Operation Hope Announces Emergency Financial First Aid Kit (EFFAK) Registered as Official Federal Document; Document Will Help Hurricane Katrina Victims' Financial Recovery Efforts.

LOS ANGELES -- HOPE Coalition America (HCA), Operation HOPE's emergency financial response division, announced today that the Emergency Financial First Aid Kit--EFFAK--became registered as an official government document, and available to the public through FEMA and online at www.hopecoalitionamerica.org. EFFAK offers easy step-by-step instruction for citizens to protect personal assets and financial information, and limit liabilities associated with emergencies and disasters like the recent Hurricane Katrina.

The resource is now listed as FEMA publication #532 and obtainable through the FEMA Publication Distribution Center. The EFFAK will go a long way towards HOPE's planned multi-staged emergency financial reconstruction and economic recovery initiative in accordance with Department of Homeland Security/Federal Emergency Management Agency as a response to the recent storm crisis.

HOPE Founder and CEO, John Bryant, said, "Hurricane Katrina communicated in the strongest terms possible, the need for individuals to prepare for the financial and economic disaster that follows a physical disaster in America. Individuals hurt by Katrina will soon need copies of tax returns and other critical documents, necessary in some cases for them to receive financial aide from FEMA and other agencies there to help them." Bryant continued, "While you cannot erase the physical and emotional pain of a disaster such as Hurricane Katrina, you can work to minimize its economic consequences in your life. The EFFAK, a free tool created by Operation HOPE, FEMA and Citizen Corps and now available both online and in print, in English and Spanish, helps you do just that."

HCA is a recognized partner of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency and Citizen Corps providing "economic triage," financial counseling and emergency budgeting, in disaster and emergency situations.

HCA will be sending HOPE Corps volunteers to disaster recovery centers, shelters and disaster areas to disseminate the EFFAK and personally assist victims with financial recovery. For more information on these efforts and how you can get involved, visit http://operationhope.org/smdev/clst4.php?id=725.

About Federal Emergency Management Agency

FEMA prepares the nation for all hazards and manages federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates mitigation activities, trains first responders, works with state and local emergency managers, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration. FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003. You can visit FEMA at www.fema.gov. The EFFAK can be also downloaded at www.ncua.gov/Publications/brochures/EmergencyFinancialFirstAidKit.pdf.

About Operation HOPE, Inc.

Operation HOPE, Inc. (HOPE) is America's first nonprofit social investment bank and a national provider of financial literacy and economic empowerment programs. Through ongoing collaborations and long-term partnerships with leading government, private sector, and community interests, HOPE works to bring self-sufficiency and a sustained spirit of revitalization to America's inner-city communities. HOPE Centers are a growing network of inner-city banking centers. To date, HOPE has created more than 800 new homeowners and small business owners, more than $125 million in funded loans, and more than $210 million in commitments for homeownership and small business loans from their 250 bank and corporate partners. In partnership with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and a network of private and community partners, HOPE Coalition America has provided free financial counseling and casework services to Americans affected by natural disasters and national emergencies in 125 cities in 35 states to date. Taken together, these programs make Operation HOPE the national leader in economic empowerment tools and services for the under-served in America. HOPE and its programs can be found online at www.operationhope.org, www.bankingonourfuture.org , and www.hopecoalitionamerica.org

About HOPE Coalition

HOPE Coalition was created in 2001 in response to the 9/11 tragedy, soon joining forces with FEMA and Citizen Corps, a division of the Department of Homeland Security's nationwide grass-roots initiative, to actively involve Americans in creating safer, stronger and better prepared communities. It is the national emergency preparedness and assistance division of Operation HOPE, Inc., America's leading provider of economic empowerment tools and services. The coalition is a collaboration of senior executives and professionals from the banking and financial services, insurance, and other industries. Additional industries include higher education, social service, and community services agencies, which provide financial and economic guidance and assistance to individuals and small businesses affected by emergencies and disasters.

It created two principal products: the Emergency Financial First Aid Kit (EFFAK), a document which allows individuals to create detailed listings of their important personal contact, financial and legal information; and the companion document, the Personal Disaster Preparedness Guide (PDPG) which guides them through required survival and recovery information and the steps they should take prior to an emergency.

About Citizen Corps

Following the tragic events that occurred on September 11, 2001, state and local government officials have increased opportunities for citizens to become an integral part of protecting the homeland and supporting the local first responders. Officials agree that the formula for ensuring a more secure and safer homeland consists of preparedness, training, and citizen involvement in supporting first responders. In January 2002, President George W. Bush launched USA Freedom Corps to capture the spirit of service that has emerged throughout our communities following the terrorist attacks. As a vital component of USA Freedom Corps it was created to help coordinate volunteer activities that will make our communities safer, stronger, and better prepared to respond to any emergency situation. Citizen Corps is coordinated nationally by the Department of Homeland Security.