REALTOR® Magazine-Daily News-REALTORS® Launch Hurricane Katrina Relief Effort

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Daily Real Estate News | August 31, 2005 | REALTORS® Launch Hurricane Katrina Relief Effort REALTORS® have responded quickly to the devastation from Hurricane Katrina, a Category 4 storm that hit the Gulf Coast of Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi on Monday, killing dozens of people, leaving millions without power or water, and causing property damage in the billions of dollars. The NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® announced Tuesday that the REALTORS® Relief Foundation would donate $50,000 each, for a total of $150,000, to relief efforts in Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi. The REALTORS® Relief Foundation was set up to aid victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and was subsequently deployed in the wake of last year's hurricanes off the Gulf Coast and the massive South Asia tsunami. In addition to NAR's efforts, the Louisiana REALTORS® Association, Alabama Association of REALTORS®, and Mississippi Association of REALTORS® have set up their own disaster relief funds. Terrence M. McDermott, NAR's chief executive, called on REALTORS® to reach out and help their colleagues in need. “Send whatever you can to the relief fund in each state, or make a contribution to the REALTORS® Relief Foundation, and we’ll pass the funds along quickly,” he said. All administrative costs of the project will be absorbed by NAR, and 100 percent of contributions to the REALTORS® Relief Foundation will go to disaster relief. Contributions are tax deductible. As news reports have indicated, the need for help is tremendous. Many Have Lost Everything "There are so many on the outskirts of New Orleans who’ve lost everything," said Sandy Lash, an executive at the Louisiana REALTORS® Association in Baton Rouge. The storm left 6-7 feet of water in areas around New Orleans, including Metairie and Kenner, where virtually every structure sustained damage. "It will be weeks or months before full power is restored to these areas, and the entire water system in the area has been compromised," Lash said. In Alabama, communities around the Gulf, still recovering from Hurricane Ivan a year ago, are once more digging out. "We have thousands who lost everything in Ivan and had built their homes back up only to have them destroyed again," said J. Danny Cooper, association executive at the Alabama Association of REALTORS®. “We’d all like to run down and pitch in and help,” McDermott said, “but since that's not possible, we should pray that our REALTOR® family in the affected areas finds the strength to make it through this trial.” How You Can Help To contribute to the REALTORS® Relief Foundation:

Make a credit-card donation online by visiting the REALTORS® Relief Foundation Web Site.

Send a check, payable to the REALTORS® Relief Foundation, to REALTORS® Relief Foundation, Attn: NAR Finance Division, 430 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago IL 60611. To contribute to the Alabama REALTOR® Disaster Relief Fund:

Make a credit-card donation online by visiting the Alabama REALTORS® Disaster Relief Web Site or by calling the association at 334/262-3808.

Send a check, payable to the Alabama REALTOR® Disaster Relief Fund, to P.O. Box 4070, Montgomery, AL 36103. To contribute to the Louisiana REALTORS® Association Relief Fund:

Send a check, payable to the Louisiana REALTORS® Association Relief Fund, to P.O. Box 14780, Baton Rouge, LA, 70898, or send to Regions Bank, Attn: Louisiana REALTORS® Association Relief Fund, 5353 Essen Lane, Suite 150, Baton Rouge, LA 70809. To contribute to the Mississippi REALTOR® Hurricane Relief Fund:

Send a check, payable to the Mississippi REALTOR® Hurricane Relief Fund, to P. O. Box 321000, Jackson, MS 39232. —By Rob Freedman for REALTOR® Magazine Online