In Winter 2024, Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas’s Disaster Legal Services Unit responded to the largest wildfires in Texas history. We attended community resource fairs in Hutchinson and Hemphill Counties interacting with impacted individuals; this presentation details our experiences there and some takeaways. The presentation focuses on: special considerations for disasters when no federal disaster is declared, including funding options for survivors; the ethics about being approached by private attorneys and advising our client population on interactions with private attorneys; common issues seen after wildfires; and considerations when responding to disasters in rural areas, such as ensuring being respectful of resources first responders and disaster survivors need and working with go-packs that your organization might use when responding to disasters.
