Katrina message from NLADA

During this difficult time, NLADA has been reaching out to our members in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, especially those in areas that have been most affected by Hurricane Katrina. We've been able to reach some of you, while others remain in areas without phone service, electricity and in some cases the very infrastructure of their programs. Contact with them has been difficult. Much like some of the reporters we see on TV who are relaying messages of survival and hope, NLADA would like to hear from our members who are in a position to report on their personal status as well as the status of the programs and organizations in which they work. If there are members out there who have been able to reach colleagues in New Orleans, the communities along the Gulf Coast and all the other areas so terribly affected by Hurricane Katrina, please take a moment to let us know their status and of course to let us know what we in the NLADA community can do to help. We will relay any and all information as it comes in through our Web site, list servs and various electronic publications.

All of us at NLADA are working to develop and coordinate responses to the legal needs of our members. Currently, NLADA is gathering the names of members who have handled a wide variety of issues resulting from crises ranging from the tragedy of September 11 to the hurricanes in Florida to the wildfires in the West. These members have forwarded a great deal of information in the form of manuals, procedures and collection of real case studies in the wake of disasters and are willing to act as resources for our members in the areas affected by Hurricane Katrina, who have the overwhelming task of attending to people who have literally lost everything. This information will both be distributed electronically and available on our Web site. If you have information that you would like us to distribute, please contact Deborah Dubois at d.dubois@nlada.org. For those programs funded by the Legal Services Corporation, you should know that NLADA will work closely with LSC to help it secure funds for emergency services in a supplemental appropriations bill.

We will continue to work with our board of directors and our civil, defender and client policy group members to effectively coordinate our efforts in meeting your needs as they arise. We know that the individuals we serve will unfortunately occupy a significant portion of the population in need and that the resources on both the civil and defender sides of our community will be stretched greatly. The enormity of the tasks that lie ahead are daunting, but please know that NLADA is a resource for you and we will do all that we can to support you during this very difficult time.

We will keep you in our thoughts and prayers.

Sincerely,

Jo-Ann Wallace, President & CEO
National Legal Aid & Defender Association