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Hurricanes' Fury Leaves Death and Destruction
For more than a month, CWA families have been inundated by hurricanes, tropical storms, tornadoes and flooding that cost one member his life, left countless others homeless and put thousands more on overtime dealing with the aftermath.
David Lusky, a Comcast technician and member of the bargaining committee for Pittsburgh's Corliss Street unit, died of a heart attack Sept. 21 while cleaning out his basement following Hurricane Ivan.
"Our hearts go out to David's family, and all of our members who have suffered damage to their homes and disruption to their lives," CWA President Morton Bahr said.
District 3, which sustained the most damage, had already made short-term assistance payments to members from its disaster fund and will continue to do so, District Vice President Jimmy Smith said.
"We appreciate what our members are going through," Smith said. "Even with all the damage they've had, they're still trying to restore customer service. I know it's disheartening, with one storm following another, but we know they'll hang in there."
As the CWA News went to press, a spin- off from Hurricane Ivan that had circled back to the Gulf of Mexico had come ashore as a tropical storm at the Texas and Louisiana border, once again soaking the area.
Meanwhile, Florida residents were bracing for yet another hurricane as Jeanne, with 100 mph winds, headed towards them.
Jeanne took the lives of at least 1,150 people in Haiti, with 1,200 missing after massive mudslides.
On Sept. 18, Ivan punished the Florida panhandle and Gulf Coast of Alabama. The deadliest hurricane since Floyd in 1999, it left at least 60 dead in the United States, 1.8 million without power, homes, businesses and autos scuttled, and widespread disruption in phone service.
Local 3109 President Chris Smith said Pensacola looked like "multiple bombs had gone off," with 40 to 50 members' homes left uninhabitable. BellSouth put up two large tents offering employees food and temporary shelter, and allowed them to apply for $2,500 emergency loans.
But while Local 3907 President Carl Adams in Mobile, Ala., said his members had a lot of cleaning up to do, he was upbeat that most of their homes sustained only minor damage. "If you live along the Gulf Coast, you know it's going to happen to you sooner or later," he said. "People say that's the price of living in paradise."
Mobile County restored power to about 90 percent of residents within a week. Local 3907 members employed by BellSouth - like many throughout District 3 - were working 12-hour shifts for 13 days at a stretch to restore phone service. The company brought in additional technicians from Louisiana and Texas to help.
Members elsewhere were less fortunate. Ivan caused flooding from northern Alabama to Atlanta, Ga., in Wheeling, W.Va., central and western Pennsylvania and Ohio. Flooding of roads and garages closed the statehouse and several state offices in Trenton, N.J. Tornadoes spun off by Ivan ripped up homes in Fauquier and Prince William Counties, Va., near Washington, D.C.
Harrisburg, State College, Huntingdon and other parts of Pennsylvania experienced serious flooding. The 1.7-square-mile town of Carnegie, about five miles west of Pittsburgh, where Local 13000 is headquartered, had numerous homes and businesses wiped out. Water rose to the 52-inch mark on the first floor of Local 13000's union hall.
The death of the Comcast technician, Lusky, came after flooding took out the first two floors of his house.
"As I understand it, he was talking to his friends about his stress in bargaining with Comcast and dealing with the cleanup," said Marge Krueger, administrative assistant to District 13 Vice President Vince Maisano. "He felt lightheaded and laid down on the lawn. They called 911 but could not resuscitate him."
It all began Aug. 13, when Hurricane Charley ripped into Florida's Gulf Coast with winds of 145 mph, causing widespread damage. Charley knocked out power to 30,000 people in Seminole County alone, uprooted trees and damaged members' homes in St. Petersburg, Ocala, Kissimee, and elsewhere.
Then, on Sept. 5, Hurricane Frances slammed into the opposite coast near Stuart, Fla., with winds of 105 mph, gusting to 120 mph or more. Though its force diminished to 70 mph, 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 seaboard.
Frances rocked members from Fort Lauderdale to Daytona Beach and caused wind and rain damage to properties across a state already weakened by Charley. It left at least nine dead in Florida, 5 million without power and 800,000 without phone service. Thousands evacuated the state, clogging Interstate 95 to Atlanta and beyond.
