A recovery fund has been set up to help National Park Service employees who sustained losses from Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Harvey/NPS

A fund has been set up to help National Park Service employees in the Caribbean and Florida who sustained losses from Hurricane Irma, as well as those impacted by Hurricane Harvey in Texas and Louisiana.

Managed by Eastern National, a nonprofit cooperative association with a long history working with the National Park Service, the National Park Service Employees & Alumni Trust Fund performs disaster relief at the request of the National Park Service to support NPS and partner organization employees with immediate assistance for temporary shelter, food, damage to homes, and essential personal property.  

Donations may be made securely online at www.eandaa.org. One hundred percent of all donations will go to assisting NPS and partner employees who have been affected, and tax receipts will be provided to every donor. which is currently collecting donations to support employees of the National Park Service and partner organizations who were directly impacted by the storms.

"Like so many Americans, members of the National Park Service family have been deeply impacted by ongoing natural disasters across the country. Hurricane Irma has been inflicting severe damage along its path from the Caribbean, through Florida and other southeastern states," said acting National Park Service Director Michael Reynolds. "While we have been closely watching Irma's path, we have not forgotten that the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey continues in Texas and Louisiana. And in the West, we continue to battle wildfires in parks and on other public lands.

"And to our employees, neighbors, and communities that have lost so much in these natural disasters, our thoughts and prayers are with you. The National Park Service family stands together to support you, and with the help of Eastern National and others, an employee assistance effort is being established. We will share more information about this as it becomes available," said Director Reynolds. "In the days and weeks ahead, we will respond and recover in the great spirit of the resilient places in our care. As we do that, I ask that you remember safety first, and look out for one another."

At the National Park Foundation, President and CEO Will Shafroth said Friday that the organization was waiting for more information on needs before mounting a fundraising campaign.

"The National Park Foundation stands firmly in support of the National Park Service, its employees, and the communities in which they live and work. While it is still too early to know exactly what the recovery needs may be, the National Park Foundation is ready to help where it can," he said. "Once the National Park Service further assesses the damage to park resources, the Foundation will do what we can to address the diversity of impacts in affected areas across the country. We will keep you informed as information becomes available."