CWA Families Caught in Ike's Path; Some Homes Wrecked, But No Lives Lost

Some CWA members lost their homes and others have serious repairs ahead after Hurricane Ike battered Galveston, Houston and nearby Gulf Coast communities last weekend, but reports from union leaders indicate that members and their families escaped without serious injury.

"We are very fortunate that there's been no loss of life, but we do have members who lost everything they owned," said Claude Cummings, CWA at-large Executive Board member and president of Local 6222. Some of Cummings' members commute 50 miles to Houston from Galveston, where winds and water devastated the community. In Houston, wind ripped off roofs and toppled large oak and pine trees.

CWA District 6 leaders still are gathering information about the impact on members from Local 6228 in Galveston and Local 6139 in Beaumont, cities where residents were ordered to evacuate. Mike Littleton, the district's southern area director, said the area remains in such a mess that communication is difficult and it's not yet clear how many members have been able to return to their homes or their jobs.

In Houston, Cummings has turned the local hall – which wasn't damaged -- into a distribution center, and members and the general public can get water and ice there.

The hall is also available to any out-of-town technicians who can't get hotel rooms while they help repair telecom lines in Houston. Praising AT&T for its response, Cummings said the company has delivered 75 cots to the union hall, is providing meals for 5,000 employees and is offering reasonably priced gasoline from tanker trucks the company brought in.

Cummings has a conference call every day with his 60 chief stewards to try to determine how many CWA families have been affected and who needs help. He's also working with AT&T officials, community leaders and elected officials to help make sure area residents and volunteers providing help are getting everything they need. "We want to be good citizens, make ourselves available to anyone who needs us," he said.

Cummings will be providing information to members in need about CWA's Disaster Relief Program. Help is also available for Union Plus credit cardholders affected by the storm. Information is available by calling the Union Plus Disaster Relief Program at (877) 761-5028. Details are also available online at http://www.unionplus.com/benefits/money/lifeline.cfm.