AH&LA Partners with DHS, FEMA, Red Cross to Assist Hurricane Katrina Victims

Business Wire, Sept 7, 2005

WASHINGTON -- In the wake of the tragic impact of Hurricane Katrina, the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) and its partner state associations are teaming up with various government agencies, travel and tourism organizations, and AH&LA allied members to offer assistance to the hundreds-of-thousands of individuals displaced from their homes and disaster relief workers beginning to converge in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and the surrounding states.

More than 60,000 evacuees are currently in hotels in 42 states. AH&LA is working in close cooperation with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate 6-month renewable contracts with hotels nationwide for approximately 250,000 guestrooms. Also, AH&LA is coordinating contracts for the American Red Cross and community-based organizations to provide housing for hurricane evacuees and emergency relief workers in different areas. In addition, AH&LA is serving as a conduit for industry vendors willing to contract with DHS.

Three AH&LA allied members are offering their services to affected member properties:

--Ernst & Young is assisting member hotels by providing a complimentary overview of the property insurance claims process, including answers to frequently asked questions.

--Location Management Services, LLC, which has offices throughout the country, is helping properties take advantage of state, local, and federal credit and incentive programs that can be applicable to the hospitality industry. These include federal programs such as the Empowerment Zone tax credits, Federal Renewal Zones, New Market Tax Credits toward new construction, state investment, and job creation programs, as well as other specialized programs designed to encourage rebuilding after a natural disaster.

--PKF Hospitality Research is offering assistance with business interruption insurance to assist hoteliers in securing important data and documents that will help recover lost business income from their insurance company.

AH&LA has created a message board on www.ahla.com to connect displaced hospitality employees with employment and housing opportunities. The board serves as a clearinghouse for questions, ideas, and resources to assist affected employees. A link connects users to AH&LA's Career Center, which lists more than 3,000 hospitality job openings throughout the U.S. The site also links to www.katrinajobs.org, coordinated by the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA), the Travel & Tourism Coalition, and the Travel Business Roundtable, to help displaced workers find employment.

To assist schools that have generously offered to accept hospitality students from schools affected by Hurricane Katrina, the Educational Institute of the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Foundation (EI) will provide those students with EI textbooks and courses required by the hosting schools. Instructors needing textbooks for displaced students should call EI at (800) 344-4381 to request the necessary materials.

EI is offering 30-plus percent savings through the end of the year on select risk management video/DVD titles, with all proceeds supporting relief efforts. Titles include Crisis Communications, Planning for Emergencies, Fire Safety: Prevention and Response, Spotlight On Security, and 10-Minute Trainer: Security. Products can be purchased via the EI Website, www.ei-ahla.org, or by calling (800) 752-4567 or (517) 372-8800.

AH&LA is channeling information to hoteliers regarding various government services:

--The Internal Revenue Service has announced special tax relief for victims of Hurricane Katrina. Please visit www.irs.gov for more information.

--The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), in cooperation with FEMA, is offering low-interest disaster assistance loans to hurricane victims. Loans are available in amounts up to $1.5 million to repair damage to business operations, up to $200,000 to repair disaster damaged primary residences, and up to $40,000 to replace personal property. Residents and business owners in the affected areas can begin the disaster application process by registering online with FEMA at www.fema.gov or by calling (800) 621-FEMA or (800) 462-7585 (TTY). For more information, contact Kevin Maher at kmaher@ahla.com or (202) 289-3147.

--DHS today announced that it will relax I-9 documentation rules for employers hiring victims of Hurricane Katrina. Individuals normally must present certain personal documents to employers within three days of being hired. However, DHS has announced that for the next 45 days it will not sanction employers who hire individuals evacuated or displaced as a result of the hurricane who are otherwise eligible for employment but currently lack personal documents. More information is available online at www.dhs.gov.

To view the latest on the hospitality industry's hurricane relief efforts, visit www.ahla.com. Hoteliers can obtain legal information and additional resources via the members-only section of the AH&LA Website.