Refugees Welcomed in NYC - Local Center Provides Aid for Katrina Victims

Columbia Spectator -


Refugees Welcomed in NYC
Local Center Provides Aid for Katrina Victims
By Lindsay Schubiner
Spectator Staff Writer

September 27, 2005

Despite New York�s distance from Louisiana, about one thousand victims of Hurricane Katrina have sought shelter in the five boroughs with family or friends and aid from the city�s Office of Emergency Management.
The Office of Emergency Management, together with New York�s Human Resources Administration, Department of Homeless Services, and the American Red Cross in Greater New York, opened a service center roughly a week ago on West 135th street near Broadway to help the new migrants. OEM hopes the center will serve as �a one stop shopping center for all the services Hurricane Katrina evacuees would need,� said Andrew Troisi, a spokesperson for the Office of Emergency Management.

�The Disaster Assistance Service Center was a reaction to the realization that there were a lot of evacuees in New York and they needed services to get them back on their feet,� he said. But while community members are generally supportive of the center�s work, Community Board 9 Chairman Jordi Reyes-Montblanc took issue with the administration for not informing the board about the center�s opening.

�The whole process in the city of New York requires that the city agency, when they�re going to do anything, they�re supposed to consult the community board. In this instance that was not done,� said Reyes-Montblanc. �That�s an ugly precedent that I for one would not accept.� However, Reyes-Montblanc still supported the center�s goals. �I think it�s a good thing for us to help people from New Orleans in any way we can,� he said.

Troisi said he was unable to respond to Reyes-Montblanc�s complaint, but he emphasized the city�s continuing willingness to help Hurricane victims who have landed in New York. �There are no plans to close the center at this time. There�s definitely not a cap on what�s being offered. As long as there�s a need, we�ll respond to it,� he said.

Staff members from several governmental and nonprofit agencies have been meeting with evacuees through scheduled appointments to help them with housing, clothing, food, banking, and school enrollment for children.

Spectator could not obtain permission to speak with Katrina victims, but one employee at the Disaster Assistance Service Center observed that many of the evacuees were planning to stay in New York instead of returning home for fear of other hurricanes. The employee, who requested anonymity because she said she did not want some of her friends to know where she worked, noted that most evacuees seemed to be having a good experience at the service center.

�They�re very sympathetic to their needs,� she said of the service center staff�s reaction to the evacuees. �So far I haven�t seen anyone leave upset.