Providing Certainty in an Uncertain Time: How Alternative Dispute Resolution Can Help Natural Disaster Victims Rebuild

The effects of climate change, specifically naturally disasters, have no borders or boundaries. In recent years, there has been an uptick in natural disasters, and in the last thirty years, the number of climate-related disasters has tripled. These disasters continue to have catastrophic effects, annually forcing over twenty million people from their homes. The damage caused by natural disasters is immediate, and it is often something for which people are not adequately prepared. Swift action must be taken to ensure that these people are provided with their basic needs. The burdens of these disasters fall on both claimants and defendants—claimants wish to quickly rebuild from the devastation and defendants are hit with a large volume of claims. Natural disasters expose people to many types of disputes, with insurance being the main type of claim, but other potential disputes arise in the areas of construction law, employment law, family law, contract law, and property law.This post was originally published on the Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution website on March 20, 2022. The original post can be accessed via the Archived Link button above.