Lower Manhattan Residents RELIEF Coalition

In the NEWSPAPER

A New Struggle on Lower East Side Relying on others in wake of attack

By Mae M. Cheng, STAFF WRITER

For the low-income residents who live along Manhattan's lower east tip, the last week and a half since the World Trade Center attack have been trying times, as they try to make do with discontinued phone service, nonworking food stamp debit cards and the occasional shortage of hot water.

"With such a horrible thing happening [the attacks], it's going to affect everybody," said Carmen Paulina, 57, a resident of one of the public housing projects on the Lower East Side.

The collapse of the Twin Towers cut off many of the utilities supplied to downtown Manhattan. But while a lot of the relief efforts have focused on the neighborhoods closest to the World Trade Center and those hardest hit, residents of the Lower East Side feel that they have had to rely mostly on the assistance of local community groups.

"They are really, really appreciative that we visit them," said Noah Rubin, a volunteer for the nonprofit, community-based Lower Manhattan Residents Relief Coalition.

The coalition was formed after the terrorist attacks to help the residents of the Lower East Side, many of whom are senior citizens, disabled or single mothers, Rubin said. The coalition consists of about 350 volunteers, including those who had been working on the campaigns of City Council candidate Kwong Hui and Democratic district leader candidate Norma Ramirez.

Volunteers have made about 2,000 door-to-door visits already, of which approximately 75 percent of the households have asked for some assistance, whether it's to make telephone calls on their behalf, to fill drug prescriptions, or to pick up money wired by family members, Rubin said. On Thursday and Friday, volunteers also began serving meals donated by the Red Cross and a food missionary group from California.

"People just flowed out of their buildings," Rubin said of the times when they served meals.

Paulina, who lives in a public housing unit with her daughter and two grandchildren, ages 6 and 11, has been without phone service and without hot water occasionally. But she has been able to call family members by using the free mobile phones Verizon set up on street corners.

A greater problem for Paulina has been the food shortage. Because the phone lines have been down, her food stamp debit card won't work at many of the grocery stores in the neighborhood. Her son from Brooklyn had to bring her food at one point.

The inconveniences "bother me, but I'm not angry," said Paulina, who said she feels worse for the victims of the attack.

Teresa Toledo, 67, who also lives in a public housing unit, is asthmatic, and her son, who lives with her, suffers from seizures. She fears the day she needs to call 911 and her phone line still doesn't work.

"I'm worried because if anything happens to my son or me, I can't get help," Toledo said. "I see myself screaming out the window, 'Help! Help!' "