It was just nearing the end of Summer 2001 when it happened - a disaster resulting in an incredible loss of life, destruction of property and ultimately the beginning of some new ways of life, especially for New Yorkers. Summer 2002 we were just beginning to try to understand what all of this meant. It was a time of looking into the ‘bathtub,’ the World Trade Center Site seeing no recovery activity and having no clue what would ultimately be in that place. For many, Summer 2002 never really existed at all. Summer 2003, millions of people in New York at first were sure the massive blackout was a terrorist act. “Oh no, not again!!!” Manhattan workers once again found themselves getting home by walking long distances and over bridges. It was the second time in two years. Summer 2004, New York City hosted the Republican National Convention. It seemed as though security was getting even tighter than just after 9/11. Certain buildings were put on special alert. St. Peters Church in the Citigroup Center was among those buildings. Summer isn’t what it used to be.
It seems 9/11 in some ways occurs every summer, every day. Summer 2005 and the terrorist bombings in London were not a wake-up call for New Yorkers, it is a time mix of emotions including safety and fear as security is brought to even new heights. LDRNY’s building, the Comfort and Renew Center, was evacuated because a suspicious package was found on the street near Ground Zero the week of the second London bombings. NYPD has said reports about suspicious behavior and packages have doubled in the City’s “If you SEE something, SAY something” campaign. The very next day the announcements were being made to almost 5 million straphangers, “Passengers are advised their backpacks and other large containers are subject to random search by the police.” Police presence on New York City Subways has doubled since July 7. I was waiting in line at my insurance agent to renew my car insurance, and a young man in front of me was adamant about getting disability and life insurance only if it would cover him in the event a bomb blew up on a train he was riding. When I returned home, I learned Penn Station had been evacuated because an angry customer told a ticket clerk he was carrying a bomb in his bag. Summer isn’t what it used to be.
People who have been through floods, severe hurricanes and tornadoes often have long term difficulty when they hear high winds and heavy rain. These sounds bring back awful memories of very difficult times. It just hasn’t stopped raining and the wind hasn’t stopped howling in New York since September 11, 2001. Even as New York residents endeavor to move on, progress for many is slowed by the never ending reminders of what happened in Lower Manhattan.
LDRNY continues to offer and support programs that assist persons who continue to feel the long term effects and have deeply trenched needs as a result of 9/11. Programs reach out to those with long term mental health, physical health and economic needs. These are not simply lingering nagging needs. Rather these issues have woven themselves into the lives of victims, survivors, recovery workers, immigrants, the unemployed and countless others who continue to feel the stinging bite of 9/11. LDRNY will continue its efforts as long as human need is a reality as a result of September 11.
|
