AFT members across the country are urged to extend a helping hand to their union colleagues in Florida who have been left without shelter and have lost many of their possessions in the wake of Tropical Storm Bonnie and Hurricane Charley.

In an Aug. 17 letter to affiliates, AFT secretary-treasurer Nat LaCour reported that many members in Florida were affected by the devastating storms and has asked for contributions to the AFT Disaster Relief Fund, which provides small grants to individual members who have suffered losses.

The AFT would like to "let them know that they are not alone and that they can count on their fellow union members across the United States," said LaCour. Already the union in Miami, the United Teachers of Dade, has collected a truckload of school supplies donated by UTD members to help their colleagues affected by the hurricane.

Donations to the AFT Disaster Relief Fund will aid Florida members in the clean-up and rebuilding efforts they now face. The AFT "has a long tradition of responding to catastrophic events that affect its members as they start to rebuild their lives, their work sites and their communities," he noted.

As of Aug. 18, nearly 440,000 Florida residents were still without power and 100,000 without telephone service, most in Southwest and South-Central areas of the state. Schools in Osceola, Polk, Seminole and Volusia counties are scheduled to reopen Aug. 23, say state officials, although classes in some of the hardest-hit districts, including Hardee and Charlotte counties, are not scheduled to resume until Aug. 27 and 30, respectively.

Contributions may be sent to the AFT Disaster Relief Fund, 555 New Jersey Ave. N.W., Washington, DC 20001-2079.

(August 2004)