(Washington)—Some 250 U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers are answering the call for help. In response to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Director Michael Brown’s plea for Department Homeland Security (DHS) volunteers, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) has deployed a group of officers to areas affected by Hurricane Katrina.
“It is total devastation in New Orleans, Biloxi, and other cities that were hit,” AFGE National Homeland Security Council President Charles Showalter said. “This nation has to band together and do anything and everything we can to help our fellow Americans.”
“AFGE is doing everything possible to support the relief effort and to assist the millions of Americans whose lives were upended by this national tragedy,” AFGE National President John Gage said. “As the largest federal employee union, more than 40,000 AFGE members reside in the affected areas, and we are asking our brothers and sisters throughout the country to help—whether by donating money or volunteering.”
AFGE is working with both the AFL-CIO and the Federal Employees Education and Assistance Fund to secure monetary donations. Donations may be made online at
http://aflcio.org/aboutus/ns08312005.cfm and
www.feea.org, respectively. It also has organized a Disaster Relief Fund for its Union Plus Credit Card members, who should call 1-877-761-5028.
For more information, visit
www.afge.org or e-mail
[email protected].