Washington, D.C. – Hurricane Katrina hit the southeastern shore of Louisiana at 6:00 a.m. Tuesday morning as a category 4 storm, hammering the shores of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. Last week, Katrina hit the southern tip of Florida and was blamed for 11 deaths.
As firefighters and paramedics in these states work to protect and serve their citizens, District 14 Vice President Danny Todd, District 12 Vice President Dominick Barbera, IAFF state leaders, staff at IAFF headquarters, and others stand ready to help.
IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger says, “We mobilized for our members last year after four hurricanes, and we will mobilize once again to make sure our brothers and sisters get needed assistance as quickly as possible in the wake of Katrina.”
According to Todd, Biloxi, Mississippi appears to be one of the worst hit. “We can’t know for sure until the storm has moved through and we have had a chance to assess the damage,” he says. “Communication is difficult and will likely get worse before it gets better. We’ll know more when we are fully on the ground.”
Todd adds that most IAFF affiliates in the path of the storm prepared for the hit as best they could by moving equipment to safe places and getting citizens out of harm’s way.
The IAFF Disaster Relief Fund provides assistance to IAFF members in the United States and Canada who suffer financial hardship as the result of a federally declared disaster area or in cases of natural or man-made disasters, such as floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, fires or civil disturbances.
After hurricanes Charley, Francis, Ivan and Jeanne caused widespread damage in 2004, the Fund disbursed more than $215,000 to 347 IAFF members in Florida and Alabama who were displaced by the storms.
For more information or for relief applications, contact the IAFF at (202) 737-8484.
