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Frustration Grows as Storm-Ravaged Communities Face Fourth Day Without Power | Common Dreams
Posted on November 2, 2012 by Laura
Published on Friday, November 2, 2012 by Common Dreams
Frustration Grows as Storm-Ravaged Communities Face Fourth Day Without Power
- Common Dreams staff
As residents in New York and New Jersey enter their fourth day since
the devastating storm brought tearing wind, surging water and widespread
power outages, feelings of desperation and anger are growing with the
growing need for electric power, food, and fuel.
“Nobody comes to help us,” says one resident of a public housing complex in Lower Manhattan. (photo: Reuters) But some area residents are feeling that some areas are receiving priority for assistance over others. In These Times writer Michelle Chen points out:
“As Hurricane Katrina demonstrated, floodwaters have a way of exposing
the race and class divisions that stratify our cities.” And The Nation reports
that “municipal and federal aid to neighborhoods populated by
low-income residents and people of color—such as Chinatown and the Lower
East Side—has been largely absent.”
Brice, a resident of Jacob Riis Houses, a public housing complex in Lower Manhattan, tells the Washington Post,
“Nobody comes to help us,” as he walks through the dark. “The cops
don’t come in here. No one’s bringing us flashlights. No one’s bringing
water. No one’s doing anything.”
“There could be dead people inside these apartments,” he said. “We wouldn’t know.”
Helena Wong, Executive Director of Chinatown-based organization CAAAV: Organizing Asian Communities tells The Nation, “The city hasn’t been here. Look around. There’s no city officials here at all.”
“Where’s Red Cross for the blankets or for water? We have no ice. We have no food.”Caroline Marino, a resident of the Howard Beach neighborhood in Queens, spoke
with one reporter about the complete absence of government or relief
organizations in her neighborhood. “Where’s Red Cross for the blankets
or for water? We have no ice. We have no food,” she said as she walked
through her mud-filled home. Pointing to the endless piles of debris
that crowded the sidewalks, she adds, “because we’re the little people
out here, [Bloomberg] doesn’t care about us. That’s the way it feels.”
In the Brooklyn neighborhood of Red Hook, resident Khadijah says,
“Now I’m in darkness, complete darkness. We can’t flush our toilets
because we have no water. The food that I had in the freezer, we had to
use it up, you know give it to this one, give it to that one, but a lot
of that stuff spoiled. I don’t even want to go back into my apartment
because I know it’s going to be a wreck in there.”
Democracy Now!
also went to Red Hook to hear stories from people without power. One
woman tells the correspondent, “The hallways are dark. The building is
dark. The whole project is dark. It’s like a war zone out here. … and
they have people in wheelchairs that they can’t get downstairs. The
elevators are out of course. … It’s bad out here.” Another man tells Democracy Now!, “…it was like man against Mother Nature. And mother Nature won. I wouldn’t wish a storm like this on my worst enemy.”
“They should be getting resources to the
elderly people who can’t fend for themselves. That’s more important than
a marathon right now.”There is special concern for the elderly, many of whom remain inside their homes.
“It’s been mostly older folks who aren’t able to get out,” Monique George of Manhattan-based Community Voices Heard told the Associated Press.
“In some cases, they hadn’t talked to folks in a few days. They haven’t
even seen anybody because the neighbors evacuated. They’re actually
happy that folks are checking, happy to see another person. To not see
someone for a few days, in this city, it’s kind of weird.”
“It’s too much. You’re in your house. You’re freezing,” Geraldine Giordano, 82, a lifelong resident of the West Village, told AP.
The decision to carry on with the New York City Marathon on Sunday
has sparked outrage, as struggling residents see needed resources and
energy diverted from storm relief.
“I am from Coney Island where everything is flooded and underwater,” Yelena Gomelsky, 65, told the New York Post.
“I live 1 block from the ocean where everything is floating. “[Seeing
the generators and water] makes me feel so bad. People have no food, no
water, nothing.”
“They should make all of these runners bring food and water to
people’s houses who need it. They should bring all of these generators
to buildings where old people live and give them power.”
Staten Island resident George Rosado told AP that the
decision to hold the marathon as scheduled was “repulsive.” “They
should be getting resources to the elderly people who can’t fend for
themselves. That’s more important than a marathon right now,” said
Rosado.
Frustration Grows as Storm-Ravaged Communities Face Fourth Day Without Power | Common Dreams.
