Disaster Legal Aid for Communities in Puerto Rico

Elections and just recovery do not mingle. The recent electoral primaries, together with the certainty that the current administration will change, have left many people in a state of uncertainty. Among other questions, we wonder how will this new panorama impact an already stagnant recovery process, how staffing changes will impact the rebuilding of houses, and what will happen with the so-called lame-duck culture within agencies already criticized by lack of progress and accountability. Moreover, we worry about a hurricane season that already started and that is predicted to be active and pose serious risks of severe and major hurricanes. For Puerto Rico, there is also the constant question of austerity, and of how an increasingly reduced fiscal space and feeble infrastructure can pivot into first responses and chances of recovery if a disaster strikes. ] This is our context. This is also the arena in which disaster readiness needs to be perfected.

As a non-profit that leads disaster recovery advocacy but also legal response throughout emergencies, we are currently dedicating efforts to reviewing our readiness strategy. We are working on updating our materials and manuals, as well as scheduling training sessions for our team and other organizations on disaster recovery assistance and legal support during crises. We also integrated a non partisan electoral campaign asking all of the candidates and parties, to hold them accountable to respond regardless of the electoral possibilities of November 2024. Most importantly, we are still working to sustain our Just Recovery Program, a legal empowerment initiative born in 2017, a day after Hurricane María hit Puerto Rico, and that has spearheaded legal accompaniment and disaster advocacy in Puerto Rico, with an impact in the US disaster assistance framework.

Your support is instrumental. Recovery happens as we prepare for emergencies and the years that follow up disasters. This commitment needs donors and supporters who acknowledge that this is a long run and that people need to be accompanied all the way.