Thousands of federal employees mobilized to respond to Hurricane Dorian as it crawled up the Atlantic coast last week, leaving in its wake damaging rain and winds across several states.
More than 4,000 federal employees from 27 different departments and agencies were deployed to affected locations as first responders, including more than 1,200 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). About 6,000 members of the National Guard also were mobilized to the area.
FEMA began trucking hundreds of loads of water, meals, generators, and other supplies to affected areas as soon as the path of the storm became clear, said AFGE National Local 4060 President Steve Reaves.
Among the other agencies playing critical roles were the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
In addition to federal agencies, the American Red Cross mobilized hundreds of volunteers and organized more than 30 tractor trailers of relief supplies, while the Salvation Army prepared dozens of mobile kitchens to be deployed to affected areas. The World Central Kitchen, founded by chef Jose Andres, sent teams to the Bahamas after the storm devastated parts of the island and also to the Carolinas as the storm approached.
Below are resources available for AFGE members and other federal employees impacted by the storm, and ways you can help:
AFGE Disaster Relief Page:
www.afge.org/disasterrelief
Apply for Relief from AFGE:
www.feea.org/our-programs/disaster-relief
Donate to Disaster Relief Fund:
www.feea.org/giveafgerelief
Volunteer for FEMA’s Surge Capacity Force:
www.dhs.gov/surge-capacity-force
The Office of Personnel Management last week took a huge step toward aligning the locality pay maps for employees on the Federal Wage System and General Schedule.
Read More
With the election approaching Marcial Gomez talks about what’s on the line for TSA employees and his concerns about Project 2025.
Read More
Members of AFGE’s DEFCON Steering Group met along with AFGE staff and elected leaders to discuss ways to better serve employees throughout the DoD in the year ahead.
Read More
