Preparing for Disaster: How Young Lawyers Can Ready Themselves and Their Clients

By Taylor Dewberry and Shameka Rolla

A natural disaster doesn’t end when the wind dies down or the flooding subsides. For the individuals, families, and communities affected, the disaster can drag on for months, even years.

Issues of inequity and unequal access to information/resources are further exacerbated by such disasters and often result in unequal access to disaster relief for several communities, including individuals with disabilities and racially and ethnically diverse communities.

In 2020, the president and FEMA made a renewed commitment to “assess and address gaps in investment in underserved communities and eliminat[e] barriers to accessing FEMA programs.” These communities include, but are not limited to, individuals with disabilities and racial and ethnic minorities. FEMA’s Office of Disability Integration and Coordination, which was created in 2010, works to facilitate inclusive emergency management and disaster preparedness through a number of efforts. FEMA has also made an intentional effort to reach out to Latinx, Black, and African American communities through advertising focused on planning for natural disasters and information on preparedness resources.

September is National Disaster Preparedness Month, and together with the Diversity and Inclusion Committee, the Disaster Legal Services Committee recognizes the existing disparities in natural disaster aid. We are committed to providing access to disaster legal services and information for disaster preparedness for all North Carolinians.

Don’t wait until disaster strikes. Prepare yourself; prepare your clients; and prepare to help your community.

Ready.gov provides several resources for how to plan ahead for natural disasters including information on making a plan for family communication, access to the FEMA app, and low and no cost preparedness access items.

Also consider joining our list of volunteer attorneys in your community and learn how you can help provide legal services for those affected by natural disasters. For more on what the Disaster Legal Services Committee does, watch the recent video posted on our YouTube Channel.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. We remain hopeful for a disaster-free year, but we will be ready to come to the aid of North Carolinians should disaster strike.

 

Learn more about the NCBA YLD + NCBF Disaster Legal Services program, or make a donation in support of NCBA YLD + NCBF Disaster Legal Services.