NADA offers emergency relief for dealer employees in Houston
The NADA Foundation has mobilized its Emergency Relief Fund to help dealership employees who have had their homes or other personal property damaged by Hurricane Harvey and the floods that followed it. But as of last Thursday, the Fund was in danger of running out of money, reported Automotive News.
Although donations were generous the Texas Automobile Dealers Association pledged $100,000 and Jaguar Land Rover promised $24,000 the need is great. As of Thursday, the Fund had received requests for more than $150,000 in aid. NADA estimates that 30,000 to 35,000 dealership employees have been affected.
The Foundation is asking dealers around the country to donate online to its Emergency Relief Fund. NADA dealer members can also write checks to the Emergency Relief Fund, c/o NADA Foundation, 8400 Westpark Drive, MS 7, Tysons, VA 22102. For more information, call (703)821-7102.
Like much of the hurricane damage, the extent of the loss to dealerships and their employees is still unknown. But some stores had already opened back up by last Thursday and were doing a brisk business. NADA plans to go to Houston to shoot video of affected dealerships to help with fundraising for the relief fund.
More than 500 dealerships in the Houston area were damaged, Black Book said, according to USA Today. All 17 of AutoNationês Houston area stories had to close initially. An estimated 366,000 new vehicles stored on dealership lots were likely affected, said Jessica Caldwell of Edmunds. Black Book estimated that 500,000 to 1 million cars would have to be replaced.
The hurricane and the storms that followed it could have destroyed as many as 1 million vehicles in Texas, both personal and dealership-owned, Black Book told USA Today. In the Houston area, as many as one in seven vehicles could have been ruined by the storm, according to Evercore ISI, an investment banking and advisory research firm.
Washington area dealers should watch out for flood-damaged cars at auction. CarFax can check a vehicleês history. NADA and CarFax suggest checking for these signs of flooding:
« A musty odor in the interior sometimes covered with a strong air freshener.
« Upholstery or carpeting that is loose, new, stained, recently shampooed or doesnêt match.
« Water or stain marks under the carpeting.
« Damp carpets.
« Rust around doors, under the dashboard, on the pedals or inside the hood and trunk.
« Mud or silt in the glove compartment or under the seats.
« Brittle wires under the dashboard.
« Fog or moisture beads in the interior lights, exterior lights or instrument panel.
« Mud or grit in alternator crevices, behind wiring harnesses and around the small recesses of starter motors, power steering pumps and relays.
« Rusted components, water residue or suspicious corrosion in electrical wiring.
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