P.O. Box 24378 New Orleans, LA 70184 504.324.2270
District Five Recovery News
MEDIA RELEASESaturday, May 20, 2006
For Immediate Release
Christine White: 722-7559
Fundraiser staged to ease insurance rates
New Orleans, LA. – Two firehouses servicing much of Lakeview were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, and Saturday local residents will come to the rescue of the firefighters with a fundraiser to help bring the firemen back home quicker.
This Saturday, from 8AM to 4PM, the District 5 Neighborhood Recovery Fund will sell specially-designed t-shirts and accept donations to bring Lakeview firemen home to Lakeview. Emblazoned with the firefighters’ logo and a stylized fleur-de-lis above
Recently, some Lakeview residents were unable to hold homeowners policies or told that their rates would drastically increase. Insurance companies have informed Lakeview residents that due to the hurricane damage to firehouses there is a poor emergency response time in the area, increasing the risk for homeowner policies.
The Lakeview Civic Association and Lakeview residents on the mission to rebuild are steering the fundraiser. Lakeview resident Peter Graffeo, an organizer of the event stated, “We want to rebuild. We want to move home. But at the current insurance rates, it’s difficult to pay these outrageous yearly payments. Once the Lakeview firehouses are repaired, we believe this will drastically affect our payments and ability to return to New Orleans quickly.”
T-shirts will be on sale to the general public for $20 each at Fire Station #18 located across from the St. Dominic/Harrison polling place in Lakeview. Orders may be placed by email to jgraffeo@cox.net until a website debuts on June 1.
-end-