Community Relations Teams Going Door-To-Door in Lower Manhattan

In hard-hit Battery Park City in Lower Manhattan, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) community relations teams, and representatives from the state Office of Mental Health and United Methodist Committee On Relief (UMCOR) are working to make sure people affected by the World Trade Center tragedy know how they can get the help they need to begin the recovery process. They have been distributing disaster assistance information and going door-to-door to residents in accessible areas. The teams are listening to people's concerns and providing assistance information to victims and their families.

"We listen and we listen with a big heart. The victims need to tell their stories and that's what we're here for," said FEMA Deputy Community Relations Coordinator Rita Ramos.

"The teams are a vital link between the community and relief agencies," Federal Coordinating Officer Ted Monette said. "This one-on-one contact helps us clear up situations that sometimes get in the way of providing the help people need."

The initial teams, four community relations field officers, and state and city partners have been talking directly with victims, displaced workers and people with damage to their homes. The message is information about assistance for those people with housing or transportation needs, damage to personal property, business losses or loss of employment or earnings. In addition, those with expenses such as disaster-related medical bills, mental health counseling, lost earnings or support due to injury or loss of life may also be eligible to receive assistance.

"We recognize that people who have lost so much because of this tragedy need information on assistance," State Coordinating Officer Edward F. Jacoby, Jr. said. "The people working on these teams have answers, or know where the answers can be found."

The teams will be available for as long as needed to assist people through the long recovery process.

September 24, 2001

Flyers at St. Vincents

Photos: Flyers with pictures of missing persons were posted on a prayer wall at St. Vincent's Hospital in Greenwich Village. Credit: Nancy A. Carter, September 16, 2001.