The North Carolina Equal Access to Justice Commission has released a new data resource revealing the impact of Hurricane Florence on North Carolina and the vulnerable populations who may potentially need legal help during the recovery.

Leveraging the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) expertise of the Self-Represented Litigation Network (SRLN) and the research and storytelling ability of Relatable Communications Group, the Commission has developed an interactive story map that provides access to geospatial data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, North Carolina Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the American Red Cross.

As users scroll down, they can click on maps to see data for specific geographic areas. Data include hurricane impacts, social vulnerability, housing and location affordability, immigrant and limited English proficiency populations, SNAP recipients, renters, people without health insurance, race and vulnerable populations like children and seniors. The map also includes information about where residents can access disaster legal services around the state.

The story map is interactive. Clicking on a location will open a pop-up window with detailed data for that location and a viewer can zoom in to see the data illustrated in greater detail. The map also includes information about data sources.

The Commission will continue to share the resources in the story map with myriad groups, such as members of the General Assembly, legal aid providers and policy advocacy organizations for use in strategic planning, grant writing, collaboration and decision-making regarding the allocation of resources.

"We are grateful for the work of our partners," stated Jennifer Lechner, executive director of the N.C. Equal Access to Justice Commission.  

SRLN is the national backbone organization for justice system professionals seeking to close the civil justice gap by reforming America's civil justice system through evidence based innovation and data driven decision making. Relatable Communications Group is a full-service marketing, communications and public relations agency with expertise in the legal, medical, higher education and nonprofit sectors.