IUOE Magazine - International Union of Operating Engineers

Feature
Wrath and Recovery
Operating Engineers Lead Efforts to Restore Communities Hit by Superstorm
Three months after Superstorm Sandy slammed
into the Northeastern United States, many coastal
communities in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut are
still without power, water or natural gas. The magnitude of
the storm is stunning – over 150 lives lost, over $60 billion in
damage, and thousands still unable to return to their homes.
The National Hurricane Center now says tropical force
winds extended 820 miles at their widest. Sandy’s pure kinetic
energy for storm surge and wave “destruction potential”
reached a 5.8 on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration’s 0 to 6 scale, the highest ever measured.
Operating Engineers have also been picking up the pieces,
both personally and professionally. “While all of us were
touched in some way by the storm and its aftermath, about
50 of our members suffered devastating damage to their
homes as a result of flooding, wind and fallen trees. Many
of these brothers and sisters are still assessing the impact
and deciding whether to rebuild or move on,” says Local 825
Business Manager and International Vice President Greg
Lalevee.
Despite their personal hardship, IUOE members from
hard hit areas and beyond answered the call. Within hours
of the storm’s passing, heavy equipment operators took
the lead, digging through deep sand and debris, so that
rescue workers and utility crews could reach residents and
communities stricken by the storm.
The work has transitioned now, from emergency response
to recovery, but the need for skilled Operating Engineers has
only grown. Millions of tons of debris must still be cleared
and crews are busy fortifying sand dunes and replenishing
beaches to protect coastal communities from future weather
events.
Members Helping Members
Operating Engineers were also quick to respond to their
brothers and sisters in need. The IUOE National Charity
Fund received close to $500,000 in donations from locals
and individual members in the weeks immediately after the
storm. To date, the Fund has paid out more than $1.5 million
to more than 500 IUOE members who suffered storm related
damages.
“It was heartening to see Local 30’s tradition of members
helping members continue, and as always, our great
International was there immediately to help,” said Local 30
Business Manager and International Trustee Jack Ahern.
The first of the National Charity Fund checks for Local 30
members were handed out by Mr. Ahern in early November,
and since then Local 30 members have received 67 checks
from the Fund. Mr. Ahern expressed his heartfelt thanks to
General President Callahan and the IUOE General Executive
Board for their quick response and unwavering support in
the face of this natural disaster.
Federal Relief Package Finally Approved
On January 28, a staggering 91 days after Superstorm
Sandy struck, the Senate passed, on a vote of 62-36, federal
[left] A familiar scene throughout the storm ravaged region.
Operating engineers have been working steadily to remove storm
debris since late October. [photo] AP/Kathy Willens
[right] Flood waters surged through lower Manhattan, inundating
the World Trade Center construction site. [photo] AP/John
Minchillo
WINTER 2013 17