dojW000248.xml

dojW000248.xml

born-digital

email

yes

no

2001-11-08

Thursday, November 08, 2001 8:01 AM
BPC residents

Dear Sir;

I am writing on behalf of my family

We were all within 200 yards of the WTC at the time of
the attack in different locations. My son's school
(PS 89), my work (WFC 2), and our home were all in Battery Park City. We all
survived the attack, but our lives will never be the
same because of this event which will haunt us
forever.

I want the Victim's Compensation Fund to realize and
prepare for the fact that damages suffered might not
readily be apparent so soon after the attack.

We have suffered from many short-term inconveniences
that I will not list. I am more concerned about the
long-term physical and psychological problems we face.
My two sons spent the night of September 11th in the
lobby of a downtown hotel. I am extremely worried
about the exposure they got to harmful substances in
the air. They got additional exposure when the mayor
of New York city had us move back home on 09/23/01, a
date many now consider to have been to early. As a
parent, I will have to worry about this each day of my
life.

It is too early to tell how my children will remember
this event. I would like you to consider that they
are among the very few children to have witnessed this
disaster and that their childhood memories will be of
a place that was destroyed in a highly publicized way.
My son and his classmates were evacuated from
elementary school as the buildings with parents in
them fell behind them. I did not find my son until
4pm that afternoon. No one knows the ramifications of
living with this reality, and I want to make sure that
the kids of PS 89 are remembered and given some
consideration.

Because we fled the area after learning about air
quality issues, my son is in his second first grade
class this year. His is with his brother and mother in
California while I stay in a motel in New Jersey close
to a temporary work building. When I locate a new
home, he will have to change classes yet again.

It is hard for me to describe all the things my family
has gone through in the last weeks, but I will say
that all of the residents of Battery Park city have
similar stories. Once we have attended the needs of
the dead, we hope that you watch out for the needs of
the living victims with long-term issues yet to
surface.

Sincerely,

Individual Comment

2001-11-08