After Ike, Texas Unions Dig Out, Help Others in Need

Most of the damage from Hurricane Ike came from surges and flooding.

Ed Sills, director of communications for the Texas AFL-CIO, sends us this report from the areas of Texas devastated by Hurricane Ike. 

The good news from Hurricane Ike is that the death toll is not commensurate with a storm that literally left some communities in Texas under water. For the most part, Texans took the advice to evacuate. The storm, while huge and violent, was not as strong as some had feared.  

The bad news is that it could be weeks, months or years for victims of the storm to re-establish their lives. Large and historic areas of Galveston are devastated. Water rose to the eaves of homes in Bridge City. Orange, too, was decimated. Beaumont and Port Arthur experienced serious flooding. Houston, while largely spared, saw a rain of blown-out glass from skyscrapers onto downtown streets. Other smaller communities in and around these areas were decimated, with houses knocked off their foundations and boats blown about like toys in a bathtub. Businesses, roads and infrastructure also suffered catastrophic losses that could take weeks, months and years to make right. 

Says Texas AFL-CIO President Becky Moeller:

As bad as this situation is, Hurricane Ike might have been even worse in terms of lives lost, but the Texas AFL-CIO extends its condolences to families of those who died and our heartfelt wishes that the huge numbers of Texans who suffered property losses in this hurricane will recover.

To help find and provide assistance to union members in need, the Texas AFL-CIO has re-activated the hotline it used following Hurricane Rita to provide information to victims of Hurricane Ike, which dealt a devastating blow to a wide coastal area of Texas. Union members who have suffered destruction or serious damage to their homes may call 1-888-TAFLCIO to find out from the state labor federation about resources that are available to hurricane victims.  

Help is coming from all quarters of the union movement. The Fire Fighters (IAFF) have set up a shelter in La Marque as a place for firefighters in the area to go for a hot meal and a place to rest until other arrangements can be made for them. Says IAFF member Sandy McGhee, one of the main forces behind the shelter:  

Ike has left us in a very bad state….Galveston members have suffered at least some damage to their homes due to the record breaking tidal surge and several are simply uninhabitable. What we thought would be problems from wind damage and structural damage hasn’t occurred there because of the building codes that require structures, including homes, to be built to withstand 140 mph winds.  

Another IAFF member, Bob York, adds:  

We have the (LaMarque shelter) running on generator power, and, at this time, we are compiling information on our IAFF brothers and sisters that need assistance. A number of locals have sent folks down to assist in repairs, still not sure how much work we have.

The Union Plus Credit Card Disaster Relief Fund is available to help cardholders who are facing financial hardship due to the storms. Union cardholders are eligible to apply for Disaster Relief Fund grants of $500. The money does not have to be repaid. (Click here to read more.)  

Meanwhile, the Texas AFL-CIO and the Center for Public Policy Priorities have compiled a list of important hurricane-related websites that explain state and federal resources available to victims of Hurricane Ike: 

• To find help in Texas, visit www.211texas.org for the state’s information and referral system that can help you find free information on key services in your area. You also can access this system by dialing 211 on your phone.
• The Texas Health and Human Services Commission site, www.hhsc.state.tx.us, has information about how to use your Lone Star Card and access your Medicaid benefits.
• Office of the Governor site: www.governor.state.tx.us/hurricane.
• The City of Houston: www.houstontx.gov.  
• Disaster Unemployment Insurance: Because the president declared 29 counties a disaster area, displaced workers in those counties could be eligible for Disaster Unemployment Assistance. To claim this protection, a worker must file by Oct. 15. To file for disaster-related unemployment assistance, log on to www.texasworkforce.org or call TWC from Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CDT, at 800-939-6631.
• Emergency Food Stamp Benefits: Texans who live in the affected counties also will be eligible for a two-month emergency Food Stamp benefit. All they will need to show is proof of identity and residence to qualify. The details of how and where people should apply for this benefit are still being worked out.

Moeller says workers come together when their brothers and sisters face disaster and provide not only material support, but moral support as well: 

The Texas AFL-CIO will do what it can to help steer all available resources to hurricane victims. What we also found the last time we opened our disaster hotline was that many displaced union members simply wanted a friendly voice to talk through what they should do next.  

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