlord is responsible for in the event of a disaster.
“So many times there are disagreements in the wake of a disaster, because people are dealing with insurance and damage to a home and lack of power, lack of water, other things that make that situation so much more difficult emotionally and physically,” says Powell Boudreaux. “Having an understanding of that ahead of time may allow all parties in that situation to have an understanding of what they need to and can do.” &Բ;
Powell Boudreaux says that in some cases, landlords will make illegal requests of their tenants in these situations, which is why it is so important that legal aid providers do community outreach and education that helps people understand their rights and know to contact their legal aid office. &Բ;
“Recovery takes a long time—in my 20-plus years of emergency management, for every single day of response, there's a thousand days of recovery,” Sloan says. “Many individuals are asking for legal advice in a crisis and they need to know where to go, where to turn, and what that advice may be.”
Those wishing to learn more about disaster preparedness, response or the legal aid resources available should visit the Legal Aid Disaster Resource Center at LADRC.org and LSC’s soon-to-be launched Heartland Flood and Wildfire website, which will be at heartlandfloodandwildfirehelp.org.
Talk Justice episodes are and on Spotify, Stitcher, Apple and other popular podcast apps. The podcast is sponsored by LSC’s Leaders Council. &Բ;
The next episode of the podcast will explore New Mexico’s court scribe program that allows people to access professional help with court forms and documents.