NEW ORLEANS -- New Orleans will have a presence at the upcoming Democratic and Republican national conventions.

(AP Photo/Bill Haber)

Republican presidential hopeful Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz, at a news conference in New Orleans last year.

Representatives of the Women of the Storm and the Washington, D.C.-based Friends of New Orleans are expected to attend or host events.

The idea, they say, is to draw national attention to issues that remain in the city three years after Hurricane Katrina.

Women of the Storm hopes to connect regional issues of coastal restoration and infrastructure stability with people in other parts of the country.

Friends of New Orleans plans to stress the work occurring on the ground -- particularly at the neighborhood level, by personal initiative -- and the work that remains.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)