A reflection on Tragedy: Hurricane Katrina and Social Security Disability
With the devastation surrounding the earthquakes in Haiti, Chile, and now Taiwan, these disasters started to remind me of the devastation that occurred in New Orleans as a result of Hurricane Katrina.
I don’t think some people truly appreciate how certain services can be fundamentally SHUT down when hit with a natural disaster. Of course, we know that power, lights, water, police services, bus services, blah, blah, blah, will shut down. But you don’t really appreciate how devastating a situation can be until you see spill outside of those communities into your own.
When Katrina occurred, there were ALOT of Louisianans who migrated to Florida. I had the opportunity to represent a few of those individuals. Now, I know you’ve heard me scream a THOUSAND times about how YOU bare the responsibility of proving that you are disabled. I have stressed that you need to get your medical records and YOU have to demonstrate that you are disabled through medical evidence.
Well, how would you feel if you couldn’t prove it because ALL of your medical records were destroyed? I am mean, that’s what I was faced with when I was representing some of the survivors. I ran into all kinds of problems. I had some places where the buildings were destroyed. Some places, they would not release ANYTHING until they could a detail inventory. It was crazy. I mean if you have a condition like the young lady named Prudence who won an Oscar yesterday (Prudence Mabhena is 21 yr old and she is from Zimbabwe. She is suffering from arthrogryposis, a condition that deforms joints and cost her both her legs. ), your condition may be self evident. But imagine trying to prove you’re disabled due a bad back and you don’t have your MRIs or diabetes and all of your lab work is gone.
But wait. What if you couldn’t prove who you are?? I had a few people who had their drivers license and SS card but sometimes, SSA requires your birth certificate. Well, that building was GONE!!
Now, I gotta take the time to give a shout out to the Social Security Administration. Their offices were obliterated and their workers were literally providing services in other states. I mean, they were working at other offices and STILL processing claims. It was crazy.
Part of the reason I’m reflecting on this situation is because we have literally seen 3 major disasters occur in the last few weeks. It is so easy to underestimate how much pressure it puts on a country to have to rush and provide stability to an environment when these things happen. Sometimes, the effects can have a much longer consequence than we give credit.
Be thankful.
Common Sense Legal Tips for Natural Disasters
For those of you who live in Coastal States, we all know what June 1 signifies. That’s right. Hurricane Season. After living through 6 or more hurricanes (including a pretty strong Cat 3 storm), I truly appreciate the importance of preparing for the worst. However, as a kid growing up in Tornado Alley, I, also, understand that Natural Disasters can strike at a moment’s notice. Most of us don’t give a lot of thought to how we will deal with the rebuilding process if a natural disaster may hit. Whether it’s a flood, hurricane, tornado, forest fire, mood slide or earthquake, we should all be prepared for the possibility that we may need to move at a moment’s notice. With that being said, here a few common sense legal tips for Natural Disasters:
1) If you keep all of your money in your house, guess what happens when your house is destroyed? I know a lot of people who don’t trust banks. And if you have to get on the road quickly, you may not have access to an atm machine or a bank. There’s nothing wrong with keeping a few dollars handy but let’s be real. If you keep ALL of your money in your home, what are you going to do if you don’t have time to get it all? Keep your money in a bank or credit union so you have ability to access your money from a remote location if you need to do so.
2) First time, shame on them. Second time, shame on you. If you’ve been through a natural disaster in your area and survived, consider yourself blessed. However, if you learn nothing from that previous experience, you can’t be mad if you didn’t make the necessary preparation for a second time. Pay close attention to the things that you didn’t do the first time around to ensure that you have the necessary preparations.
3) Keep sensitive documents in a place where someone can get to them. If you have a will or life insurance policy or some other document, you may want to create a duplicate so that someone else can access it if they need it. Think about it. If your home is destroyed and you only have one copy of your document, reconstructing it may be an issue.
4) Create a grab bag. Take a Ziploc bag (a big one) and put every sensitive you may need in the bad. Birth certificates, marriage licenses, insurance policies, mortgages, wills. Keep this bag in a location where you can ‘grab it’ and run. If you have to leave on a moment’s notice, you won’t have time to run all over the place looking for documents.
5) Tell someone that it is about to GO DOWN!!! You should always keep family and friends informed of the natural disasters that are in your area. Most disasters come with no warning so that if your loved ones realize that you are in that area, your phone will probably start blowing up. For Hurricanes, you usually have enough time to move but you still want SOMEONE to know that you are about to be mobile so they will know about your whereabouts.
6) Three numbers you should always carry: Your family / friends, your insurance, and your state attorney general. Now, Family should be self explanatory. You should contact your insurance company as soon as possible to let them know that you may have a claim. Now, some of you may be looking crazy because I said “your state attorney general”. Recognize this, in a time of crisis, people look for opportunity in the midst of misery. That’s usually when you see price gouging and people trying to take advantage. Most state attorney generals are ready for those people who are trying to run dirty. They won’t know unless you tell them.
7) Check your policies. Make sure you contact your insurance carrier to get an idea of what your policy covers. The last thing you want is to put a claim forward and realize that you are not covered.
Inventory your effects. Wooooooo, I know I set you back on this one. You probably think that you know everything in your house. Well, start writing a list and you will quickly realize that you have more things than you think.
9) Use the resources. Emergency Response teams in most cities and counties are prepared to provide you the support you need to prepare for a disaster and rebuild after a disaster.
10) Be safe / Be smart.
Some of the things that I’ve shared with you may seem very generic. However, after having to relocate after two hurricanes, I realized that most of us are ill prepared to handle a natural disaster when it comes. Even more disturbing is that most of us don’t realize how difficult it is to start over when you are attempting to reconstruct your life. Prepare now so that you are ready for when the worst comes.
-
Brought to you by:
