17 Months and Where's the Help

Route of the March 29 Walk a Mile in Our Shoes
demonstration, Midland Beach, Staten Island, N.Y.

By Mark E. Ruquet

Residents fed-up with waiting for New York officials to make good on their promise to help them recover from Superstorm Sandy, gathered for a peaceful demonstration on a rainy Saturday morning in Midland Beach, Staten Island, N.Y.

Homeowners, some still waiting 17 months after Sandy devastated New York and New Jersey, were joined by civic association leaders, Congressman Michael Grimm and Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis for Walk a Mile in Our Shoes. The walk took place on March 29 beginning at the Turtle Circle with close to 100 residents gathering on this wet and chilly morning, walking a mile to demonstrate their dissatisfaction with the lack of progress city officials have made getting federal dollars promised to the victims.

Residents are upset with the slow pace of the state's buyout program under which homes will be purchased to return the property to its natural state or redevelopment.

The city's Build It Back program received the bulk of criticism. Speaking from my own personal experience, backed-up by the experience of others speaking in the attached video, Build It Back appears to be more concerned with accumulating paperwork than actually spending dollars to make people whole again, despite the promises of federal and local officials.

Please view Walk a Mile in Our Shoes Part I and II, and understand Staten Islander's frustration with the lack of progress.

Forgive the time it has taken to get this posted. I ran into a number of technical difficulties that delayed posting.

Click link to Part I

Click link to Part II