W000191
Wednesday, November 07, 2001 2:24 PM
Who are the victims?
Below are my comments in response to the Department of Justice website
soliciting comments and opinions regarding the proposed regulations
and processes for implementing the Victim Compensation Fund.
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My understanding is that victims of the September 11th tragedy are
defined as families of those who perished as well as individuals who
are now unemployed (or whose businesses sustained prolonged closures)
as a result of the attacks. Without a doubt these people have
suffered the most, and will continue to suffer for a significant
period of time.
However, there is a population of individuals who I do not believe
qualify under the accepted definition of victims... but these are
people whose lives have been turned upside down since September 11th.
These "non-victims" live in the immediate vicinity of Ground Zero.
I
speak from personal experience.
My apartment is directly across the street from "the site" (or the
sight) of the collapsed towers. While my apartment sustained only
minor damage, it is never-the-less contaminated with dust and debris
which must be removed by a company specializing in handling Hazardous
Materials. I was lucky. Many of my neighbors found that their
apartments caught on fire when flaming debris was jettisoned across
the street from the World Trade Center.
For a variety of reasons, everyone in the neighborhood was prohibited
from re-occupying their apartments for a period of time FBI and
police designated the area a crime scene. Emergency and rescue
workers commandeered buildings and streets. For a time, the area
belonged to the authorities... and rightly so.
In the past month or so, many buildings have been readied for
re-occupation, but many in the neighborhood cannot yet return because
particulate matter in the air (emanating from the still-buring fires)
causes respiratory distress, nosebleeds, asthma, headaches, etc.
While we have been assured by the EPA that the air poses no long-term
health risks, residents are suffering from symptoms that make the area
a short-term health nightmare.
My particular building has not yet been re-opened. The eastern-facing
facade of the building sustained severe damage and must be replaced
before those of us on the east side of the building can re-occupy our
apartments. In the meantime, our landlord is demanding that we have
our belongings decontaminated, packed and removed from the premises.
We have been told that we will not have access to our apartments for
up to six more months.
While some downtown residents were smart enough to purchase homeowners
or renters insurance, many, many were uninsured. Every uninsured
person has had significant out-of-pocket expenses: temporary housing,
HazMat decontamination, the cost of HEPA air filters (recommended by
the Department of Health, OSHA and the EPA), extraordinary meal
charges, dry cleaning, etc., etc. A subset of the population have
incurred (or will incur) additional expenditures: moving and storage
costs, medical (and psycological) bills, charges to replace damaged
property and the like.
Although there are serious financial considerations for downtown
residents, the emotional toll is hard to quantify. Many have been so
traumatized that their professional performance and personal
relationships have suffered.
Our once tranquil neighborhood has suffered too. Transportation
options are significantly reduced (and will be for years to come).
Goods and services are greatly diminished (many stores have
permanently abandoned the area because they relied heavily on the
patronage of those who worked and visited the World Trade Center
complex). Air quality is compromised (we've been told that our
children should not exert themselves when playing outdoors.)
Many have chosen to move to other parts of the City. Others have
chosen to stay and rebuild the neighborhood. All have suffered.
We are victims too.
Individual Comment
New York City, NY