Assistance needed for members affected by Hurricane Helene

October 1, 2024

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Dear members of the SMART Transportation Division:

Thousands of our brothers and sisters in the southeastern United States are struggling with the devastation from Hurricane Helene.

Many people from big cities to rural areas — are dealing with displacement or damaged homes as that deadly storm caused historic floods and knocked out power. For many of our members, including in Local 1162 in Erwin, Tennessee, the challenge of rebuilding and recovering seems daunting at the least. The silver lining is that the generosity of people around the country can uplift people so that they may reclaim their lives.

We are asking our SMART-TD family to rise to the call and give so that the difficult task of starting over and rebuilding can begin.

Specific items needed for those who are nearby and can assist with physical donations of goods and items include:

  • Gasoline
  • Propane
  • Toilet paper
  • Canned goods

If you are in an affected area and need assistance, please connect with your state safety and legislative director (SLD) or general chairperson, who are helping to mobilize assistance through the SMART and SMART-TD Disaster Relief funds.

You may also find more information about our relief fund on our website.

The SLDs are:

  • North Carolina — Ron Ingerick (ron.ingerick@NCsmart-union.org)
  • South Carolina — Will Ferguson (gwferg2002@yahoo.com)
  • Tennessee — Adren Crawford (adrencrawford@gmail.com)
  • Georgia — Patrick Folsom (pwfolsoml1263@gmail.com)
  • Florida — Andres Trujillo (fltrujilloutu@aol.com)

State Legislative Boards, General Committees and Locals, as well as individual members, outside the affected region are encouraged to make a financial donation to the SMART-TD Disaster Relief Fund. Together we can help lessen the struggle, strengthen the recovery effort and bring hope and relief to our members.

Online pay methods are being explored, but the TD Disaster Relief Fund only accepts monetary donations in the form of checks at this time.

Contributions may be sent to:
SMART-TD Disaster Relief Fund
6060 Rockside Woods Blvd., N., Suite 325
Independence, OH 44131

Thank you and God bless,

Jeremy R. Ferguson
President,
SMART Transportation Division