New Orleans REALTOR® Marshals Web Assets
Launches New Blog, Dives Into Katrina Relief Effort
As real estate professionals across North America rally to raise funds and support Katrina relief efforts there is a single name emerging from the crowd as a shining symbol of charity and a source of pride and inspiration. Vikki Morvant is a New Orleans REALTOR® (Keller Williams) who lost her office in Mandeville, LA, to the ravages of the hurricane. Some 15,000 RealTalk listserv subscribers have followed her personal escape to her son's home in Houston and the stories of her return visits to help displaced flood survivors.
In a normal work week Vikki would be driving with other agents on "office caravan" to preview new listings. Now she's behind the wheel directing a "refugee caravan" and personally escorting people out of the area to places they can call "home" until they are able to return. She's organizing truckloads of water and aid. She removed the password protection of her interactive message board to provide an online resource for flood victims and their families. And now she has a blog, Mandeville Responds, that offers a chronicle of her journey and wonderful links and resources.
She implores local Louisiana residents: "Invite people to live with you when you return."
Vikki had help with the blog behind the scenes from InternetCrusader John Reilly and REALTOR® Ann Cummings (Portsmouth, NH), a fellow RealTalker. (Note: IC publishes the Katrina Blog.)
The only thing missing in Vikki's blog is a link to her own web site. In a real estate blog, that's usually the link that's right on top. Guess she has other things on her mind. -- Frances Flynn Thorsen
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UPDATE 3:55 PM The following is excerpted from a RealTalk post this afternoon from Orlando REALTOR® Paula Bean:
Musings of Vikki Morvant
On Friday 9-2-2005 an agent sent me this email from San Diego:
"Hi Vikki, I'm not sure if you remember me, but a couple of years of ago we shared a few kind words together in the Keller Williams Office when I was fortunate enough to have Southshore clients looking in your neighborhood. Let me say, what a thoughtful idea of creating a forum for sharing information. Having said that, I am stuck in San Diego, trying to get a flight home to get information about my elderly father on the Northshore. His name is Dr. S--- L--- and he resides on 7243 XXXXXX and last I spoke to him he was "riding the hurricane out." He's in good health but nonetheless 76 years old.
"I'm pulling my hair out, trying to filter out trivial sensational news from real information. Where is the best source for me to reach word of my father's condition? "
On Saturday, 9-3-05, I made it into this man's subdivision. His father is ok. He has been living in the house without air conditioning or running water for 5 days. He was saving his gasoline for Monday, when the officials are allowing people to enter Jefferson Parish. He is going looking for his other son, last heard on the Westbank. I begged him not to go. If he runs out of gas, crossong the city of New Orleans, it would be dangerous.
I tried calling his son for 7 hours. Finally when we drove back to sleep in Denha, Springs, our host, Mimi Hagan (the administrator of Baton Rouge KW) got on her AOL IM and reached a friend in Seattle, who was then able to phone the agent. Like a 911 operator she translated between his words and my typing. He knows his father is safe. He is desperately trying to get here.
The other good news for me was that my house is fixable. My son, daughter and a friend spent the day with a chainsaw, clearing huge pine trees. We go back today.
And the best news... I get to see my husband today!! I gotta run...I don't want to be late for THOSE HUGS AND KISSES!!!!!! --Vikki Morvant
UPDATE SEPT. 6, 2005: REALTOR® Magazine Online story
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