Public Employee Press

DC 37 helps New York City recover from the hurricane
Heavy calls to 911 workers

By JANE LaTOUR

As forecasts for Hurricane Sandy promised a storm of historic proportions, the city's emergency workers took steps to prepare their own families, knowing that they would be called upon to be on the job at the service of others. Police Communications Technician Tracy Whitehead, a member of Local 1549 with 20 years of experience, filled up her car with gas, stocked up on food for her two teenage sons, and made it to the 911 call center just before the storm hit. Whitehead worked a double shift-16 hours-on Monday, five hours the next day, and then was back again for another double shift. "The volume of calls was extremely busy," she said. "We dispatched calls to EMS, the Police and Fire departments-calls from people reporting falling trees, water rising, and some fires. It was very emotional, but you have to stay calm and keep it together," she said.

Long workdays

Supervising PCT BeBee Boyd has 27 years of experience on the job handling emergencies. Her own home is equipped with an emergency bin filled with medical supplies, batteries, and each member of her family has an inflatable boat that she put in their rooms prior to the storm. The day before the storm, Boyd filled up her car with gas and stocked up on extra food for her two kids. At 6:30 a.m. on Sunday, Boyd reported for duty. On Monday and Wednesday, she worked double shifts-16 hours. "At one point, Staten Island was holding a thousand calls. Far Rockaway and Staten Island had the most problems. I looked up at what we call the ''Banner Board," and it was holding 200 to 300 calls at a time. A lot of people were stranded in their homes," she said.

PCT/SPCT Chapter Chair John Armstrong has worked as a PCT 911 operator and dispatcher for 25 years. He worked a double shift on Monday and responded to the needs of his members. "People were working 16 hours, but there was no food for them. Everything was shut down. At one point, we got some of those MREs-Meals Ready to Eat-from the military-that's all the NYPD had for us," he said, both at the Brooklyn MetroTech Center and at Police Headquarters where other 911 personnel were working.

Armstrong pointed to coworkers hit by the destruction. "James O'Connor is living in a hotel now. He's one of the 911 operators who lost everything. He's one of our own and we need to take care of him-he's a strong union person." Armstrong described the overwhelming response of people across the country, like Kevin Willett, the founder of 911 Cares, based in Redwood City, California.

"They are shipping supplies to New York City," This is a group that's dedicated to support for emergency communications professionals. The devastation of this storm will be with us for a long time and we all have to help each other."