Vulnerable Communities Lose Critical Documentation in Natural Disasters' Wake

In the aftermath of a natural disaster, people focus on recovering the bread-and-butter pieces of their lives: furniture, cars, clothing. Birth certificates usually are not top-of-mind. But obtaining any form of ID requires documentation, which is often lost in the wake of a severe storm. Even under normal circumstances, “When a minority loses an ID, it becomes more difficult to get a replacement,” says Gary Bledsoe, president of the Texas NAACP and an attorney with the Bledsoe Law Firm. That challenge is exacerbated when a disaster hits.

According to the Brookings Institution, already-vulnerable communities suffer the most in the wake of a natural disaster, in part because of the consequences of lost documentation. In Texas, poor communities are more likely to live in areas susceptible to flooding, where their driver’s licenses, birth certificates, and social security cards could be destroyed by rising waters.