W000350
Wednesday, November 14, 2001 6:15 PM
Assistance
My husband and I are both residents of Battery Park City and also worked at
2 World Financial Center. Not only were we displaced for our residence, but
also displaced for our office. We are residents of Gateway Plaza, the
Building luckily and not the Building. We had left for our honeymoon on
September 10th in the evening. We arrived in Rome to find out that our
office and potentially our home was destroyed. Upon arrival back in the
States, we needed to find somewhere to sleep, and the next day buy clothes,
masks, gloves etc...just to gain entry into our apartment to assess the
damages and see what was left of our home. In those 15 minutes we were
allowed we tried to grab clothing and important paperwork related to our
lease and apartment insurance. Thankfully we had some. Our windows were
left open when we left on the 10th and our apartment suffered large amounts
of dust damage. We have had to dispose of our fabric couch, 3 area rugs, a
Lay-z-boy chair, lampshades, food and various health items. After my inital
visit to my apartment, I had to meet FEMA that Thursday. Upon entry I
learned that had initially permitted entry to some type of cleaner
without our permission. They had surface cleaned. Their qualifications
were also circumspect. FEMA assessed our apartment and initially approved
for the payment of all of our things to be cleaned. Numerous residents had
things stolen by these cleaners. Upon hearing this I lived in angst every
day we weren't allowed to go home wondering what could be missing now. Our
insurance company provided us with the name of an EPA cleaner and a special
drycleaner who deals with fire and smoke damaged articles. When our
insurance company provided an EPA cleanere have had our apartment EPA
cleaned to find out that we had one of the worst apartments covered in dust
that they had been to in the area. This is AFTER let in people to
clean without our permission. We were asked by our Insurance Company if we
needed rental assistance for Temporary Housing. We declined because our
Firm, had offered us corporate housing for 30 days.
Yesterday, November 13th, I received a call from a Partner within the firm
asking if we had received any compensation from Fema...of which we were
declined any compensation until our Insurance Company declines us. I
explained this to the Partner, who then informs me that the Firm (who
initially offered Corporate Housing) now wishes their money back. None of
this was disclosed before we occupied the corporate apartment. The cost on
the rent of that apartment for 30 days was $6,000.00. We were then told
that if we cannot get this money from our Insurance Company we were then
going to have that $6,000.00 added as INCOME and then would have to pay
TAXES on it.
We did not ask for this to happen to our home. The least thing I ever
wanted to do was to start a new Married Life without a home. Now, I am
getting treated worse than those people who attacked us. I understand that
many people have lost loved ones. My question is, if we were denied by
FEMA, how come this TERRORIST ATTACK is costing my SANITY and My Financial
State, My new Married life undue harm----even more than I could have ever
assumed? Who compensates that? Please respond.
Individual Comment
Battery Park City, NY