Put It Above Ground

NYDIS Announced closure of city’s last remaining 9/11 recovery program today.

Slowly but surely all of the available 9/11 services are shutting down.

Please be advised that we will continue to link all available 9/11 services through our Where to Turn Crisis Relief Network. (www.where-to-turn.org)

We will continue to keep you updated with 9/11 news with the help of Arnie Korotkin and will continue to post upcoming 9/11 events on our calendar.

As services are discontinued we will try to connect those in need with remaining resources.

We have over 800 Resources linked to our site as our services have expanded to any victim of tragedy.

If you are a service provider or a not for profit organization and would like to be included please forward a short description of your organization as well as a link to your website to info@where-to-turn.org and we will include you in our network. (civic and community groups invited as well)

If you do not have a web site we will create a web page so that your organization can be displayed.

Please note that we are trying to collect information on all Staten Island Organizations and link them.

The gloomy economic forecast will make it even more difficult for small not for profits that are the backbone of support for many in need.

By sharing information in addition to a little common sense coordination we hope to make people aware of all of the services still available to them on Staten Island and throughout the country.

We will also be coordinating joint projects to share resources as we are currently doing with the Friends of Abandoned Cemeteries with the Veteran Grave Markers.

We hope that you will take advantage of our site and in doing so help us help those in need.

NYDIS Announces Closure of City’s Last Remaining 9/11 Recovery Program

The New York City 9/11 Unmet Needs Roundtable will close in October
July 27, 2008, New York, NY… The New York Disaster Interfaith Services (NYDIS) 9/11 Recovery Program will close down on October 31st due to termination of major program funding. The 9/11 Recovery Program administers the New York City 9/11 Unmet Needs Roundtable (Roundtable) and the 9/11 Coordinated Case Management Program, the sole remaining financial assistance and case management programs for World Trade Center (WTC) responders and other 9/11-impacted persons, both locally and nationally.

Since its inception in 2002, the Roundtable has distributed more than $7.5 million in cash assistance to meet the basic needs of more than 4500 9/11-impacted persons and their families, from 28 states and Canada. Over 80 city human service agencies and 18 major donor partners have participated in the Roundtable to date. Without immediate new sources of charitable, city or federal funding to continue the Roundtable and 9/11 Coordinated Case Management programs, many WTC responders and other 9/11-impacted persons with disabling WTC-related physical and mental illnesses will be at risk of eviction or foreclosure and utilities shut-off.

Since 2005, NYDIS has funded and managed the 9/11 Coordinated Case Management Program, a community-based, intensive case management services program. The program serves both 9/11 survivors and health-impacted WTC responders and recovery workers. This program currently funds seven of only eight remaining 9/11 case managers in New York City.

Thousands of 9/11 survivors, responders, community residents, and area workers now suffer from disabling physical and mental health conditions related to a host of physical exposures and psychological stressors at the WTC site. Due to disabilities resulting from these 9/11 health impacts, many Roundtable clients struggle to meet very basic expenses, such as rent, mortgage, utilities, food, and transportation while awaiting the receipt of long-term benefits, such as Workers’ Compensation. As a result, hundreds of clients annually lapse into mortgage or rental arrears, and some have suffered eviction, foreclosure, utilities shut-off, or the humiliation of being unable to afford food for their families. In order to access benefits, secure financial assistance while awaiting the resolution of these benefits, and create a sustainable, long-term recovery plan for themselves and their families, thousands of 9/11 health-impacted persons will continue to require the assistance of a community-based, culturally competent and language-specific, 9/11-trained case manager.

NYDIS’s 9/11 Recovery Program currently coordinates and provides community-based case management services for survivors and hundreds of other 9/11 health-impacted persons. In addition, NYDIS is receiving an average of 53 new clients requesting services per month. More than 70 percent of NYDIS clients are WTC responders. Ninety-six percent of NYDIS clients currently suffer from 9/11 health impacts, and of those clients, 75 percent suffer from both physical and mental illnesses related to 9/11.
Absent philanthropic or governmental funding to continue the vital services offered at NYDIS, however, these ill clients will not receive the assistance necessary to prevent eviction or utilities shut-off, leaving them homeless or without essential services, such as electricity, heat, and gas.

“NYDIS is committed to the long-term administration of the NYC 9/11 Unmet Needs Roundtable as well as case management coordination and the recovery assistance tool supporting the sustainable long-term recovery needs of direct victims and injured recovery workers,” said Peter Gudaitis, Executive Director and CEO. “We must now look toward our government to meet this increasing need to ensure the health and well-being of those who put themselves in harm’s way when New York City and this nation needed them most.”

Contact: Peter B. Gudaitis
Executive Director & CEO
Office: 212-669-6100
Email: pgudaitis@nydis.org

The Skyscraper Safety Campaign
www.skyscrapersafety.org

For immediate distribution 7/28/08
Contact: Sally Regenhard: 646-266-1987
Prof. Glenn Corbett: 201-993-2814

Skyscraper Safety Campaign applauds NYPD Security Plan at GZ
& Calls for full enforcement of NYC codes

The Skyscraper Safety Campaign (SSC) commends Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly on the recent agreement between the City of New York and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey that gives the New York City Police Department primary responsibility for security at the World Trade Center site.

This is extremely significant news for all who will visit, work, or respond to emergencies at the WTC site as well as for the surrounding downtown community. The NYPD will bring a proven record of expertise and transparency to policing efforts at Ground Zero which will work towards ameliorating the obvious security design flaws of the underground truck and tour bus parking areas. In addition, the severe security deficiencies of the WTC underground memorial and museum call for a proven record of achievement and reliability associated with the NYPD security and anti-terrorism programs. Mayor Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Kelly are to be congratulated for this benchmark achievement.

