NEW YORK— Cendant Corp. is currently pursuing a number of relief initiatives in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The company’s top priority is locating about 500 employees who have not been reached as of yet following the storm. Furthermore, the company has formed a special employee hotline (866-827-2347) in order to coordinate distribution of pay and other employee benefits in the regions affected by the hurricane. Cendant is also attempting to locate available temporary housing for its employees in the region in the form of Cendant hotels, corporate timeshare resorts and timeshare exchange resorts. Cendant has also launched a fund-raising campaign on the behalf of the American Red Cross Hurricane 2005 Relief Fund. Cendant will be matching employee donations to the fund up to an aggregate amount of $500,000. Cendant business units are also displaying banner ads soliciting consumer donations to the Red Cross on Cendant’s consumer booking websites, including Orbitz.com, DaysInn.com, Avis.com, RCI.com and ColdwellBanker.com. Meanwhile, Cendant’s car rental group, hotel group and timeshare resort group are all working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Red Cross to provide relief assistance, including access to housing and rental vehicles for emergency response personnel moving into the area to coordinate relief efforts.
