- Health and Economic Effects of the September 11th
Disaster on Low-Income New Yorkers
- Government Disaster Relief Since 9/11 and Disparity
in Aid Between Rich and Poor
- Government Misleads and Abandons Low-Income New
Yorkers Following 9/11
- July 31, 2002 -- the March on Washington --Our Demands
- What Organizations Can Do
Health and Economic Effects of the September 11th
Disaster on Low-Income New Yorkers
The working poor communities in New York City,
already struggling before September 11, are now confronted
with devastating health and economic problems that have
been willfully ignored by the government.
Among the tragic consequences of the September 11
attacks is the tremendous health crisis brought on
by the toxic air that blanketed Lower Manhattan, widespread
jobs loss, and the mounting economic pressures that
have hit the area's low-income communities. The experience
of these communities, composed mainly of Chinese,
Latino and African American working families, has
confirmed what medical experts have found: an epidemic
of respiratory, dermatological, digestive and other
disorders. As low-income residents and workers report
a range of illnesses that include asthma, sinusitis,
and bronchitis, severe rashes, pneumonia, irregular
menstruation, post-traumatic stress disorder, and
struggle to pay for medical bills out of their own
pockets, the government ignores their needs. Disaster
relief programs failed to provide on-going health
coverage, conduct air-quality testing, establish health
clinics for the research and treatment of health problems
related to the toxic air, or compensate for the damage
to the environment, health, and lives of people.
Wealthier New Yorkers were able to escape the chaos
and toxic air of New York for months, retreating to
alternative residences. Low-income residents of the
City were not so fortunate. They had nowhere to go
nor could they afford to. They breathed the toxic
air, scrambled to find ways to take care of their
families' health problems after losing their medical
coverage with their jobs, and struggled to survive.
Government Disaster Relief Since 9/11 and Disparity
in Aid Between Rich and Poor
The Federal Government's disaster relief effort
has, in fact, stripped the poor to added to the coffers
of the wealthiest. Government emergency assistance provided
via FEMA is meant to meet emerging disaster-related
needs of affected people and fill in gaps in assistance.
FEMA has failed miserably in fulfilling its responsibility
to address the disaster-related needs of low-income
working people. While it is responsible for disaster-related
health problems, FEMA defers responsibility to State
and Federal health insurance programs, such as Medicaid,
that were not intended to address disaster-related health
needs. In fact, Disaster Medicaid was the only program
that provided interim health coverage, but has now expired.
Family Health Plus has strict income requirements and
severely limited coverage. As a result, left out of
the loop are thousands of working people who suffered
health problems because of 9/11 but were on fixed income,
and thousands more who lost their jobs but whose salary
loss did not add up to a 25% loss in their household's
income. For example, a Lower East Side resident on a
pension has suffered severe trauma and aggravated heart
problems because of the disaster and now needs more
therapy and medication. Her co-payments add up to $100
a month which she cannot afford on her fixed income.
The programs instituted by the government have been
marked by a willingness to help upper- and middle-class
persons, but delay and failure in addressing the needs
of low-income New Yorkers. For example, under the
Disaster Housing program, FEMA immediately sprang
into action and relocated hundreds of residents of
the West Side of lower Manhattan, declaring their
apartments unlivable and paying their stays at hotels.
However, despite the toxic dust that swept across
and inside the apartments of Chinatown and the Lower
East Side, FEMA failed to relocate residents of these
low-income neighborhoods.
FEMA's Mortgage and Rental Assistance (MRA) program
has been a massive failure for low-income New Yorkers.
From the start the program has been marked by arbitrary
rule making, confusion, and denial for low-income
New Yorkers. FEMA initially allowed the Red Cross
to handle rental assistance, trusting a private and--in
its own words--unaccountable institution to decide
who was and was not a victim. The Red Cross decided
that those living in Battery Park, Tribeca and the
wealthier West Side, especially those who could afford
luxury apartments and condominiums, were definitely
victims, while thousands Chinatown garment workers
who lost their jobs as a direct result of September
11 and many living in nearby low-income housing units
were not.
Months afterwards, FEMA introduced its MRA program,
sending out 30,000 applications. Approximately 10%
were processed and approved. Thousands were discouraged
from applying or denied even though most worked within
the eligible zone. For example, from last October
until this past May, FEMA publicly stated that its
northernmost boundary for aid was Houston Street.
In practice, it denied aid to thousands of low-income
garment workers who worked north of Canal St. and
south of Houston St. FEMA has since apologized, but
has failed to change its policies and procedures to
benefit low-income workers.
FEMA's processing requirements clearly discriminate
against low-wage workers. Even with other records
and documentation, the hopes of receiving assistance
from the MRA program for garment workers and many
other exploited workers hinge on the good word and
cooperation of their sweatshop bosses and slum landlords.
The recent “expansion” of MRA in late July does nothing
to address these issues (See
Appendix).
Government Misleads and Abandons Low-Income New
Yorkers Following 9/11
For months after September 11, the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) told residents in lower Manhattan
that the air was safe. Meanwhile, the EPA tested the
air only on the West Side of lower Manhattan, never
setting foot in the East Side. Only when independent
reports were released indicating that the air quality
was unsafe throughout lower Manhattan, did the government
hint that the air might be dangerous. This inaction
and about-face suggests a cover-up.
It is outrageous for the government to use virtually
all $20 billion to coddle the wealthy, subsidize big
businesses and pump cash into land developers while
expecting low-income families to live in a toxic environment
and borrow money from relatives to pay for disaster-related
health needs.
July 31, 2002 -- the March on Washington --Our Demands
The Beyond Ground Zero Network, formed in the wake
of September 11 by low-income, working people who work
and/or live near Ground Zero, comprises garment workers,
public housing residents, service workers, full-time
mothers, injured workers, and senior citizens. We are
spearheading a march in Washington D.C. to expose the
government's discriminatory and anti-poor practices
and cover-up of environmental hazards, and demand that
the government immediately prioritize rebuilding people's
health and lives.
On June 5 we organized 4,000 people from Lower Manhattan
area to march in New York City to protest the lack
of response of agencies such as the FEMA and the Red
Cross to their health and economic needs, which 2,000
workers had voiced on May 5 at our community townhall
meeting. However, the Bush Administration and FEMA
show no intention of addressing the health concerns
of people.
We make the following demands upon the Federal Government:
1)The government must expand the range and scope
of existing relief efforts and set up a new relief
program to provide living expenses to those who have
suffered loss of health or income, including those
who live or work north of Canal Street who are affected
by the disaster.
2) The government must provide reparations for its
cover-up of the toxic air. Aside from monetary compensation
and immediately cleaning up the environment, the government
must establish a medical institution to specialize
in studying the effects of the toxic air on people
and to provide appropriate medical care.
3) The government must create a law to protect low-income
housing and garment manufacturing in our community.
The government must make Chinatown a special zone
to preserve industrial buildings and factories.
4) The government must change the Family Health
Plus program and raise the income eligibility level,
allowing all people who work in New York to enjoy
medical health coverage.
5) FEMA must change the wrong policies and procedures
of the MRA program to address the needs of all of
us who are affected by 9/11.
What Organizations Can Do
1. Join the Beyond Ground Zero Network and endorse
our demands.
2. Take
Part in our 9-11 Letter-Writing Campaign.
3. Work with us to spread the word and educate the
public about this issue.
