11/8/12: NTEU will match—dollar for dollar—money donated to a special fund that provides emergency assistance to federal employees of NTEU-represented agencies impacted by megastorm Sandy, NTEU National President Colleen Kelley announced today.

“Though more than a week has passed, many federal workers are still coping with the devastation caused by hurricane-turned-megastorm Sandy and are facing a lengthy road to rebuilding and recovery,” said Kelley. All donations made to the NTEU Fund at the Federal Employees Education and Assistance (FEEA) Fund will be doubled—up to $25,000.

“With tens of thousands of federal employees living and working in the storm-battered region, the need is great,” said Kelley. FEEA is the only organization that provides emergency assistance solely to federal employees and NTEU has a long history of working closely with FEEA to ensure that federal workers in any emergency situation get the help they need.

“We started to receive calls for help from federal employees as soon as the storm hit and we believe those calls will continue for a while so this matching donation is just in time and will broaden our ability to provide assistance to all who need it,” said Steve Bauer, FEEA Executive Director.  

NTEU-represented federal employees continue to suffer from the record-breaking storm that swept across several states from West Virginia through Vermont causing heavy snow, torrential rain and wind, rolling power outages and water surges.

The storm’s impact was largely felt in densely populated areas of New York City and along the New Jersey shoreline, home to thousands of federal employees.

“As first-line responders who are committed to keeping our nation safe and strong each and every day, federal workers can also be victims of the crisis themselves,” President Kelley said. “NTEU is proud to help them through such a difficult time.”

To contribute to the NTEU Fund, online users can go to FEEA.org, click “Give Now,” and select the NTEU Fund in the scroll-down menu. Donations can also be made via check made out to “FEEA-NTEU Fund” and sent to: FEEA Headquarters, 3333 S. Wadsworth Blvd., Suite 300, Lakewood, CO 80227. Donors should designate the “NTEU Fund” to be sure their donation is doubled.

Federal employees in need of assistance because of megastorm Sandy can call FEEA at 1-800-323-4140. Assistance information is also available on the FEEA web site at www.feea.org  by clicking on the “Get Help Now” button then following the link to the “Disaster Relief Application.”