Law Fraternity Travels to New Orleans to Aid Katrina Victims

New York, NY — On Saturday April 1, 2006, the NYC Alumni Chapter of Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity, International ("PAD") and Operation Helping Hands of New Orleans teamed up to clean and gut a home located in one of the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Katrina. More than 40 volunteers selfishly devoted their time, money and labor to give back to a community still very much in need. The event, called the PAD FlyAway, is usually organized as a fun weekend trip to locations such as New York City, Las Vegas, Puerto Rico or St. Kitts. However, this year, attorney Stephen J. Savva, the Justice (President) of the NYC Alumni Chapter and other PAD leaders decided that bringing a group of volunteers to New Orleans was more important.

After partnering with Catholic Charities USA, who runs Operation Helping Hands in New Orleans, the PAD FlyAway Group was assigned to clear debris, recover personal belongings and gut a two-family home located at 1316-18 Reynes Street in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans. The FlyAway team was comprised of more than 40 attorneys and students traveling from California, Florida, New York, New Jersey and within Louisiana.

Upon arriving at the assigned location, the FlyAway team witnessed first-hand the complete devastation in this area. Written in orange spray paint on a home across the street were the words "1 DOG DEAD" and "FL1" — indicating that one person was found alive in the home. On the front lawn of 1316-18 Reynes Street, is an overturned SUV apparently left behind by the receding flood waters from the breached levees.

The conditions discovered inside 1316-18 Reynes Street were nothing short of heart-wrenching. The FlyAway team realized that this was not just a house, it was a home. Armed with masks and gloves, the FlyAway team removed tons of debris, clothing, furniture and appliances one piece at a time with respect and care. Although the vast majority of the items found in 1316-18 Reynes Street were unsalvageable, the foundation of the home remained strong. The FlyAway team carefully sifted through the debris to recover personal belongings such as jewelry, photographs, statues and a handful of other items for the homeowner.

Upon completing work, the FlyAway group was informed that the home was owned by Mrs. Rose Migliore, an elderly woman afflicted with Polio who had no insurance. Unfortunately, too many residents on Reynes Street had no insurance. Although many months have passed since Katrina passed over the Ninth Ward, Reynes Street remains mostly vacant, with no running water or electricity and little evidence of any construction. The only noticeable traffic is a Red Cross truck providing food and water to volunteers and homeowners working in the area.

While returning to the Le Pavillion Hotel near the French Quarter, the host hotel for all out-of-state FlyAway volunteers, members of the team had an opportunity to speak with Mrs. Migliore on the telephone. Mrs. Migliore was most gracious and appreciative of the fact that someone cared enough to travel to New Orleans to help her. She then informed the team that her home had been built by her husband and brother-in-law several decades ago. The FlyAway group was witness to fine workmanship of these men, as underneath the debris and warped flooring were perfectly straight wood planks secured firmly to the foundation with antique square head nails. The graciousness and joy in Mrs. Migliore's voice was irrefutable evidence to all involved that New Orleans was the perfect location for the 2006 PAD FlyAway.

On Sunday April 2, 2006, Mr. Savva and PAD Alumnus Carmen McCormick, Esq., General Counsel for Quality Built — a sponsor who donated hard-hats for the FlyAway team — met briefly with New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin at the Le Pavilion Hotel to provide him with information about the efforts of the PAD FlyAway team. Mr. Savva requested that the Mayor's office send a letter of encouragement that could be shared with Mrs. Migliore and the FlyAway team. Mayor Nagin was most gracious in telling Mr. Savva and Ms. McCormick that he would take care of it and accomodate their request.

For many uninsured homeowners in New Orleans and other cities dealing with natural disasters, programs administered by PAD's NYC Alumni Chapter, Catholic Charities, the Red Cross and other national relief organizations are the only means for residents to recover their personal belongings and begin rebuilding. For those who have not personally witnessed the conditions created by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, they continue to be far more extensive than what is generally known or reported. Scores of cars remain overturned, miles of homes are left as piles of debris and food continues to decay in water-logged refrigerators scattered throughout the area.

PAD's NYC Alumni Chapter is proud to have traveled to New Orleans in furtherance of the Phi Alpha Delta's mission of "Service to the Student, the Profession and the Community."

