----------------------- Via Workers World News Service Reprinted from the March 13, 2003 issue of Workers World newspaper -------------------------
IN WAKE OF BLIZZARD: BALTIMORE WORKERS NEED EMERGENCY FUNDS By Sharon Black Baltimore As of March 3, it has been 15 days since one of Baltimore's worst snowstorms dumped close to two feet of snow on the area. Despite two periods of rain and thawing, high mounds of dirty snow clog the city streets, making commutes and walks difficult and dangerous. While the Pentagon can mount a war effort that includes deploying some 225,000 soldiers to invade Iraq and spending millions of dollars on "homeland security," Baltimore cannot plow its secondary streets. There was no effective plan or organization in place when the storm struck the mid-Atlantic states. Keeping major highways and arteries open was set as the priority out of concern for businesses. But there was no real provision made for workers and the poor. No block-to-block emergency plan. No efforts for the homeless and the aged beyond the already overtaxed shelters. Baltimore's infrastructure, which was already worn and tattered, buckled and in some cases collapsed under the stress of the storm. In violation of the national Clean Water Act, more than 35 million gallons of raw sewage spilled into the Herring Run stream that flows through Baltimore. Old water mains and sewage pipes burst in many neighborhoods, creating health hazards. And in Baltimore's Eastside, an entire block was evacuated as homes exploded from a natural gas leak. Five people were reported dead from storm-related causes, including three children who were tragically poisoned by carbon monoxide fumes inside a car where they were trying to keep warm. CREATE EMERGENCY FUND Local governments will be assessing the damage. They can apply for 75 percent of the costs under federal laws. But what about the thousands of workers who have suffered tremendous losses not covered by insurance? The first demand should be that workers be compensated for lost wages. Many could not travel to work because of the snow-covered streets and no public transportation. These workers live paycheck to paycheck. And many do not have adequate union contracts. With a winter of unprecedented increases in the cost of oil and natural gas, many individuals and families will face utility shutoffs in the early spring. The government should declare a moratorium on all utility shutoffs. Workers must also be allowed compensation for the loss of personal property. An adequate emergency plan should be made for the homeless, aged, disabled and young. And the federal government must immediately help rebuild Baltimore's old, decaying infrastructure. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfield has said that revealing the actual cost of the genocidal U.S. war about to be unleashed on Iraq "simply isn't useful." The needs of the people of Baltimore challenge this cynical statement. Every man and woman from Maryland about to be used as cannon fodder for Big Oil should be brought back home to rebuild the communities of Maryland. And the billions of dollars about to be spent on death and destruction should be used for people's needs. - END - (Copyright Workers World Service: Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies of this document, but changing it is not allowed. For more information contact Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011; via e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe [EMAIL PROTECTED] Support the voice of resistance http://www.workers.org/orders/donate.php) ------------------ This message is sent to you by Workers World News Service. To subscribe, E-mail to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, E-mail to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To switch to the DIGEST mode, E-mail to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Send administrative queries to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
