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Frances Pounds CWA's Storm-Weary Floridians
Still recovering from Charley and facing yet another possible onslaught, this time from Hurricane Ivan, CWA members in Florida were just beginning to deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Frances as the CWA Newsletter went to press.
Frances made landfall near Stuart, Fla., on the East Coast, Sept. 5, as a Category 2 hurricane with winds upwards of 105 mph, then weakened to a Category 1 with 70 mph gusts. It took 22 hours to crawl across the state, exiting north of Tampa into the Gulf of Mexico, later returning to the mainland, spawning a rash of tornadoes and drenching much of the Eastern Seabord. The storm left at least nine dead in Florida, 5 million without power and 800,000 without phone service.
When Frances struck, said Peggy Ward, president of Local 3111 in Fort Pierce, "You just thought it was the end of the earth. You thought you were going to get sucked up into eternity. It was the longest night I've ever spent."
On Thursday, Ward was still without power or phone service. She lost the roof to her home, her barn was destroyed, and she found the interior of her mobile home drenched because of damage to its roof. She stayed in her home with power provided by generators and called the CWA Newsletter staff from a center set up by BellSouth in Fort Pierce to assist employees.
Ward reported that to the best of her knowledge five member's homes were destroyed and many suffered roof shingles blown off and water damage to their interiors.
Ward said her executive vice president left for vacation last Thursday before the storm, and highways were so clogged it took him 27 hours to get to Atlanta. Time needed for evacuation is one of her biggest concerns if Category 5 Hurricane Ivan hits. "I don't know, physically, if my home will bear it and, psychologically, if I will."
She expressed gratitude for the relief center BellSouth set up, providing food, clothing and phone lines, but others expressed concerns that members are working 12-hour days, 13 without a day off, to repair troubles.
Said Linda Sorrell, president of Local 3112 in West Palm Beach, "Safety is a big issue because wires are down. We usually don't go into a place until they give us the clear, but they haven't. We're trying to work with the company but also trying to keep our members safe."
"The strength of the storm was awful," Sorrell reported. "My house was just shaking, tree limbs were falling off and battering the roof. It was pretty scary."
Sorrell was without power or even running water for her toilets. Her local's office sustained roof damage and had no power to run its computers. "Thank God we put our payroll on a backup disk. Now we've just got to find a working computer so we can run it."
Royce Ullibari, president of Local 3102 in Daytona Beach, reported wind gusts over 120 mph, roads closed, and a number of members' homes flooded. "Hurricane Charley had done substantial damage, but things weren't totally taken care of. Things had already been weakened, as far as roof tiles and trees bent over." Frances added to the toll, he said.
He reported one member's roof ripped off, "and because of water damage, he lost everything." The local provided uniforms so that the member, Steward Keith Schippman, could go to work, but Ullibari spoke of the strain. "Keith is a single father. His son, Arthur is 6 or 7. The company put certain work requirements on him. At the same time he's got to take care of all his damage and find another place to live." For now, Shippman is staying with a family member, awaiting an apartment that won't be ready for about a month, Ullibari said.
While some of his members and their families fled north, Ullibari chose to stay at home and ride out the storm. "By the time you realized it was heading in our direction, if you hadn't left three or four days earlier, you couldn't get out."
Local 3108 President Pamela Lawson, in Orlando said, "When I walked around my neighborhood, half of my neighbors were on their roofs." Some of the worst damage in her area was from water coming into roofs, including her own, already ripped up by Charley."
CWA President Morton Bahr expressed concern for members' losses. "As in any major disaster, we stand ready to assist them through the CWA Disaster Relief Fund," he said.
Said District 3 Vice President Jimmy Smith, "Some years ago in the wake of Hurricane Andrew, delegates at our district meeting voted to contribute to a District 3 Disaster Relief Fund. The fund is still active and, as we learn more about their needs, we will disburse funds where needed through the locals."
Booker Lester, administrative assistant to Smith, said the district might solicit additional contributions and rent a truck to send food, clothing and other materials to a central Florida location.
