Last week, President Maston traveled to Florida with Executive Committeeman Bethany Small to meet with rural carriers to obtain first-hand accounts of the challenges and devastation caused by the unprecedented back-to-back hurricanes. Along with Florida 2&3 DR Natasha Patterson, they travelled to St. Petersburg, Treasure Island, and Tampa and toured several communities that have been completely destroyed by the hurricanes and flooding.
Debris was piled high on both sides of the streets, comprised of entire lives’ worth of possessions, furniture, and belongings. It is overwhelming to see everything from mattresses to kids’ bikes and toys, picket fences, and even smaller items from people’s homes just piled up as trash. Not only were possessions piled high, but residents were in the process of tearing out drywall and cabinets—everything that came into contact with the flood waters—as mold was taking over everything in their homes.
In Treasure Island, the storm had pushed as much as 10 feet of sand inland causing sand to be piled up like snow drifts in the streets, creating an additional obstacle to the clean-up efforts from the water damage. Yet, everyone was doing what they could to help.
In Tampa, they visited the Feast Food Pantry, located at a union firehall, that was passing out meals to people in need in the community. The NRLCA purchased over 500 pounds of food from the local grocery store, and spent the next several hours at the pantry handing out and filling local residents’ cars with food for their families.
President Maston, Executive Committeeman Small and DR Patterson also visited the Oldsmar and Palm Harbor Post Offices in the Tampa Bay area where they visited and brought snacks for the carriers. They let them know they aren’t in this alone, and commended them on their dedication and service to their customers. They personally spoke with every carrier and listened to their stories and experiences.
Please know that our carriers in these affected areas are experiencing an extremely slow recovery process. Their world has not returned to normal, and in many cases, it never will. Some were heavily impacted, others had family members who were impacted, and all had customers who were impacted.
At the national level, the NRLCA continues to work closely with USPS and other organizations to ensure our carriers are safe and supported, and to assist in getting essential services restored as quickly as possible. We stand in solidarity with the residents and carriers in these impacted areas, knowing that recovery will require time, patience, and resources. Together, we will help rebuild these communities, one delivery at a time.
The Postal Employees’ Relief Fund (PERF) is available to aid postal employees affected by hurricanes and other natural disasters. Please visit www.postalrelief.com to apply for assistance or to make a donation to help those in need.
