Survival Mode

Towmen’s Lifesaving Efforts in the Aftermath of Hurricane Ida

By Steve Temple

Weathering a severe storm is no simple matter, but helping the people affected by it can be equally as challenging. Just ask Joe Crawley of Crawley’s Services, whose towers came to the aid of Louisiana residents in September 2021 after Hurricane Ida ripped through the state. Deadly and destructive, Ida was second only to Katrina’s devastating effects. While numerous vehicles and watercraft required recoveries, Crawley’s crew from Sugarland, Texas was hired by Moffitt Services for a different sort of job—providing desperately needed supplies, such as food, water, and fuel.

“We had no clue what we were getting into,” Joe admitted. Even after an initial briefing by Moffitt, he was unaware of the severe scope

Recovery Personnel

Joe Crawley

Shawn Crawley of damage done by the storm, and the challenges to overcome. “A lot of people there needed help. But we didn’t have much either, since nothing was open for food. It was a struggle. People would feed us, give us water, our toolbox was a pantry filled with snack food. We were in the same boat as the people affected by the storm. Our resources were very limited.”

Add to that extremely long days and many miles of travel around both Louisiana and Mississippi, more than 8,000 miles in two weeks. They were hauling generators and fuel cubes to schools, churches, FEMA camps and mobile kitchens set up by the National Guard. The fuel cubes, each weighing several thousand pounds, required careful winching and loading, with the heavier diesel positioned up front, and the lighter unleaded gas at the rear. Once at the staging areas, pumps inside the tank were powered by alligator clips attached to batteries to empty the

Recovery Equipment

2020 fuel. A mobile fueler had to be towed at times as well. “We’d work no less than 12 hours,” Joe related. “Often 18 to 20 hours, for three to four weeks straight.”

When his crew fell into bed to grab a few hours of shuteye, motel accommodations were not exactly luxurious. New Orleans was all blacked out from power outages, and the surroundings were sketchy due to looting.

“We worried about our trucks getting vandalized,” Joe noted. “Or being robbed or hijacked. We had a police escort a couple of times.” As a precaution, the towers carried handguns for self-defense, but fortunately there were no altercations. The locals were helpful at times, too.

“One guy we delivered to at a grocery store, Joe Zuppardo in Metairie, Louisiana, I’ll never forget him,” Joe related. “He needed gas for a generator that powered his house and store, and he was so grateful, very appreciative.” Joe fed Crawley’s crew, along with supplying them water, ice, food and supplies when needed because Crawley’s towers were just as shorthanded as the Zuppardo’s were. Fellow towmen lent a hand as well.

“We made friends with another wrecker service,” he added. Louie’s Wrecker Service in Boutte, Louisiana made meals for them, washed Crawley’s trucks, and even did their laundry. “They made us feel right at home, catered to us. So we helped them out in Texas with their customers, and took care of them like they took care of us.”

All told, while everyone was sad for the suffering and billions in damages that the hurricane caused, the towers’ survival aid also brought out the best in both residents and the towmen who provided for their essential needs.