W000312
Sunday, November 11, 2001 11:56 PM
We Feel Entitled to Compensation For Suffering Caused by the
Sept. 11 Terrorist Attack
We were bombed out of our Battery Park City home and
business by terrorists, fleeing for our lives onto the
rescue ferries, tugs, and barges that would take us
across the Hudson River.
We spent days separated from each other and from our
pets, barred from access to our neighborhood. We were
finally permitted a few minutes, with secured escort
and under military supervision, to rescue our pets.
We reunited on Long Island, with just the clothes on
our backs. It would be two weeks before we were
allowed to return.
But we could not resume life as it was.
We had no groceries, no grocery store, no
transportation, and severely restricted pedestrian
mobility.
The toxic dust blanketing our apartment had to be
removed professionally. We had to buy HEPA air
purifiers and vacuums to ward off its recurrance, and
to stave off the headaches and throat irritation
caused by the dust and noxious chemicals in the
malodorous air.
Our business lost its fourth-quarter billings and its
lower-Manhattan client base. whom the
business employed, had to be laid off. Our business
has had to seek financial assistance to fund its
rebuilding.
The barricades and checkpoints that isolated us within
a war zone remained in place until just a few days ago.
Our indoor and outdoor air has to be continuously
monitored for toxins. We wear face masks outdoors to
avoid inhaling possibly dangerous substances.
Part of Battery Park City will remain uninhabitable
for several months. Our building is little more than
half reoccupied. Families with children are afraid to
return. Vans line the streets, as a steady stream of
residents moves out. Real estate prices and rentals
have plummeted.
A few businesses have reopened, but more are gone for
good. The lively family community we moved into this
May has been replaced by a somber stretch of half-
empty buildings, whose residents bravely struggle to
maintain hope and optimism in the face of economic, as
well as physical devastation.
We are two of the victims left behind to bury our
dead; to heal our physical and psychological wounds;
to find the will and strength to rebuild our daily
lives, our neighborhood, and our city.
Individual Comment