NADA Foundation Launches National Fundraising Effort for Hurricane Relief

"You Really Cannot Imagine It, It is Total Devastation." - Bob Israel, Lousiana ATAE

Dealers From Across the Country Unite to Help Victims

The National Automobile Dealers Charitable Foundation (NADCF) is raising funds to offer emergency relief to dealership employees who have suffered loss or damage of personal property by Hurricane Katrina. Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi dealer associations and their dealers are working hard to get the message to dealership employees.

NADA’s Foundation has a disaster relief fund specifically designed for emergencies.  Because of the magnitude of the disaster, NADCF is launching this national fundraising campaign.  The Ohio Automobile Dealers Association has already pledged an initial $50,000 to jumpstart its statewide campaign.   

More than 41,000 dealership employees live in the affected states. Bob Israel, executive vice president of the Louisiana Automobile Dealers Association, estimates that about 30 to 35 percent of the employees in his state will suffer from the loss or damage of personal property. “We could have employees who do not have a single personal item left, just the items they took with them during the evacuation.  People may return home with no house to return to, no car left, and they may not have a job to return to.” If dealerships are in flooded areas, the vehicles are most likely destroyed.  “It could be six months before many dealers reopen doors,” Israel said. 

Approximately 80 percent of New Orleans is under water, with some areas reaching 20 feet deep.  “The difference between this and other areas is that most of New Orleans is not only still under water, but the waters are still rising.  They can’t bring in the soup kitchens; they can’t put up tents for people; they can’t put people in mobile homes,” said Israel. 

The U.S. Navy is sending in four war ships and there is now martial law in the city of New Orleans, where mandatory evacuation is underway.  “There hasn’t been martial law here for decades. And they are trying to evacuate everyone with only one road out of the whole area,” added Israel. 

Parts of coastal Mississippi have also been devastated. In Alabama, where there are still power outages, a number of dealerships suffered minor damages.  “They are still not back in business because there’s such a demand for electricity in Mississippi and Louisiana.  And it’s not clear when these 20 to 25 dealerships might get their power back, and employees suffer from a lost wages standpoint,” said Tom Dart of the Alabama Automobile Dealers Association.

NADCF is sending a letter to all dealers urging them to donate to the Emergency Relief Fund.  Make checks payable to NADCF Emergency Fund and mail to the address below or call 703.821.7102. 

(Source: NADA Newswire) [return to top]