David Lusky, a Comcast technician and member of the bargaining committee for Pittsburgh's Corliss Street unit, died of a heart attack Sept. 21 while cleaning out his basement following Hurricane Ivan.
"Our hearts go out to David's family, and all of our members who have suffered damage to their homes and disruption to their lives," CWA President Morton Bahr said.
District 3, which sustained the most damage, had already made short-term assistance payments to members from its disaster fund and will continue to do so, District Vice President Jimmy Smith said.
"We appreciate what our members are going through," Smith said. "Even with all the damage they've had, they're still trying to restore customer service. I know it's disheartening, with one storm following another, but we know they'll hang in there."
As the CWA News went to press, a spin- off from Hurricane Ivan that had circled back to the Gulf of Mexico had come ashore as a tropical storm at the Texas and Louisiana border, once again soaking the area.
Meanwhile, Florida residents were bracing for yet another hurricane as Jeanne, with 100 mph winds, headed towards them.
Jeanne took the lives of at least 1,150 people in Haiti, with 1,200 missing after massive mudslides.
On Sept. 18, Ivan punished the Florida panhandle and Gulf Coast of Alabama. The deadliest hurricane since Floyd in 1999, it left at least 60 dead in the United States, 1.8 million without power, homes, businesses and autos scuttled, and widespread disruption in phone service.
Local 3109 President Chris Smith said Pensacola looked like "multiple bombs had gone off," with 40 to 50 members' homes left uninhabitable. BellSouth put up two large tents offering employees food and temporary shelter, and allowed them to apply for $2,500 emergency loans.
But while Local 3907 President Carl Adams in Mobile, Ala., said his members had a lot of cleaning up to do, he was upbeat that most of their homes sustained only minor damage. "If you live along the Gulf Coast, you know it's going to happen to you sooner or later," he said. "People say that's the price of living in paradise."
Mobile County restored power to about 90 percent of residents within a week. Local 3907 members employed by BellSouth - like many throughout District 3 - were working 12-hour shifts for 13 days at a stretch to restore phone service. The company brought in additional technicians from Louisiana and Texas to help.
Members elsewhere were less fortunate. Ivan caused flooding from northern Alabama to Atlanta, Ga., in Wheeling, W.Va., central and western Pennsylvania and Ohio. Flooding of roads and garages closed the statehouse and several state offices in Trenton, N.J. Tornadoes spun off by Ivan ripped up homes in Fauquier and Prince William Counties, Va., near Washington, D.C.
Harrisburg, State College, Huntingdon and other parts of Pennsylvania experienced serious flooding. The 1.7-square-mile town of Carnegie, about five miles west of Pittsburgh, where Local 13000 is headquartered, had numerous homes and businesses wiped out. Water rose to the 52-inch mark on the first floor of Local 13000's union hall.
The death of the Comcast technician, Lusky, came after flooding took out the first two floors of his house.
"As I understand it, he was talking to his friends about his stress in bargaining with Comcast and dealing with the cleanup," said Marge Krueger, administrative assistant to District 13 Vice President Vince Maisano. "He felt lightheaded and laid down on the lawn. They called 911 but could not resuscitate him."
It all began Aug. 13, when Hurricane Charley ripped into Florida's Gulf Coast with winds of 145 mph, causing widespread damage. Charley knocked out power to 30,000 people in Seminole County alone, uprooted trees and damaged members' homes in St. Petersburg, Ocala, Kissimee, and elsewhere.
Then, on Sept. 5, Hurricane Frances slammed into the opposite coast near Stuart, Fla., with winds of 105 mph, gusting to 120 mph or more. Though its force diminished to 70 mph, 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 seaboard.
Frances rocked members from Fort Lauderdale to Daytona Beach and caused wind and rain damage to properties across a state already weakened by Charley. It left at least nine dead in Florida, 5 million without power and 800,000 without phone service. Thousands evacuated the state, clogging Interstate 95 to Atlanta and beyond.