IIA of Georgia Members Donate to Hurricane Katrina Relief

The Independent Insurance Agents of Georgia has contributed $3,000 to its sister associations in the states damaged by Hurricane Katrina.

“We mailed the checks the Tuesday after Labor Day. We also appealed to our members to contribute directly and many did so,” Gould Hagler Jr., IIAG executive director said.

Within days after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America had established a Katrina Relief Fund.

“We didn’t wait,” Hagler said. “But with the relief fund established by InsurBanc and IIABA, members can make tax deductible contributions on line. The key is to send the help our friends need without delay.”

David Lewis, IIAG president, emphasized this relief is targeted to Big “I” members and their employees.

“I have spoken with agents from the stricken areas,” Lewis said. “Some of our colleagues are homeless and without offices. They are dealing with the same problems as every other hurricane victim, but they continue to take care of their insureds. We are helping take care of them. We are family. They would do the same for us”

Since 1898 IIAG has been in the business of helping independent insurance agents, said Hagler.

“We represent our members at the Capitol, we publish a newsletter to keep them informed, we run pre-licensing and continuing education. We have held 108 annual conventions. Hurricane relief is extraordinary, but in a way it’s the same thing we have been doing since the beginning.”

Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Agencies Georgia Hurricane