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October 2005 IBEW Journal

In the wake of one of the worst natural disasters ever to strike the United States, thousands of displaced families remain homeless and uprooted, including some 3,000 IBEW members from every IBEW branch in the Gulf Coast region.

“The stories are tragic,” said International President Edwin D. Hill. “Many members lost everything. A lot of them have only what they could take when they evacuated.”

Driven by solidarity and a strong sense of social responsibility, the union of hearts and minds responded quickly with supplies, funds and crews to restore power. The IBEW has launched a massive internal fundraising effort to help members and their families, The IBEW Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund.

The IBEW’s focus is on its members, but is part of a larger effort to help all affected by the storm and its aftermath. Already, the fund has collected thousands of dollars (see accompanying box for information on making donations). The IBEW’s Web site will be updated regularly to provide coverage of what the IBEW is doing to help and inform people how to help members and families in the hour of their greatest need.

While hundreds of thousands of displaced residents of Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi seek a new start after Katrina, IBEW members from the affected region and elsewhere are already serving integral functions in the rebuilding effort.

“Where there is suffering, the IBEW is helping to bring relief and where there is destruction, the IBEW will be there to rebuild,” said President Hill, who dispatched 73,000 bottles of water to the Gulf area in the days following the hurricane.

The IBEW is at the center of community relief efforts, with the Greater Baton Rouge-area Red Cross staging vital food delivery work out of the Local 995 office.

Gulfport , Mississippi , Local 903 had a call out for 300 inside wiremen within the first few days after the storm, said IBEW Fifth District International Vice President John Schantzen. But because the storm swallowed work boots, tools and protective equipment along with homes and businesses, getting back to work for many members is impossible without the proper gear. President Hill has written to shoe manufacturers to appeal for work boot donations for IBEW members. “In a real and symbolic sense, going back to work means, first, putting shoes on one’s feet,” he said.

And there’s plenty of work to do, particularly to restore power to nearly 1 million customers in Louisiana and Mississippi. By mid-September, hundreds of line crews were either in the region or en route, said IBEW Utility Department Director Jim Hunter. But the sheer magnitude of the destruction is presenting challenges for storm relief linemen. Lodging is in short supply, as hotels and motels within 250 miles of the affected area have been booked with displaced residents and rescue workers. Utility poles and other materials are in short supply because Katrina’s high winds snapped poles like matchsticks for miles at a stretch, Hunter said. Logistical challenges and supply shortages have also hampered relief efforts.

Entergy, the hardest-hit utility with customers in Louisiana and Mississippi, reported over 1 million customers without power on September 1, which tripled the utility’s previously highest disaster count of 200,000. Most of the power plants in the area had resumed operations by mid-September.

New Orleans Local 130, swamped with water and under an evacuation order, moved its operations north to Baton Rouge Local 995. Fifth District International Representative Glen Brannen said Local 130 leaders had time to remove some files, computers and telephones from the New Orleans office before they left. Word is slowly spreading that Local 130 has moved, Brannen said. Leaders are encouraging Local 130 members to call in with updated phone numbers so they can be reached when rebuilding efforts pick up.

Some members are already back to work with contractors setting up generators for hospitals and nursing homes through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

“The members on the Gulf Coast are a fighting bunch,” Vice President Schantzen said. “They are going to come out of this stronger.”