A River Ran Through It
SPU Members Respond to Hard Times in Puerto Rico After Flood Devastates Commonwealth Island
Guayama, Puerto Rico
You had to be there.
Hurricane Hortense in a single day dropped two feet of rain on this Connecticut-sized Caribbean island, and Servidores Públicos Unidos (SPU), the AFSCME affiliate representing some 2,000 Puerto Rican public employees, was there to help.
Roads were washed out, electricity cut and sewers overwhelmed. Rivers became lakes. Skinny little streams boiled over, carrying waist-high mud flows through neighborhoods.
More than 25,000 people lost homes, 20 people lost their lives, and 65 of the island's 78 municipalities were declared federal disaster areas. Federal Emergency Management Agency teams flew in from the mainland to assess damages, estimated to top $325 million in agricultural and property loss alone.
Mud clogged the water works and pumping stations for a week, and left up to 300,000 of the island's 3 million residents with uncertain fresh water supplies two weeks after the flood.
That was the scene when José Mateo stood up to speak.
His simple words brought silence to the downtown family services center here, jammed with mothers and babes-in-arms, the elderly, young parents and individuals applying for benefits, as 40 public employees stopped working for a moment to listen.
"We are very proud to be here today with you," said Mateo, regional coordinator of SPU Local 132. "Your compassion in providing essential services during this crisis is what makes public service such a powerful force for good in society."
"This selflessness in helping those in need is how we will reconstruct Puerto Rico," he said.
Sharp applause filled the room, and in that brief moment, repeated over and over around the island, SPU won a small victory.
It was part of an island-wide campaign led by Miriam Quiñonez, president of Local 132, and coordinated by AFSCME International's Community Action Department. In addition to Guayama, a town of 45,000 by the sea, other towns included in the campaign were Loiza, Salinas, Hato Rey, San Juan, Toa Baja, Patillas and Arroyo.
Volunteers from as far away as New York City's Locals 372 and 1549 (Council 37), District 1199J in New Jersey, and District Council 1707 flew in to help. AFSCME members from California, Connecticut and elsewhere also volunteered but were unable to participate because of conditions on the island.
Every day volunteers distributed water and much-needed staples to members and people throughout the community. They unpacked trucks, distributed diapers, passed out food and hygienic supplies to shelters and food banks.
SPU also sponsored public service announcements on how to select a good contractor, maintain good records for insurance purposes, and safe handling techniques for food and water supplies after the flood.
Daily, a SPU caravan of five vehicles joined religious, civic and corporate entities reaching out to help those most hurt by the storm. San Juan's popular radio station Sistema 102 reported live on the relief efforts around the island.
After Mateo spoke to the family service workers, the SPU volunteer crew quickly passed out bottles of fresh water to everyone, and "SPU Reconstruyendo a Puerto Rico" T-shirts--"SPU Helps to Reconstruct Puerto Rico"--to all the public employees.
One could hear them say to colleagues, "Look what my union is doing for us."
"We need both," laughed Ilia Ortiz Itero, clutching her shirt and several bottles of fresh water.
She's not yet in the union, but concedes, after spending the day helping the homeless in Guayama apply for benefits while her own home remains damaged by the flood, "that may change."
If you wish to donate to the SPU Disaster Fund, send financial assistance to 1055 Kennedy Ave., Suite 602, San Juan, PR 00929-1715 or phone (787) 792-1500.
By Ray Lane
