Staten Island residents are outraged and angry as they feel they have become the forgotten victims of Hurricane Sandy.
The island was one of the hardest hit by the superstorm, with many people losing absolutely everything and it has been a scene of many, many tears with the scope of the destruction becoming more evident by the day.
Staten Island residents feel they have been neglected and left alone to deal with their devastation (scroll down for the videos to show the extent of their desperation and anger).
On Thursday, S.I resident Carlo Montagnino, from the DAPS website wrote about living through superstorm Sandy and urged people to do whatever they can to ensure others were okay.
Here is his post in its entirety….
Yesterday after around 36 hours of powerlessness, my building erupted with joy, literal cheering from its residence after all of our Verizon boxes started beeping, signifying a restoration of power. I had spent yesterday morning like I spent the previous morning, visiting with friends and family around Staten Island to make sure they are alright. Most had power issues, some had devastating water damage, others lost everything.
On Tuesday night I was complaining that our ice cream melted. Wednesday morning I saw my friend’s house completely underwater on the news.
Right now, while Staten Island and coastal New Jersey are facing the worst disaster they’ve ever faced, most New Yorker’s biggest problem is getting to work.
TAKE THE DAY OFF AND GO HELP PEOPLE WHO NEED IT.
Fuck your stupid job, they’ll be just fine while you bring some food to powerless neighbors. You can afford to miss a day’s pay while you donate all those clothes you never wear to the closest shelter. Open your doors if you have anything at all to offer. Even if your power is out and nearly out of food, many people don’t even have a home or dry clothing right now.
Another source of frustration for Staten Island residents, is the news that the New York City Marathon will go ahead this Sunday.
“It is as the borough president, Jim Molinaro, said, it’s disgusting, it really is,” State Senator Andy Lanza said, criticizing the city for giving the go-ahead to the New York City Marathon this weekend and the focus on pumping the water out of the East River tunnels. “We’re talking about getting water of the tunnel. Let’s get the water out of the tunnel tomorrow, let’s get the people out of the water today. There’ve been thousands of people who have been displaced. There are people who are cold, who are hungry, who are without a place to go, and looking for warmth. There are people still trapped. Yet we’re talking about marathons and tunnels. I walked on the rooftop of a house yesterday, I stepped on it because the debris that surrounded it was level with the rooftop. That’s what happened here on Staten Island.”
“I think this is an example of what infuriates people here on Staten Island,” Congressman Michael Grimm added.“Like Senator Lanza just said, we have people, people still in water. Families displaced, families wondering where their grandparents are. Are they at a shelter? Are they at a hospital? Or are they gone? That’s what we should be focusing on. I think it would be very misguided to have this marathon. I think that the people of Staten Island will see this, unfortunately…as another shot against them, that the City Hall is more worried about getting everything running again for Manhattan and making everything look like it’s back to normal. We’re not back to normal and we’re not going to be back to normal for a long time.”
“The notion of diverting even one police officer, one first responder, one asset away from this carnage is beyond irrational,” Councilman James Oddo told the Daily News. Earlier, Oddo called the idea of hosting the marathon as “idiotic” on his Facebook page.
What do you think?