NAIFA has reopened access to the NAIFA Family Response Fund to benefit members of the association impacted by Hurricane Ida and its remnants, which hit New Orleans and other Gulf Coast communities, as well as Northern states including New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. High winds, extreme rainfall, flooding, tornadoes, and utility outages have resulted in significant property losses and fatalities.
NAIFA originally created the NAIFA Family Response Fund to assist members affected by earlier hurricanes and later expanded it to help NAIFA members with unexpected out-of-pocket medical or funeral expenses related to the COVID-19 outbreak. It has also been open to members affected by severe winter storms and wildfires.
"NAIFA Nation is a family, and we are always quick to step up when we see our family members in need,” said NAIFA President Tom Michel. "Insurance and financial professionals are there for their clients when disaster strikes, helping them recover and ensuring they remain financially secure, but we can’t lose sight of the fact that agents and advisors are often personally impacted by natural disasters.”
Anyone who would like to donate and NAIFA members or dependents seeking assistance may do so on the NAIFA Family Response Fund web page.
NAIFA worked with its grant-management partner, the Community Foundation of Acadiana, to establish the fund and is currently accepting contributions to meet pressing needs. The NAIFA Family Response Fund follows similar relief efforts NAIFA created for members affected by natural disasters, including Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Hurricanes Harvey and Irma in 2017, Hurricane Florence in 2018, Western U.S. wildfires in 2020, and devastating Texas winter storms earlier this year.