As the 2006 hurricane season rapidly approaches, we must all remember that this is a national tragedy that can and probably will happen again. Until and unless we prevent natural disasters, which does not appear likely, the road to recovery continues to be just one home at a time.

The complete list of volunteers and sponsors that made the 2006 PAD FlyAway possible are: Corbin Adams; Christopher Bordenave; Jessica Boyd; Marilyn Callwood; Brittney Clark; James Erwin; Shari Erwin; Aliciamarie Falcetta; Leon Feingold; Cassie Ford ; Giselle Gaviria; Erica Gibson; Channing Guidry; Arnold Hirsch; Marguerite Holmes; Chelsea Howard; Angela Howard; Kristi Kligerman; Janise Lampley; Iriane Lee; Annice Littlejohn; Nova Southeastern University; Samantha Maitland; Carmen McCormick; Erin McKenna; Tiffany Morris; JohnPaul Ogbuokiri; Dru Pardo; Randall Poerschke; Daria Pratcher; Quality Built®; Kimberly Rescola; Trevor Rescola; Kasey Robinson; Monique Sawyer; Stephen J. Savva; Amanda Sidari; Emerald Skipper; Rodney Sparrow; Bryan Stephany; Dawn Sullivan; Sharee Tucker; and Nicole Washington.

For more information contact:

P.A.D. NYC ALUMNI CHAPTER / PAD FLYAWAY
Stephen J. Savva, Esq.
Justice, NYC Alumni Chapter
250 West 57th Street, Suite 919
New York, New York 10107
"Service to the Student, the Profession and the Community."

The PAD FlyAway Program was developed by PAD’s NYC Alumni Chapter in 2003. Each year, the Chapter organizes an event taking place in a different location to provide members and guests with an opportunity to meet and interact with distinguished members of the community and one another in a social and professional setting. PAD FlyAway events are frequently attended by judges, attorneys, public servants, students and their guests. In connection with our program, we have conferred honorary membership in Phi Alpha Delta to distinguished members of the community such as Lt. Gen. Martin R. Steele (Ret. - Former President of the Intrepid-Sea-Air Space Museum), U.S. District Court Judge Kevin T. Duffy (the Federal Judge presiding over the first world trade center case) and Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman. The NYC Alumni Chapter is committed to returning to New Orleans with a new group of volunteers in the Summer of 2006 or early 2007.

QUALITY BUILT®
Carmen Mccormick, ESQ.
General Council
Quality Built®
12725 Stowe Drive
Poway, CA 92064
(800) 547-5125

CATHOLIC CHARITIES USA /
OPERATION HELPING HANDS - NEW ORLEANS
Denise Chetta
Director of Volunteer Services
Catholic Charities, New Orleans
(504) 371-7747

Debbie Koehler
Work Site Coordinator/Operation Helping Hands
(225) 343-1061

Operation Helping Hands is a volunteer program of the Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans, established to mobilize volunteers from across the country to help seniors, the disabled, and those with little or no flood insurance gut homes devastated from the hurricane so the rebuilding process can begin.

The volunteer corps is organized of groups ranging from 10 to 15 people who come with their own designated leaders to volunteer for long weekends or a week in the Greater New Orleans area. To support this effort, Catholic Charities’ staff works in close cooperation with community, business, church, college, and other teams who will also recruit volunteers, provide accommodations, and supervise the work.

More than 3,000 volunteers that have been recruited fro Operation Helping Hands come from across the nation and Canada, including Alabama, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Washington, DC, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and British Columbia, Canada.

PHI ALPHA DELTA LAW FRATERNITY, INTL.
J. Derek Hill, P.A.D., International Justice
Frank Patek, Executive Director
Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity, Intl.
345 N. Charles St.
Baltimore, MD 21201
(401) 347-3118 / (401) 347-3119 - Fax

Phi Alpha Delta is a professional law fraternity composed of law students, attorneys, judges and educators. With over 200,000 members across the world, PAD is dedicated to promoting professional competency, community service and achievement in the legal profession. Approximately, one out of every six attorneys in North America is a member of PAD.

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