Sideswiped by Sandy, DC Area Focuses on Damage Repair, Helping Harder-Hit Areas

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)With New Jersey and New York bearing the brunt of Hurricane Sandy, metro-area first responders yesterday focused on assessing and repairing damage. “It appears DC did suffer damage but nothing compared to NY and NJ,” said IAFF 36 president Ed Smith. “There are still a lot of trees down and they are being removed. We are still concerned about flooding.” Says IBEW 1900 president Jim Griffin, whose members work at Pepco, “It looks like we dodged a bullet. At the peak Monday night I saw on Pepco's mobile app that they had less than 40,000 customers out. As of Tuesday afternoon they are reporting a little more than 11,000 customers out. I am confident that our crews will now be made available to other utilities in NJ, PA and NY for mutual assistance since those areas were hit the hardest.” With some carbon monoxide exposure cases reported in Maryland, use of unventilated generators while power is being restored “is still a concern,” Local 36’s Smith added, noting that “CO is a silent killer.” Local 36 has posted tips on storm and generator safety on their website. Sandra Falwell of DCNA/NNU reports that the staff at Children’s Hospital, where she works, “performed admirably and our patients and their families were well cared for." Metro Washington Council President Jos Williams spoke for many when he said “Thanks to all the workers, many of them trained and dedicated union members, who began preparing for the storm early, worked through it and will keep up their work long after it passes to help repair and rebuild our communities. Their work and the work of others will get our communities back up and running.” Click here for important resources and information for dealing with the storm’s aftermath. - photo: IBEW members at Pepco work during the storm' photo courtesy of Pepco Connect