Hurricane Impacts Conferences, Giving Program Planned

The destruction to the city of New Orleans from Hurricane Katrina has forced the cancellation of the Community Action Partnership’s 2005 Annual Convention slated for the New Orleans Marriott Hotel August 30 through September 2.

On its website, the Partnership said a national conference cancellation was unprecedented in its history. The Partnership’s Board of Directors voted on Tuesday August 30 to reschedule the 2005 convention for January, 2006 in New Orleans, contingent upon hotel availability.

“It is imperative during this time to support our Community Action family in the region and make plans to come back to meet in New Orleans and show our support as a network,” the Partnership’s website stated.

The Community Action Partnership also said it plans to establish a Community Action Giving Program to help the victims of Katrina. More details will be available on the Partnership’s website later in the week.

The 2005 National Weatherization Training Conference, scheduled for the New Orleans Marriott September 25-28, has also been rescheduled, although the date and location hadn’t been determined as of August 31.

The federal program’s website had reported on Tuesday afternoon (August 30) that it was assessing the situation and would hold off on making a decision until the end of the Labor Day Weekend. It had received word that the Marriott Hotel did not have any flooding, only a few broken windows and some related water damage that could be easily remedied. However, the hotel does not have power, is operating on generators and is in a Federal Disaster Zone. By Wednesday afternoon, the website said, the infrastructure around the hotel had continued to deteriorate, leading to the decision to move the conference.

Source: Community Action Partnership, U.S. DOE

Page Last Updated: January 26, 2007