Leading the Way

A Storm of Support

In the wake of a violent hurricane season, NEA members find that the Association provides support in unexpected ways.

Ashley and Amanda Andress, a young couple from Mobile, Alabama, both joined NEA because of the protections and benefits the Association would provide to them as educators. They had no idea those benefits would someday include disaster relief.

Hurricane Katrina left the couple, their 18-month-old son, and three-month-old daughter homeless after a canal, fed by Mobile Bay, deluged their home. With their house uninhabitable and skyrocketing rental fees unaffordable, the couple bounced between family members as they struggled to figure out their next move. They knew they could rely on some form of assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Red Cross. What they didn't expect, however, was NEA reaching out to them with an offer of a relief grant.

Like the Andresses, thousands of educators in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas were impacted by an intense hurricane season that hit the Gulf Coast with a determined fury. In the wake of the storms, NEA President Reg Weaver was equally determined to help schools, students, and educators recover.

"We have a mission," said Weaver, while visiting a school in Bayou la Batre, Alabama, his first stop on a four-state trip to distribute $500,000 for hurricane relief efforts. Weaver presented checks to NEA affiliates in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas that will help with the clean-up of affected schools and help displaced students buy school supplies, textbooks, and, in some cases, clothes.

"These children need a sense of security and a safe place to call home," Weaver said. "School is an important way to help fulfill those needs. We can't let ourselves be complacent when it comes to educating these students. It's vital to their health and well-being that they attend great public schools and continue their learning."

The turbulent 2005 hurricane season served as a powerful reminder of the important role the nation's schools play in times of crisis. As the storms approached, tens of thousands of evacuees took shelter in schools. Some schools in the region served as depots and distribution centers for relief supplies. And thousands of other schools throughout the country enrolled evacuated students, providing them with a much-needed sense of normalcy.

Along with students, school also provides educators with a return to a healthy routine, allowing them to focus on educating rather than on the disaster. For those who lived in areas flooded or flattened by the storms, however, a speedy return to school was impossible. That's when membership in the Association became even more valuable.

"I feel that the [hurricanes] have shown us that membership in NEA is more relevant today than it has ever been," said Weaver. "We have the interest of educators and students in the disaster zone very close at heart, and we are doing everything we can to allow them to recover and return to normalcy as quickly as possible."

As part of its pledge to support those impacted by the hurricanes, NEA is raising $1 million in relief funds for state and local affiliates. NEA also established a toll-free helpline number for schools, teachers, and school employees to apply for assistance. Public school employees personally impacted by Hurricane Katrina, like Ashley and Amanda Andress, were eligible to apply for grants to meet various needs, including housing, food, clothing, and other personal needs.

The Andresses said it's humbling to be in a position of needing help. "I would never have taken a handout before—I was usually the one offering a helping hand," said Amanda. "But it's so reassuring to know that the NEA family is there, and that they care." —Cindy Long

Pledge your support to colleagues impacted by the disaster by donating to the NEA/HIN Hurricane Relief Fund. Find out how at www.nea.org/disasterrelief .

—Cindy Long

Photo: Alec Thigpen