Yeah, It Was Scheduled For New Orleans

Hurricane Katrina has, of course, visited death and misery on the Gulf Coast, flooding more than 80-percent of New Orleans -- and the water is still rising. There are power outages, looters and evacuations. Only far away, in places like Washington, DC, are there thoughts of life beyond the immediate struggle for survival.

But life does go on and the question is, what will organizations like the NBAA, which have scheduled major events in New Orleans, do now that much of the city is accessible only by boat?

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, NBAA spokesman Dan Hubbard said the thoughts and concerns of everyone in the organization are with the people of New Orleans and the greater Gulf Coast region.

Perhaps what's needed here is a little hope.

NBAA's 58th Annual Meeting & Convention is scheduled for November 15th - 17th in New Orleans. While the destruction caused by the hurricane presents unique and significant logistical challenges that must be addressed, NBAA intends to make every effort to try to move forward and assist in the economic recovery of the region.

To ensure that the Convention will be able to proceed, Hubbard told ANN in a statement Tuesday night that NBAA will closely monitor developments over the coming weeks and will dispatch a team as soon as possible to conduct an on-the-ground self-assessment of the Morial Convention Center, Lakefront Airport, the surrounding hotels and restaurants, the transportation infrastructure, and other facilities and infrastructure required for this special event.

Stay tuned.

FMI: www.nbaa.org