Pictures and stories of the horrible tornado that hit Moore,
Oklahoma yesterday bring back vivid memories of the May 2011 tornado that
ravaged Joplin, Missouri.
The talented staff in Legal Aid’s Joplin office have learned
a lot in the last two years about the recovery process from a tornado and what
a legal aid program can do to get a community back on its feet. I have talked
with Janice Franklin, the Managing Attorney of the Joplin Office, and we have
reached out to Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma to make sure that they get the
benefit of everything that we have learned in the last two years.
Resources we are offering include: our comprehensive
disaster-relief manual; tips as to legal issues that are most likely to appear
immediately after a disaster (rental price gouging being one of them); lists of
likely funders for disaster relief work and sample grant applications;
suggestions on how to help their staff deal with their own emotional trauma
from the storm; and ideas on how to staff up after the storm.
Helping people in need is what we do best and we will make
sure that the people of Moore get all the help that we can give them. Many
thanks to Janice and her staff for sharing their knowledge.
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