dojW000202.xml

dojW000202.xml

born-digital

email

yes

no

2001-11-07

Wednesday, November 07, 2001 5:14 PM
September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001

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.

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 in a complex directly across the street from the World Trade
Center. While my apartment sustained only minor damage, it is
never-the-less contaminated with dust and debris which had to 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.

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, and the residents of Battery Park City on September 11,
2001 deserve compensation for what we had to go through.


Individual Comment
Battery Park City, NY

2001-11-07