Legal Issues in Disaster Response and Recovery

About this episode

The episode discusses the legal considerations in disaster response and recovery, featuring insights from attorney Linda Litke.

With every disaster there are legal considerations that come to the fore. In this podcast we explore the experience of one litigator advising FEMA Incident Management Teams (IMAT) and also dealing with damages and reimbursement processes for individuals who own property. For two decades, LLRA, LLC owner Linda Litke served the United States, first in the U.S. Navy and then as a senior attorney within the Department of Homeland Security/Federal Emergency Management Agency. Her work placed her at the center of some of the nation’s most complex emergencies, disasters, and national security incidents—first as Deputy Associate Chief Counsel for Louisiana and Mississippi, where she led multiple legal offices across the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina, and later as a Trial Attorney handling litigation tied to Public Assistance projects and the National Flood Insurance Program. Her final federal role for the last six years—Legal Counsel to the National Incident Management Assistance Team (NIMAT–Red)—was among the most demanding in the emergency‑response world. As part of a small rapidly deployable federal team, she provided real‑time legal guidance to senior officials during national…

People in this episode

Guest: Linda Litke

Topics covered

• legal issues
• disaster response
• FEMA
• litigation
• emergency management

Keywords

• disaster response
• legal guidance
• FEMA
• litigation
• emergency management

Sponsors

L3Harris Technologies

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: FEMA, LLRA, LLC, Department of Homeland Security, National Flood Insurance Program, National Incident Management Assistance Team

Places: Louisiana, Mississippi, Gulf Coast

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