Hurricane Laura recently made landfall on the Gulf Coast with Louisiana in its path. Many dealers closed offices and hunkered down as the destruction took place and are now left to pick up the pieces and continue to move forward. We’ve brought in the President of the Louisiana Automobile Dealers Association, Will Green, to discuss how dealers in his state are faring post-Hurricane Laura.
After Hurricane Laura swept through the coast, Green had to opportunity to get on the ground specifically in the Lake Charles area. He helped out with relief efforts and spoke to dealers about the hardships they were facing. Green says the media coverage so far has not shown the extent of the severe damage. However, the people of Louisiana are incredibly resilient.
A large percentage of the dealers that Green works with were affected by the monster storm. Dealers reported damage to their buildings and inventories. Dealership employees’ houses suffered damage along with downed power lines and barricaded roads. This made travel and communication much more difficult. Once Hurricane Laura made landfall, it ripped through Louisiana all the way up until Arkansas.
In addition to Hurricane Laura, the state of Louisiana has been battling COVID-19 along with the rest of the country. Green says, “Folks need safe and reliable transportation more than ever, and [dealers] take that serious. They know they’re the resources to get folks supplies.” Even the dealers who are market competitors are coming together to rebuild this community.
Did you enjoy this interview with LADA’s Will Green? Please share your thoughts, comments, or questions regarding this topic with host Jim Fitzpatrick at jfitzpatrick@cbtnews.com.
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