Committee spotlight
Weathering the Storm:
HBA’s Inaugural Disaster Preparedness Committee
H
The Houston Lawyer
By Kimberly A. Chojnacki
ouston is no stranger to catastrophic events, namely hurricanes and flood events. This year Houstonians faced an especially active hurricane season under the glaring lights of COVID-19. With such uncharted territory ahead of us, the Disaster Preparedness Committee arose. The Houston Bar Association has had to react over the years to events that have shut down the city. In those circumstances, the need for legal assistance from the community rises as capacity to provide aid struggles due to closures and missing links in resource chains. COVID-19 has made those challenges ever starker: the majority of people are working remotely, businesses have shuttered, and once available resources have dried up. The Disaster Preparedness Committee was created to establish a preparedness plan and corral resources that the HBA can provide to the community, including those needing legal help as well as members of the bar who may need resources or assistance due to their own practice considerations. Wasting no time, the Disaster Preparedness Committee first tackled the current hurricane season. The typical concerns during a hurricane season are flooding events and the resultant city shutdowns. To address those concerns, the Committee produced three videos with the help of volunteer attorneys who specialize in business interruptions and the legal issues that arise during severe weather events. The videos address “Hurricane Season – Lawyers’ Insurance Tips,” “Houston Office of Emergency Management’s Tips for Preparing for Hurricane Season,” and “Disaster Recovery for Lawyers.” The videos are available for free and to all at hba.org/disasterprep. 42
September/October 2020
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The Committee’s broader goal, however, is to capture the myriad ways that the HBA can adjust its ability to serve the community during disasters. To that end, the Committee intends to develop plans for future catastrophic events, whether flood events, global pandemics, or otherwise. These are intended to be active response plans that allow the HBA immediately and seamlessly to mobilize in addressing moderate to wholesale business interruptions across the HBA’s scale of resources for the community and Houston bar. For example, the plan would address how the HBA could continue its work during a flood event that does not impact its office operations, as well as during events that require office closures. As committee co-chair Mitch Reid put it, they intend to answer the question of “how do we best coordinate all volunteers across the legal organizations and providers [the HBA] would normally reach out to” during a disaster? As this is its inaugural year, the Committee needs volunteers to assist with its initiatives and prepare the plans and resources for future disasters. If you are interested in serving on the Committee or assisting with its initiatives, please contact co-chair Keri Brown at keri.brown@bakerbotts.com or co-chair Mitch Reid at mitchreid@andrewskurth.com. Kimberly A. Chojnacki is an associate editor of The Houston Lawyer. She also is a litigation associate at Baker Donelson in Houston. She represents corporate clients in eminent domain proceedings, complex commercial litigation, and insurance defense disputes.
