2008 Woodie Awards
Legal Aid Bureau Discusses Katrina, Honors Alumni
Kimberly Harbin
Issue date: 11/9/06 Section: News
Abola, an associate at Orrick, Herrington and Sutcliffe, took a broader, more policy-focused approach in her discussion. Abola contributed to the Appleseed Foundation Report on the short-term and long-term needs of former New Orleans residents who moved to Birmingham, AL. She discovered that although the cities receiving those who were part of what has turned out to be the largest migration in the history of the United States adequately addressed the short-term needs of the newcomers, there were deficiencies in the provision of long-term services. In particular, the availability of welfare benefits to former New Orleans residents was restricted by cities like Birmingham. Additionally, mental health services for these residents, some of whom may soon be suffering from symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, are for the most part non-existent or difficult to find. Even finding out who could use these services is complicated by the fact that many refuse to self-identify, given the stigma that is attached to being a Katrina evacuee.
Bendor, who is the Acting Legal Director of the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, spoke about her involvement in litigation against FEMA, most notably the Beatrice McWaters et. al. v. FEMA, et. al. case. Her account of the long delays and unjustifiable actions of FEMA in the months after the storm engendered a series of gasps among the audience.
Among the many abuses that she described were the evictions by FEMA, on little notice, of people living temporarily in hotel rooms provided by the agency; the requirement by FEMA that persons first apply for loans from the Small Business Association before they could receive temporary shelter in direct contravention of a federal statute; and FEMA's refusal to allow persons who once shared a household, including residents of a boarding house, to apply for separate temporary housing. The plaintiffs' claims were mostly vindicated in the Louisiana district court decision issued this summer.
Bendor, who is the Acting Legal Director of the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, spoke about her involvement in litigation against FEMA, most notably the Beatrice McWaters et. al. v. FEMA, et. al. case. Her account of the long delays and unjustifiable actions of FEMA in the months after the storm engendered a series of gasps among the audience.
Among the many abuses that she described were the evictions by FEMA, on little notice, of people living temporarily in hotel rooms provided by the agency; the requirement by FEMA that persons first apply for loans from the Small Business Association before they could receive temporary shelter in direct contravention of a federal statute; and FEMA's refusal to allow persons who once shared a household, including residents of a boarding house, to apply for separate temporary housing. The plaintiffs' claims were mostly vindicated in the Louisiana district court decision issued this summer.
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