(Baton Rouge – August 18, 2016) The Louisiana Federation of Teachers is reaching out to members who were affected by the August floods, assessing their needs and working to provide assistance, LFT Interim President Larry Carter said today.

“We are saddened and stunned by the extent of the damage,” Carter said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with all of the people who have been affected by this flood, and we will be with them as they fight to recover from the disaster.”

The Federation is in the process of establishing a disaster relief fund to assist member households that sustained significant losses, Carter said. In the meantime, LFT has established a web page with links to resources, and assigned staff to assist members who need access to assistance. It is available at http://la.aft.org.

Other resources are available to affected LFT members who participate in AFT+ Member Benefit programs; information on assistance can be found at http://la.aft.org/member-benefits.

Local chapters of the Federation have already begun collecting school supplies and materials to replace items that educators lost to the flood.

The LFT office is temporarily closed due to water damage. Anyone who needs to speak to an LFT staff member can find contact information at http://la.aft.org/about-us.