Buses bring lawyers to disaster-stricken communities

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WASHINGTON - A new podcast spotlights "justice buses" in Florida, Louisiana and Oklahoma that bring legal help to communities in need, especially in the wake of natural disasters. The podcast guests describe these vehicles, also called Mobile Intake Units, as gamechangers for supporting their local communities and raising awareness.

Host Lee Rawls spoke to Brian Candelaria, staff attorney and disaster navigator at Oklahoma Indian Legal Services (OILS); April Guillote, communications manager at Acadiana Legal Services Corporation (ALSC); and Jason Susalla, managing attorney of the Disaster Relief Team at Bay Area Legal Services (BALS).

"These mobile units are an opportunity to say, 'We're here with you - you're not alone. We may be in Oklahoma City as far as our offices, but we can reach you where you are,'" said Candelaria.

The mobile units are useful in all kinds of disaster situations, and for reaching clients who are homebound. During the COVID-19 pandemic, when people were not able to gather in public, Candelaria's team at OILS used the mobile unit to come to clients' homes and execute end-of-life documents. He also shared one case where they were able to use their van to assist a woman with ALS at her home.

OILS obtained their van, called the Native Navigator, with the support of the Legal Services Corporation's Disaster Grants Program. OILS uses the Native Navigator to get out into rural communities and connect with tribal members, especially after tornadoes. Both ALSC and BALS also received Disaster Grants from LSC to launch their mobile units in response to vast legal needs created by hurricanes.

BALS just launched their bus this year. The organization plans to address legal problems from storms past and help the community prepare for future storms. Susalla explained that the 2024 hurricane season hit Florida hard, and many people are still recovering from the compounding effects of Hurricanes Debbie, Helene and Milton.

"This is something that's exceptionally important to us," Susalla said. "We are right now getting into hurricane season, so our disaster relief team is hugely focused on community outreach and engagement."

Susalla explained that the mobile unit will be deployed to many hurricane preparedness events in anticipation of the coming storm season.

"And generally, we have a great lineup for a lot of community outreach events that we're hoping to really, really supercharge our ability to interact with the public and prospective survivors and [those] still in need of assistance from primarily the 2024 storm season."

2024 was also a busy year for ALSC's disaster response services. ALSC deployed a bus to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) center in Morgan City, where Louisianans who were impacted by Hurricane Francine went to seek assistance from FEMA and Restore Louisiana, a federal grant program for hurricane recovery. Guillote explained that many people learned that in order to access assistance, they needed certain legal documents to prove their home ownership.

"And so, we were right there to provide all of those civil legal services," said Guillote.

ALSC kept a paralegal and an attorney on the bus where they were able to provide legal services to folks and maintain their privacy, but they also were able to do additional outreach onsite.

"On the outside, we also had our outreach materials set up so our coordinators could talk with those that didn't need [disaster] services but needed other services like public benefits or housing resources," Guillote said. "So, we were able to do a dual campaign there, and helping give legal services, but also refer to a bunch of community resources, which is something that we like to do with education and really equipping our communities with preventative measures for disasters."

Guillote and Candelaria both said that they have found that another purpose their mobile units provide is increasing public awareness. Driving around vehicles wrapped with their branding and website information has led to increased awareness of their organizations.

"I can't tell you how many times that I've been at a gas station or at a stoplight and someone will knock on the window and ask for a card," said Candelaria. "It's literally a vehicle to get the word out that you're there to help, and I think that is one of the things we really have begun to appreciate and value because they may not need us today when they see us driving down the road, but in their mind, they know we exist now."

To hear the rest of this conversation, listen to the full episode of Talk Justice online, on Spotify, YouTube or Apple Podcasts. The podcast is sponsored by LSC's Leaders Council.