Emergency Legal Responders Deploy to Micronesia for Disaster Law Preparedness with Airlink and United

Closing the gaps the map creates: Emergency Legal Responders teams up with Airlink and United to strengthen disaster preparedness in the South Pacific.

NEW ORLEANS, LA, UNITED STATES, September 4, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- This September, Emergency Legal Responders (ELR) will launch a multi-island initiative to strengthen disaster response across the Pacific in partnership with local leaders. Working with Micronesian Legal Services Corporation (MLSC), the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) Disaster Recovery Team, and national collaborators including Airlink, the Information Technology Disaster Resource Center (ITDRC), and Mutual Aid Disaster Relief (MADR), ELR will lead attorney-led workshops on legal preparedness alongside broader efforts to expand disaster rights and regional recovery.

"These places are not peripheral, they are leading the way," said Amelia Hoppe, Executive Director of ELR and program lead. "Communities here have been navigating the frontlines of climate change and disaster recovery for generations. If we want systems that work, we need to start by listening, learning, and building alongside them. This initiative continues ELR’s fieldwork that delivers legal support where it is most needed."

Airlink, a non-government organization (NGO) based in Washington, DC, is coordinating the logistics of the travel plan, in addition to providing transportation. In recent years, Airlink has expanded its network and access throughout Asia and the Pacific, increasing the programs offered to communities both in advance of and following a disaster, to both strengthen infrastructure and offer recovery support with a number of other NGOs working in the region.

This deployment is part of ELR’s CIRCLE Initiative — Capacity Infrastructure for Regional Community Legal Ecosystems. The effort includes a series of free workshops and community clinics across Guam, Saipan, Palau, Chuuk, Pohnpei, Kosrae, and Majuro. In each location we are bringing together social service providers and legal aid staff, leading community discussions on disaster rights, and hosting Document Days where families bring vital records to be reviewed, copied, and secured in waterproof and fireproof folders. The goal is immediate and long-term: families leave prepared for the next storm, and local systems leave stronger for the recovery to come.

These jurisdictions - U.S. territories and nations in the Compact of Free Association with the United States - are navigating overlapping climate, legal, and infrastructure challenges. Many recovery systems in use today were not designed for island conditions or regional governance structures, which can lead to delays, documentation issues, housing instability, and barriers to long-term recovery.

United Airlines, in partnership with Airlink, has donated passenger seats for the attorneys and liaisons hosting the clinics with ELR. United has supported responses and NGO partners throughout Airlink’s 15-year history.

“As Guam and Micronesia’s hometown airline, we are committed to playing an active role in the community and utilizing our network in this region for good,” said Sam Shinohara, Managing Director for APAC Airport Operations at United. “United’s Island Hopper, which connects Micronesia - the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of the Marshall Islands - between Guam and Hawaii is a unique and special service, and a vital lifeline for the communities. It’s our honor to support Airlink in bringing the Emergency Legal Responders to this beautiful part of the world to ensure local families and communities are as prepared as they can be, should the worst occur.”

“For years, Airlink has proudly supported ELR’s initiatives and deployment of its volunteer legal experts to aid communities after disasters,” said Stephanie Steege, Vice President of Humanitarian Programs at Airlink. “Often, families are left to recover and rebuild their lives while also navigating a complex, bureaucratic system to get back on their feet. Airlink believes in empowering communities to be prepared before disaster even strikes, by developing relationships built on trust and by expanding access to resources – core values of our organization. This is especially important for communities in the Pacific that are experiencing the effects of climate change today while still recovering from typhoons in years past."

Workshop schedules and locations are still being finalized. Journalists, partners, and community members can follow updates at www.emergencylegalresponders.org or on social media- Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.


About Emergency Legal Responders
Emergency Legal Responders (ELR) is a nonprofit advancing equity in disaster recovery. We strengthen legal systems in crisis by building capacity, removing systemic barriers, and ensuring communities can access the rights and resources they need before, during, and after disaster. Our work spans U.S. states, territories, and treaty-bound nations, with a focus on disaster justice, legal infrastructure, and jurisdictional equity for communities most impacted by climate change and crisis.


About Airlink
Airlink is a global humanitarian nonprofit organization delivering critical aid to communities in crisis by providing free or discounted airlift and logistical solutions to vetted nonprofit partners, changing how the humanitarian community responds to disasters worldwide. Its network includes over 250 aid organizations and over 50 commercial and charter airlines. Since its inception in 2010, Airlink has flown 14,000 relief workers and transported 18 million pounds of humanitarian cargo, directly helping 63 million people impacted by natural and man-made disasters. In 2025 Airlink celebrates its 15th anniversary. For more information, visit airlinkflight.org and follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram.


About United
At United, Good Leads The Way. With U.S. hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., United operates the most comprehensive global route network among North American carriers and is now the largest airline in the world as measured by available seat miles. For more about how to join the United team, please visit www.united.com/careers and more information about the company is at www.united.com. United Airlines Holdings, Inc., the parent company of United Airlines, Inc., is traded on the Nasdaq under the symbol "UAL".

Natalie Jacobsen
Airlink
njacobsen@airlinkflight.org

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