The tragedy and devastation of Hurricane Katrina across the Gulf Coast "is only beginning to sink in," says Louisiana Federation of Teachers president Steve Monaghan. In e-mail messages to the AFT national office from his home, Monaghan reports that phone lines and Internet service are down at the LFT office in Baton Rouge and cell phone service is "hit or miss."

Monaghan says "the devastation in Orleans, St. Tammany and to a lesser degree Jefferson [parishes] is very real." The Jefferson school system may be functional by late October, he says. "God knows when our New Orleans schools may open— eight, 12, 16 weeks or more."

On Thursday the Times-Picayune reported that Louisiana Superintendent of Education Cecil Picard called on other school systems in the state and elsewhere to find slots for as many as 150,000 public school students from the New Orleans area alone who have been displaced by the disaster.

As relief efforts and the evacuation of New Orleans continued on Thursday, television images only provide a snapshot of the chaos and devastation, says Monaghan. "The reality is worse—much worse." The New Orleans city government has moved to Baton Route, "referred to as in exile," he says. "Keep us in your prayers and thoughts."

Elsewhere, information about AFT affiliates and the effects on members remains sketchy, partly because many local leaders themselves have been displaced and communications are limited. Jefferson local president Joe Potts is in Dallas, United Teachers of New Orleans president Brenda Mitchell is in Houston and St. Tammany president Elsie Burkhalter is with family in Northern Mississippi. While central and northern areas of Mississippi may not have sustained severe damage, downed trees and power lines have made communications very difficult.

The AFT and other unions are meeting on Friday with the AFL-CIO to coordinate the labor movement's response to the disaster and to determine how best to help union members who need both immediate and long-term assistance. We will post information on LeaderNet as soon as it is available.

Meanwhile, the AFT is seeking donations to the AFT Disaster Relief Fund and is working with local and state leaders to direct those funds to fill the immediate needs of members. Contributions should be made payable to the AFT with "disaster relief" written in the memo portion of the check and sent to:

AFT Disaster Relief Fund
Attn: Connie Cordovilla
555 New Jersey Ave. N.W.
Washington, DC 20001

September 1, 2005