Hurricane Katrina Disaster Resources

The ABA LTRC clearinghouse for technology related resources for disaster recovery contains links to articles, websites, communication tools, discounts and companies to help lawyers who are victims of the hurricane. We will continue to update the page as more information becomes available. Please email us if you have questions, additions, or corrections or call 312-988-5465 to reach the LTRC hotline.

Articles

• "Managing Practice Interruptions" by Dan Pinnington [PDF]
  Director, practicePRO Lawyers' Professional Indemnity Company (LAWPRO)
• "After Disaster Strikes - A Checklist" by Beverly A. Michaelis [PDF]
  OR Practice Management Advisor Professional Liability Fund
• "Would you be prepared in the event of a disaster?" by J.R. Phelps
  Director, The Florida Bar's Law Office Management Assistance Service
• "What lawyers should do after a hurricane" by J.R. Phelps
  Director, The Florida Bar's Law Office Management Assistance Service
• "Resources to Help You Avoid Disaster in Your Disaster Recovery Plan" by Dennis Kennedy
• "Tips for Handling Storm-Damaged Hard Drives and Other Removable Media" from Ontrack DataRecovery [PDF]
  

  From Ontrack DataRecovery: Do NOT allow equipment to dry out. It is recommended to put any wet media into sealable plastic bags to hold the moisture. It may be a good idea to put a wet towel in that bag with the drive to insure that the media stays moist. This is very important. There is a lot of debris and contaminates in the water that could corrode and damage the media if allowed to dry. The proper steps for cleaning and drying the material will be key in working with the media, and as experts with this type of situation it is best handled by our engineers. Even rinsing the media with tap water could further corrode the media.

  As well, the individuals' health should be number one. In handling equipment; face masks, rubber or latex gloves, and proper dress should be considered. Again, the material has been subjected to very unsanitary circumstances, and it is advised to take precautions to insure the well being of the individuals handling the equipment, and working in those environments.

• "Preparing for Large-Scale Disasters and Anticipating Recovery Time" By Mike Talon
  TechRepublic.com. Gives a useful reality check on how long things might take.
• "Data Recovery from Fire, Flood and Other Natural Disasters" - Total Recall
• "Disaster Recovery for Law Firms" by Gary A. Munneke and Anthony E. Davis [PDF]
  Excerpted from LPM's book, the Essential Formbook: Comprehensive Management Tools for Lawyers Volume IV
• "Avoiding Ethical Disasters When Natural Disasters Strike, Steps to Take in Recovery Effort: From Planning to Living the Reality"
  Suzanne Rose Consulting, Brentwood, TN [PDF]

Web Sites

• Alabama State Bar
  http://www.alabar.org/
• Association for Information Management Professionals.
  http://www.arma.org/
  Keyword search "disaster" for resources
• Association of Legal Administrators (ALA)
  http://www.alanet.org
  Articles and materials on disaster recovery in the ALA Legal Management Resource Center - Facilities and Operation Management - Disaster Recovery.. Some materials limited to members only.
• HP Disaster Recovery Checklist for small and medium-sized businesses
  http://www.hp.com/sbso/solutions/legal/expert_insights_disaster_recovery.html
• Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC)
  http://www.nedcc.org/welcome/disaster.htm.
  Information provided includes advice on drying wet collections and dealing with damage from fire, pests, or mold. NEDCC staff are available 24 hours a day to provide telephone advice (978- 470-1010) if a disaster occurs.
• HelpKatrinaLawyers.org
  http://www.helpkatrinalawyers.org
  Information and resources specifically related to legal technology and electronic data recovery.

Weblogs, Wikis and Communication Resources

• AALL Blog for Law Library Related Information
  http://aallnet.typepad.com/katrina/
• Post-Katrina Blogs for Tulane and Loyola-New Orleans Law School Communities
  - The Tulane blog is at http://www.isthatlegal.org/tulanelaw
  - The Loyola-New Orleans blog is at http://www.isthatlegal.org/loyno
  - Post to the blog by sending an email to tulanelaw at isthatlegal dot org or to loyno at isthatlegal dot org
• Hurricane Katrina Lawyers QuickTopics discussion page
  http://www.quicktopic.com/32/H/ZXpdiAP9phhH
  Quick Topic is free for basic use, so a firm could set up their own page and share the address with members by having Quick Topic sending an e-mail to each member.
• Huricane Katrina Lawyers Wiki
  http://katrinalaw.org
  A Wiki-based website to facilitate sharing information about the whereabouts/safety/disaster recovery plans for attorneys & other professionals in the affected area. The Wiki is publicly editable.