Amid labor strikes around the state and the nation, disaster cleanup workers are among the many facing workforce struggles.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, labor organizer Saket Soni founded the group Resilience Force to protect those who clean and rebuild communities after disasters. He said he watched a new disaster economy rise up out of Katrina.
"There are a group of workers inside of that who are doing the work of rebuilding and repairing, and they're mostly on the mainland, mostly immigrants, immigrant workers who follow storms and floods and fires, who crisscross across the country, who in essence, have become the white blood cells of our recovery efforts," Soni said.
"So many people depend on these workers, but the workers are being mistreated, and there aren't enough of them. So our work is to protect and build up this workforce that we all need to get back on our feet after a climate disaster," he told HPR.
Just last week, Hurricane Helene barreled through the Southeastern U.S., devastating parts of Florida, the Carolinas, Georgia and more. Soni said workers are descending on the area to start the rebuilding process.
"They're working without protective equipment, without safety gear. They're working in the heat, rebuilding roofs under the sun at the peak of summer," he said. "Most of these workers are undocumented, but they're afraid to come forward and report abuse because they fear deportation."
He said the workers are skilled professionals, not "just day laborers" or "unskilled," as some may view them.
"Up on the roofs now in Florida and North Carolina are people who are extraordinarily skilled, extraordinarily professional, and the solution at the end of the day is to recognize them as such," Soni said.
Resilience Force also seeks to create long-lasting relationships between workers and residents, Soni said.
"We want bonds to form long-lasting friendships, and ultimately, you know, we want to weave a new kind of civic fabric," he said.
Soni will be giving a free talk Thursday at 6:30 p.m. as part of the University of Hawaiʻi's Better Tomorrow Speaker Series. For more information click here. He also wrote a book about human trafficking following Katrina called "The Great Escape."
This interview aired on The Conversation on Oct. 2, 2024. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1.
