Project Report
| Feb 11, 2024
What if we did not have to wait for the next disas
By Ariadna Godreau Aubert | Founder and Director
Seven years into our first disaster legal response initiative, Ayuda Legal Huracán María (soon renamed Recuperación Justa), we are still amazed by the slowness of recovery and the inequities in disaster assistance distribution. We have now grown uneasily accustomed to the fact that disaster survivors accumulate the impact of several unattended catastrophes: those who lost everything to Hurricane María, lost their homes again to the earthquakes or the economic impact of the pandemic, and later on to Hurricane Fiona or one of the many episodes of heavy floods. It's the same people, losing everything again, fighting to obtain some aid through disaster response programs, and losing again, this time to the lottery of recovery. We have also gotten used to a lack of planning, accountability, and action. Moreover, we know firsthand that disasters go out of fashion once they are not latent. Organizations often lose the necessary resources to continue with the much-needed long-term response. We think we could do better; we all could.
As we start 2024, a timeline begins signaling the start of the new hurricane seasons. As we continue our work representing survivors at courts and administrative proceedings, as we continue our advocacy work, we call for supporters, donors, and those able to amplify to support recovery before disasters happen. When you support initiatives on behalf of survivors of disasters to come, you are supporting the structure needed to hold the government accountable to respond when a catastrophe happens. We don't have to wait till the next disaster; we have learned that prevention and rapid actions are essential. Your support is needed.
Oct 27, 2023
Peak season about to end. Crisis averted?
By Ariadna Godreau Aubert | Founder and Director
While the official end date of the peak hurricane season is November 30, going through September and October without significant storm or hurricane warnings brings relief to many on the Island. As we seek space in this pause to assess and demand recovery progress, we know people remain unsafe.
Recent access to information requests directed to the local government shows that only 5,592 families (of 28,000+ applicants) have been able to repair or rebuild their homes with long-term recovery funds fully. This means that the unmet needs remain, aggravated by the passage of time but also by inflation and heightened economic disparity. Press coverage, using part of Ayuda Legal Puerto Rico's work and research and basis, and testimonies of those who suffer the consequences of unfair recovery reveal serious mismanagement of public funds and the risk of shoddy work for applicants and future generations. Moreover, in recent days, hurricane Otis went from being a tropical storm to a Category 5 monster, leaving little doubt about the devastating consequences of climate change and the urgency to remain alert. At all times.
We have a lot of work to do with the people we accompany to courts and administrative forums with the organizations and people we educate about recovery and housing issues. This is not a break. This is a space for action. We need to use this space wisely.
Apr 25, 2023
Getting ready - a new hurricane season
By Ariadna Godreau Aubert | Founder and Director
As we approach the next hurricane season at Ayuda Legal Puerto Rico, we prepare to respond to the potential impacts on low-income families. We are eager to share with you some of the main components of that strategy.
- We continue advocacy efforts to ensure just recovery for survivors of previous disasters, such as Hurricane María, the 2020 earthquakes, and Hurricane Fiona. We are aware of the aggregated impact of catastrophes. The continuity of neglect threatens the right to housing and the right to stay of survivors elsewhere. Efforts include advocacy to extend flood insurance to at-risk communities, strengthening legal awareness efforts to ensure that owners with informal titles can access assistance, and monitoring how pending recovery funds are allocated and spent.
- Update our dashboards and data-gathering tools to accurately narrate how recovery is moving along and who is left behind.
- We are preparing a KYR agenda to visit and contact communities and organizations who collaborate in just recovery efforts as first response groups, supporters, and advocates. We are ready to start our brigades in June and visit different Puerto Rico areas.
- Use our radio program and social media outreach to create awareness of the rights of survivors amidst disasters.
- We included an initiative to support nonprofits throughout disasters, assisting those interested in seeking recovery assistance.