National Jurist - November 2008 - (Page 18) The watchdog Ben Smilowitz, a third-year University of Connecticut Law School student, steers his own ship with his nonprofit disaster watchdog organization While witnessing gaps in critical disaster relief services first-hand, Ben Smilowitz was unsuccessful in his efforts to get the Red Cross to improve conditions. Now, the third-year University of Connecticut Law School student is head of the By Dave Thomas Disaster Accountability Project, which has garnered national attention. The nonprofit organization tracks response recommendations following 2005’s Hurricane Katrina, investigates reported gaps in emergency response or preparation and provides updates on disaster response issues in its blog. “I never imagined I’d be doing this work until I served as a volunteer for the Red Cross after Hurricane Katrina and managed high-volume client service centers along the Mississippi Gulf Coast,” Smilowitz said. He’s not looking for accolades, but you have to give credit where credit is due. Smilowitz told himself that if an organization did not exist to receive information about gaps in disaster relief/response services from survivors and provide consis- “When individuals feel that they have the power to make a difference, they will.” — Ben Smilowitz, 3L, University of Connecticut Law School tent public oversight to the organizations that comprise the U.S. disaster prevention, response, relief, and recovery systems, he would start it. “I feel a deep-rooted responsibility to help others and disasters only exacerbate existing needs,” said Smilowitz, who currently serves as his law school’s Student Bar Association president. After Katrina, he watched safety-nets fail in two states and worries that without constant oversight, the same problems will happen again. 18 THE NATIONAL JURIST November 2008 PHOTO BY CHRIS VOLPE
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