Thanks to: http://2012indyinfo.com
Posted on November 2, 2012 by Laura
Published on Friday, November 2, 2012 by Common Dreams
Frustration Grows as Storm-Ravaged Communities Face Fourth Day Without Power
- Common Dreams staff
As residents in New York and New Jersey enter their fourth day since
the devastating storm brought tearing wind, surging water and widespread
power outages, feelings of desperation and anger are growing with the
growing need for electric power, food, and fuel.
“Nobody comes to help us,” says one resident of a public housing complex in Lower Manhattan. (photo: Reuters) But some area residents are feeling that some areas are receiving priority for assistance over others. In These Times writer Michelle Chen points out:“As Hurricane Katrina demonstrated, floodwaters have a way of exposing
the race and class divisions that stratify our cities.” And The Nation reports
that “municipal and federal aid to neighborhoods populated by
low-income residents and people of color—such as Chinatown and the Lower
East Side—has been largely absent.”
Brice, a resident of Jacob Riis Houses, a public housing complex in Lower Manhattan, tells the Washington Post,
“Nobody comes to help us,” as he walks through the dark. “The cops
don’t come in here. No one’s bringing us flashlights. No one’s bringing
water. No one’s doing anything.”
“There could be dead people inside these apartments,” he said. “We wouldn’t know.”
Helena Wong, Executive Director of Chinatown-based organization CAAAV: Organizing Asian Communities tells The Nation, “The city hasn’t been here. Look around. There’s no city officials here at all.”
“Where’s Red Cross for the blankets or for water? We have no ice. We have no food.”Caroline Marino, a resident of the Howard Beach neighborhood in Queens, spoke
with one reporter about the complete absence of government or relief
organizations in her neighborhood. “Where’s Red Cross for the blankets
or for water? We have no ice. We have no food,” she said as she walked
through her mud-filled home. Pointing to the endless piles of debris
that crowded the sidewalks, she adds, “because we’re the little people
out here, [Bloomberg] doesn’t care about us. That’s the way it feels.”
In the Brooklyn neighborhood of Red Hook, resident Khadijah says,
“Now I’m in darkness, complete darkness. We can’t flush our toilets
because we have no water. The food that I had in the freezer, we had to
use it up, you know give it to this one, give it to that one, but a lot
of that stuff spoiled. I don’t even want to go back into my apartment
because I know it’s going to be a wreck in there.”
Democracy Now!
also went to Red Hook to hear stories from people without power. One
woman tells the correspondent, “The hallways are dark. The building is
dark. The whole project is dark. It’s like a war zone out here. … and
they have people in wheelchairs that they can’t get downstairs. The
elevators are out of course. … It’s bad out here.” Another man tells Democracy Now!, “…it was like man against Mother Nature. And mother Nature won. I wouldn’t wish a storm like this on my worst enemy.”
“They should be getting resources to the
elderly people who can’t fend for themselves. That’s more important than
a marathon right now.”There is special concern for the elderly, many of whom remain inside their homes.
“It’s been mostly older folks who aren’t able to get out,” Monique George of Manhattan-based Community Voices Heard told the Associated Press.
“In some cases, they hadn’t talked to folks in a few days. They haven’t
even seen anybody because the neighbors evacuated. They’re actually
happy that folks are checking, happy to see another person. To not see
someone for a few days, in this city, it’s kind of weird.”
“It’s too much. You’re in your house. You’re freezing,” Geraldine Giordano, 82, a lifelong resident of the West Village, told AP.
The decision to carry on with the New York City Marathon on Sunday
has sparked outrage, as struggling residents see needed resources and
energy diverted from storm relief.
“I am from Coney Island where everything is flooded and underwater,” Yelena Gomelsky, 65, told the New York Post.
“I live 1 block from the ocean where everything is floating. “[Seeing
the generators and water] makes me feel so bad. People have no food, no
water, nothing.”
“They should make all of these runners bring food and water to
people’s houses who need it. They should bring all of these generators
to buildings where old people live and give them power.”
Staten Island resident George Rosado told AP that the
decision to hold the marathon as scheduled was “repulsive.” “They
should be getting resources to the elderly people who can’t fend for
themselves. That’s more important than a marathon right now,” said
Rosado.
Frustration Grows as Storm-Ravaged Communities Face Fourth Day Without Power | Common Dreams.
Thanks to: http://2012indyinfo.com