Although this agreement is a significant milestone on the road toward comprehensive security at the nation’s number one terrorist target, we are still a long distance from total safety at the WTC site. The SSC calls on the City of New York to continue efforts at ensuring not only a secure World Trade Center site but a safe World Trade Center site as well. The WTC buildings remain essentially above the law by virtue of their immunities and exemptions from all NYC Building and Fire codes, just as the original WTC was. The necessity for the future WTC site to be constructed under the legal jurisdiction of the codes of the NYC Building and Fire departments is just as important as security measures at this ultra sensitive location. In this city, no buildings - especially the WTC - should be above the law.

Specifically, the SSC asks the City of New York to:

1) Insist that the Port Authority of NY/NJ relinquish its fire and building code immunities and exemptions from NYC codes.

2) Ensure that the entire World Trade Center site will be constructed under the legal jurisdiction of NYC building and fire codes.

3) Eliminate previous meaningless and unenforceable code compliance “memorandums of understanding” between NYC & the Port Authority, and instead, institute code compliance requirements such as plan reviews, building permits, periodic unannounced inspections with enforceable findings, certificates of occupancy and the ability to vacate any unsafe structures just like any other privately owned building in NY City.

4) Address the significant dangers posed by the underground museum and memorial which will descend to as much as seven stories below ground. . With thousands of visitors descending below grade, any emergency will present a life safety risk of immense proportions. This dangerous architectural design with the extreme remoteness of emergency escape stairwells will necessitate that fleeing visitors will travel lengthy horizontal distances to reach stairwells which will allow them to climb back up to street level. Many will literally have to travel off site to stairwells across West Street, across Liberty Street, and into the Calatrava transit hub. This long horizontal trek, combined with a seven story ascent in some cases, defies all safety logic. It will be impossible to move large numbers of people, especially the disabled , up to grade level as well. In addition, the large square footage and depth of the museum will greatly hinder quick emergency responder access & safety.

The Skyscraper Safety Campaign considers the WTC memorial/museum design to be inherently perilous for visitors, emergency responders, and the community at large and believes it must be modified to ensure public safety at the WTC site by safe design and full enforcement of NYC building and fire codes. In this way, the City of NY can aspire to achieve the goals of a safe as well as secure WTC site for the millions of people who will visit this National Memorial.

The Skyscraper Safety Campaign
Sally Regenhard, Chairperson
Monica Gabrielle, Co-Chairperson

Updated 9/11 Health and Compensation Act Introduced in House

http://www.where-to-turn.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=44019

CDC’s First Step to Provide 9/11 Health Care

http://www.where-to-turn.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=44018

It was announced this week that the families will be allowed once again to descend the ramp into the pit at ground Zero probably for the last time on 9/11.

Compared to what we had to go through last year this came as very good news and I was tempted to think “maybe things are finally changing”.

But then the cynical side of me thinks no they are just throwing us a bone to make up for the delays and overspending made public over the last month.

No matter how hard I try to believe the sour taste of all the paste lies still remains and I just can’t.

Just today a reminder that the mismanagement at Ground Zero continues despite what the Mayor, Governor or Port Authority say appeared in a barely covered story in our local papers.

If you didn’t look you probably didn’t notice but the “Survivor’s Staircase” was moved yet again.

Now those in charge would say it had to be moved because of ongoing construction.

But common sense would ask why it was originally moved to a location where they knew construction was going to take place.

The current move at considerable expense just goes to show that there is no real plan for if there was the staircase would not have been moved until its final resting place was ready.

The cynical albeit logical side of me sees that waste and showmanship continue to be the order of business at Ground Zero.

As much as I like Billy Crystal wouldn’t it have made sense to put additional family members, particularly those who have shown continued concern for the goings on at Ground Zero, on the Board?

But it will always be about raising money rather than improving content.

Hey we are going to need it when we have to move the staircase again.

But the memorial will be ready for the 10th Anniversary.

Every time I look at the site and see the Deutsche Bank Building still standing I think how can I believe that the memorial will be complete if they cannot even dismantle a building.

But maybe that’s just me.

Dennis

P.S.

Still no response from anyone regarding the Hearts and Hands Memorial.

ONE OF OUR 9/11 FAMILY NEEDS YOUR HELP

http://www.where-to-turn.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=44065

Letter: WTC Memorial

http://www.where-to-turn.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=43885

Just last week the Executive Director of the Port Authority and Governor Paterson stated that things are going to change at Ground Zero.

They were going to re-evaluate and keep a close eye on everything that is going on.

Fast forward to today’s New York Post where they are reporting that a former MTA executive who was fined for taking $10,000 in gifts from a contractor and forced to resign is now being hired by the Port Authority as a $115 consultant to work at Ground Zero. ($239,200 a year)

He will be consulting on the WTC transit hub.

But it gets better.

The same company that gave these gifts to him while he was at the MTA is currently under contract to work on the same project.

And what does the Port Authority have to say about this?

The PA insists that “the highest safety, integrity and ethical standards are in place at the WTC site”

With the economy in the state that it is in does anyone believe that there was not anyone else available for this position?

Does the Port Authority even know the definition of of integrity and ethical?

We already know that they have a problem with the word safety. But that is a whole other story (NYC Building and Fire Codes non existent at WTC)

So we once again have to deal with the “politenglish”

For those not familiar with the term “politenglish” is the language that politicians use.

Perfected by their spin doctors it manages to hold them blameless when things go wrong and only accountable on the rare occasion when something goes right.

But as Charles De Gaulle said “Since a politician never believes what he says, he is quite surprised to be taken at his word”

It will be interesting to see just how they will spin this.

And you wonder why we need a political pre-nup.

FOR ADDITIONAL ARTICLES GO TO

THE LOST ART OF COMMON SENSE

http://lostartofcommonsense.blogspot.com/