commiTTee SpoTLiGhT

Weathering the storm: HBA’s Inaugural Disaster Preparedness

By KimBerLy A. CHojnACKi Committee

Houston is no stranger to catastrophic events, namely The Committee’s broader goal, however, is to capture the hurricanes and flood events. This year Houstonians myriad ways that the HBA can adjust its ability to serve the comfaced an especially active hurricane season under munity during disasters. To that end, the Committee intends the glaring lights of COVID-19. With such unchart- to develop plans for future catastrophic events, whether flood ed territory ahead of us, the Disaster Preparedness events, global pandemics, or otherwise. These are intended to Committee arose. be active response

The Houston Bar plans that allow the Association has had HBA immediately to react over the and seamlessly to years to events that mobilize in addresshave shut down the ing moderate to city. In those circum- wholesale business stances, the need for interruptions across legal assistance from the HBA’s scale of rethe community rises sources for the comas capacity to pro- munity and Houston vide aid struggles due to closures and missing links in resource bar. For example, the plan would address how the HBA could chains.COVID-19 has made those challenges ever starker: the continue its work during a flood event that does not impact its majority of people are working remotely, businesses have shut- office operations, as well as during events that require office tered, and once available resources have dried up. closures.

The Disaster Preparedness Committee was created to estab- As committee co-chair Mitch Reid put it, they intend to anlish a preparedness plan and corral resources that the HBA can swer the question of “how do we best coordinate all volunteers provide to the community, including those needing legal help across the legal organizations and providers [the HBA] would as well as members of the bar who may need resources or as- normally reach out to” during a disaster? sistance due to their own practice considerations. As this is its inaugural year, the Committee needs volun-

Wasting no time, the Disaster Preparedness Committee first teers to assist with its initiatives and prepare the plans and retackled the current hurricane season. The typical concerns sources for future disasters. If you are interested in serving on during a hurricane season are flooding events and the resul- the Committee or assisting with its initiatives, please contact tant city shutdowns. To address those concerns, the Commit- co-chair Keri Brown at keri.brown@bakerbotts.com or co-chair tee produced three videos with the help of volunteer attorneys Mitch Reid at mitchreid@andrewskurth.com. who specialize in business interruptions and the legal issues that arise during severe weather events. The videos address Kimberly A. Chojnacki is an associate editor of The Houston “Hurricane Season – Lawyers’ Insurance Tips,” “Houston Of- Lawyer. She also is a litigation associate at Baker Donelson in fice of Emergency Management’s Tips for Preparing for Hurri- Houston. She represents corporate clients in eminent domain cane Season,” and “Disaster Recovery for Lawyers.” The videos proceedings, complex commercial litigation, and insurance are available for free and to all at hba.org/disasterprep. defense disputes.