ILA Working Overtime To Help Victims of Two Recent Destructive Hurricanes In the South; ILA Leaders Load Trucks of Relief Supplies at APM Terminals in New Jersey Bound For North Carolina While ILA’s Red Cross Hurricane Fund Tops $236,000 In Donations
NORTH BERGEN, NJ – (October 16, 2024) Leaders from International Longshoremen’s Association Locals in New York and New Jersey today met at APM Terminals in Port Elizabeth, New Jersey to direct the loading of relief supplies into large containers that will be transported to areas of North Carolina still recovering from Hurricane Helene destructive path through that State in late September.
Local 1804-1, Local 1, Local 1588, Local 1233, Local 1235, Local 920, Local 1814 and Local 824 packed several large containers supplied by TMX Intermodal and CaraVan, with cases of water, paper towels, generators, heaters, clothes, diapers, extension cords, baby food, canned goods, garbage bags, flashlights, batteries and other relief supplies destined for North Carolina.
Meanwhile, at ILA Locals from around the country continued to pour in donations to a special hurricane relief fund established by the International in North Bergen to assist recovery efforts from the destruction caused by Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton.
As of October 16th, the International’s initial donation of $100,000 to the Red Cross Hurricane Relief Fund has been boasted by donations from ILA Districts, Locals and individuals to bring the current total to $236,150.00.
ILA Local 1804-1 contributed $30,000 to the ILA Hurricane Fund while ILA Local 28 in Houston, Texas added $25,000.00. Generous donations of $10,000 were made by both the Atlantic Coast District and South Atlantic and Gulf Coast District, ILA; as well as Locals 1233, 970, and 1351. The ILA’s General Counsel firm – MazzolaMardon – donated $10,000.00 to the total. Adding much need funds to the Hurricane Relief effort included ILA Locals 805, 1604, 1588, 1766, 1809, 1814, 1497, 1771, 1922, and 824. Countless ILA members and friends made significant donations as well.
“I am so grateful to my ILA family for responding so generously to our ILA Hurricane Relief Fund,” said International President Harold Daggett. “We mourn those families who lost loved ones in these two monstrous hurricanes. Communities were destroyed by the force of these storms. With this fund-raising campaign, coupled with the relief efforts made today at Port Elizabeth to send supplies to North Carolina, the ILA joins with our fellow Americans in doing what we can to help those affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton to rebuild their homes and reclaim their communities.”
At Port Elizabeth, the ILA thanked Local Presidents Dennis Daggett, ILA Local 1804-1; David Cicalese, ILA Local 1; Brandon Garcia, ILA Local 1235; Buddy Smith, ILA Local 1233; Virgil Maldonado, ILA Local 1588; Frank Agosto, ILA Local 1814; Mike Izzo, Local 920 and Ron Misiti, ILA Local 824; for their collective generosity and support.
For the APM effort, the ILA also expressed thanks to the trucking companies TMX and its representative Ferando Rodrigues and CaraVan’s Mike Cara and Jason Cara for donating the containers that were to be shipped to North Carolina.