But CWA Representative Don LaRotonda, who contributed to this story, stressed that it's not yet over. With Ivan coming, he said, "they've already started evacuating the Southern Keys."
Frances made landfall near Stuart, Fla., on the East Coast, Sept. 5, as a Category 2 hurricane with winds upwards of 105 mph, then weakened to a Category 1 with 70 mph gusts. It took 22 hours to crawl across the state, exiting north of Tampa into the Gulf of Mexico, later returning to the mainland, spawning a rash of tornadoes and drenching much of the Eastern Seabord. The storm left at least nine dead in Florida, 5 million without power and 800,000 without phone service.
When Frances struck, said Peggy Ward, president of Local 3111 in Fort Pierce, "You just thought it was the end of the earth. You thought you were going to get sucked up into eternity. It was the longest night I've ever spent."
On Thursday, Ward was still without power or phone service. She lost the roof to her home, her barn was destroyed, and she found the interior of her mobile home drenched because of damage to its roof. She stayed in her home with power provided by generators and called the CWA Newsletter staff from a center set up by BellSouth in Fort Pierce to assist employees.
Ward reported that to the best of her knowledge five member's homes were destroyed and many suffered roof shingles blown off and water damage to their interiors.
Ward said her executive vice president left for vacation last Thursday before the storm, and highways were so clogged it took him 27 hours to get to Atlanta. Time needed for evacuation is one of her biggest concerns if Category 5 Hurricane Ivan hits. "I don't know, physically, if my home will bear it and, psychologically, if I will."
She expressed gratitude for the relief center BellSouth set up, providing food, clothing and phone lines, but others expressed concerns that members are working 12-hour days, 13 without a day off, to repair troubles.
Said Linda Sorrell, president of Local 3112 in West Palm Beach, "Safety is a big issue because wires are down. We usually don't go into a place until they give us the clear, but they haven't. We're trying to work with the company but also trying to keep our members safe."
"The strength of the storm was awful," Sorrell reported. "My house was just shaking, tree limbs were falling off and battering the roof. It was pretty scary."
Sorrell was without power or even running water for her toilets. Her local's office sustained roof damage and had no power to run its computers. "Thank God we put our payroll on a backup disk. Now we've just got to find a working computer so we can run it."
Royce Ullibari, president of Local 3102 in Daytona Beach, reported wind gusts over 120 mph, roads closed, and a number of members' homes flooded. "Hurricane Charley had done substantial damage, but things weren't totally taken care of. Things had already been weakened, as far as roof tiles and trees bent over." Frances added to the toll, he said.
He reported one member's roof ripped off, "and because of water damage, he lost everything." The local provided uniforms so that the member, Steward Keith Schippman, could go to work, but Ullibari spoke of the strain. "Keith is a single father. His son, Arthur is 6 or 7. The company put certain work requirements on him. At the same time he's got to take care of all his damage and find another place to live." For now, Shippman is staying with a family member, awaiting an apartment that won't be ready for about a month, Ullibari said.
While some of his members and their families fled north, Ullibari chose to stay at home and ride out the storm. "By the time you realized it was heading in our direction, if you hadn't left three or four days earlier, you couldn't get out."
Local 3108 President Pamela Lawson, in Orlando said, "When I walked around my neighborhood, half of my neighbors were on their roofs." Some of the worst damage in her area was from water coming into roofs, including her own, already ripped up by Charley."
CWA President Morton Bahr expressed concern for members' losses. "As in any major disaster, we stand ready to assist them through the CWA Disaster Relief Fund," he said.
Said District 3 Vice President Jimmy Smith, "Some years ago in the wake of Hurricane Andrew, delegates at our district meeting voted to contribute to a District 3 Disaster Relief Fund. The fund is still active and, as we learn more about their needs, we will disburse funds where needed through the locals."
Booker Lester, administrative assistant to Smith, said the district might solicit additional contributions and rent a truck to send food, clothing and other materials to a central Florida location.
But CWA Representative Don LaRotonda, who contributed to this story, stressed that it's not yet over. With Ivan coming, he said, "they've already started evacuating the Southern Keys."