Home > About NIH > Director > NIH Response to Hurricane Katrina Disaster

Hurricane Katrina: Federal employee contributions

September 1, 2005

Thank you all for you expressions of concern and your willingness to help. I promised you yesterday that I would keep you informed regularly, so I want to update you on several items.

We are working with the Department, other agencies, emergency professionals and our neighboring and extended medical community to determine the best way that NIH can contribute to the relief effort in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama. As we said yesterday, we are working on ways to use expertise in specific areas both here at NIH and deployed in the field. We are also working on ways to use telemedicine to deliver diagnosis and triage.

We are all concerned for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Employees have been asking for guidance about legitimate ways to collect and organize financial contributions. Some have, with all good intentions, attempted to start up efforts individually. There are approved ways to coordinate contributions for federal employees:

The best means for providing immediate assistance is through cash contributions directly to relief organizations working in the affected areas. In a recent statement, President Bush identified two national organizations, the American Red Cross (http://www.redcross.org) and the Salvation Army (http://www.salvationarmyusa.org), that have mobilized to care for those in need. Both are participating charities in the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) this year. Please visit their respective websites for more information on how to assist those in need in the affected areas.

In addition, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has developed a list, which is being continually updated, (http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=18473) and provided instructions on how to provide immediate cash donations to help those affected by Hurricane Katrina on its website. Many of these organizations identified by FEMA are also national CFC participating charities.

Since the recovery from Hurricane Katrina will be a long process, Federal employees may also want to give through the CFC. We will be providing information about on NIH's CFC coordination as soon as possible.

An additional opportunity for NIH staffers to make monetary contributions is through the R & W-Foundation-Hurricane Relief. You may mail contributions to R&W Foundation, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bldg 31A-B1W30, Bethesda MD 20892. For questions, please contact Randy Schools at schoolsr@ors.od.nih.gov

Offices across campus have received many calls over the past several days from employees who want to volunteer to help personally. IC coordinators have been collecting lists of clinical professionals who are immediately available. We will be sending out information about other opportunities to help as soon as NIH’s role becomes clear.

This will be a long and difficult period for those who have suffered so greatly. We will have many opportunities to contribute to the rebuilding process over the months ahead.

I am grateful for your commitment.

Elias Zerhouni

This page was last reviewed on September 3, 2005 .

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