Bill Landau of Wells Fargo encourages conference goers to designate a state for REALTORS Relief Foundation contributions. For each member who puts a name on the Relief Wall, Wells Fargo will make a contribution to the foundation.
During the REALTORS® Conference & Expo in Orlando NAR is collecting donations to the REALTORS® Relief Foundation (RRF) for Hurricane Sandy disaster assistance. Already, more than 1,500 REALTORS® have answered the call for donations. On Oct. 31, NAR President Moe Veissi e-mailed all NAR members, asking for “what you can—every amount helps.” (Update: At a member forum on Thursday, Veissi announced that NAR would match members’ donations up to $500,000.)
If you’re attending the conference, you can make a donation at the Wells Fargo Home Mortgage-sponsored Relief Foundation Wall in West Hall D Lobby of the Orange County Convention Center during the following hours:
Friday, Nov. 9: 12 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Saturday, 11/10: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Sunday, 11/11: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
You can also donate online.
The Foundation is working with associations in New York, New Jersey, and other affected areas to aid victims in those states with housing-related assistance. A donation to RRF is tax-deductible, and 100 percent of donations are used for relief. NAR covers the administrative costs of operating the Foundation.
Read Erica Christoffer’s post, “REALTORS® on the East Coast Help Clients Pick Up the Pieces Following Hurricane Sandy.”
REALTORS Relief Foundation aid will help restore areas such as Union Beach, N.J., damaged when Hurricane Sandy hit the Eastern Shore Oct. 29.
The dock that Kate Koplinka grew up crabbing off of in Mastic Beach, Long Island, New York, vanished beneath the wind and flood waters of Hurricane Sandy this week. Yet Koplinka, ABR, vice president and associate broker of Coldwell Banker M&D Good Life in Moriches, New York, feels lucky. The devastation could have been worse—as it was for too many others, she says. Koplinka’s area of Suffolk County along eastern Long Island has 100-year-old trees strewn over electrical lines. Additionally, all major bridges, tunnels, and public transportation systems are closed, and school hasn’t been in session since last week.
Hurricane Sandy surged across the East Coast Monday and Tuesday, bringing with it rain and 75-90 mph wind gusts, causing devastating damage and flooding from Virginia to Massachusetts. At least 32 people have lost their lives, many are still missing, and numerous residents have lost their homes, continuing to take shelter in local schools and community centers.
Flooding in Suffolk County, eastern Long Island, New York. —Photo submitted by Kate Koplinka
An early assessment released Tuesday from economic analysis firm IHS, estimates economic loss between $30 billion and $50 billion for the region, including infrastructure damage, oil production loss, shipping and distribution delays, and various other commercial product shutdowns. On Monday, research firm CoreLogic estimated that 284,000 properties valued at $88 billion were at risk of damage or destruction from the superstorm. New York had the highest number of properties at risk with just over 81,000 valued at $35.1 billion, followed by 75,000 properties in New Jersey totaling $22.6 billion.
The REALTORS® Relief Foundation is currently accepting donations to provide housing-related assistance to victims of the disaster. The foundation is working with state associations in the affected areas to distribute the funds to those in the REALTOR® family and the community at-large. All of the money donated goes directly to help those in need; NAR covers all administrative costs associated with the 11-year-old program. Make a donation today.
“We were at an open restaurant yesterday and an older man was sitting alone, his apartment was flooded and he had nowhere else to go,” Koplinka said. The man, who lived in Rocky Point, New York, said all of the hotels were full and the shelters were allegedly turning people away. To make matters worse, 85 percent of Long Island is currently without power, she said, and the drinking water in Nassau County in western Long Island is off limits. Continue reading »
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