Sept.11 ~ Dust clouds to waterfalls


By DEBORAH A. MILES On the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11,


people remembered and honored those who lost their lives at the hands of terrorists. At the PEF convention in Niagara Falls, leaders and delegates watched a heartfelt video that memorialized the PEF members who died as a result of the attacks. Three days earlier, members from the


state Department of Taxation and Finance in Manhattan held a candle-light ceremony to honor their lost co-workers. PEF President Ken Brynien, Vice Presidents Pat Baker and Joe Fox, and Region 10 Coordinator Vernetta Chesimard described the event as very earnest and moving. A banner picturing the


PEF members who perished on Sept. 11 was also included in a permanent memorial gallery at the Service Employees International Union in Washington, D.C. The ground zero site


was transformed from mounds of fire-spitting crushed metal to peaceful


DELGADO


CAPTURINGTHE MOMENT— A woman reflects at the Sept. 11 memorial unveiling and ceremony in lower Manhattan. —Photo byMaria Delgado


waterfalls cascading into two sunken pools ringed by bronze plaques. They carry the names of the 2,977 people killed in the terrorist attacks in New York, at the Pentagon and in Pennsylvania, plus the names of the six who died in the bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993. Jerry Borg’s name is also inscribed. He was a PEF member who died in December 2010 from inhaling the toxic cloud. Thirty-four other members perished when the twin towers collapsed. Delgado, a social worker at Rockland Children’s Psychiatric Center, was at the


official opening of the Sept. 11 Memorial as a volunteer for the Red Cross. “Security was very tight,” Delgado said.


“There were cops everywhere. I found out just two days before the event I got clearance. “I was there to lend support to the


family members. I handed out small tissues to people who were crying. One woman was so upset, she began to hyperventilate. I told one of the police officers she needed help, and they quickly brought in paramedics. “It was hard to stay strong with so


many people in tears, so many moments of sadness. But I had to,” Delgado said. The memorial is very serene and


beautiful. When you enter, there is a forest of more than 200 white oak trees. Then you arrive at the two 30-foot pits on the exact spots where the twin towers stood. The cascading water almost evokes the image of the dust cloud. “Many people found the names of their


loved ones and etched them onto the program. “Now, on Sept. 11, I will not only think


of the attacks, but of this memorial,” Delgado said.


Lee devastates New York’s southern tier, members respond Ten days after Tropical Storm Irene hit


upstate New York, the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee left its calling card in New York’s southern tier with massive flooding. Broome County officials issued a


mandatory evacuation of nearly 10,000 people near Binghamton on the morning of September 8 when record-breaking rain caused the Susquehanna and Chenango rivers to overflow. Other counties affected were Chenango, Delaware, Otsego and Tioga. Dan Majeski, a PEF Executive Board


member and civil engineer at the state Department of Transportation, is among the Johnson City residents whose homes were submerged and destroyed by the raging water. It also happened to him in 2006 when


streets became canals. That damage cost $27,000. This time, almost everything was destroyed and his house condemned. Dick Brazell, a regional spill engineer at


the state Department of Environmental Conservation, oversees nine counties. He said, “In Broome County, the floods


caused fuel oil to seep into basements that had to be pumped out. “The worst thing I saw was in Vestal.


www.pef.org


Homes were filled with 3 to 6 feet of raw sewage. The crews are doing an amazing job. Within 10 days, we’ve addressed several issues and got things cleaned-up.” At the PEF convention held in


September just after Lee hit, delegates raised more than $3,000 to help the flood victims. PEF Region 5 Coordinator Mary


Twitchell and PEF Health and Safety Chair Kathy D’Arminio coordinated efforts with council leaders who contacted dozens of members who needed help. “Assistant Council Leader Richard


Fletcher worked with PEF’s Employee Assistance Program coordinator MaryAnn Sacharov to enlist clean-up volunteers,” D’Arminio said. A state Labor Department program


called “Just in Time” was provided for members to inform those involved with the clean-up about precautions they should take and to provide personal protective equipment. Safety precautions are also on the PEF website, pef.org, under Health and Safety. In all areas of the state that were


flooded, PEF leaders have been working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, United Way, Red Cross and central


AFTERMATH OF LEE—(Above) Flooding destroys Dan Majeski’s house in Johnson City. (Below) Members help Richard Price clean-up after the storm demolished his house in Owego. —Photos by DanMajeski and Rich Fletcher


labor councils. Members at various state agencies have also set-up Disaster Recovery Center sites. “Many have responded to help,”


D’Arminio said. “The only thing the flood didn’t destroy was the spirit of good will.”


The Communicator October 2011—Page 11


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