Queens Unites To Aid Hurricane Victims

Two weeks after Katrina pummeled the Gulf Coast, borough residents like Julius Adams have continued to hold open their doors to hurricane victims.
Of the 2,071 New York City housing listings posted as of Tuesday on the Hurricane Housing website (part of MoveOn.org Civic Action), hundreds were advertising spots in Queens – from Flushing to Jamaica to Middle Village to Long Island City.
Adams advertised a space in the basement of his Rego Park home that he said could host two people, adding that he could put in a shower if necessary.
Adams, a teacher at PS 98 in Douglaston, said he can relate to the struggle that hurricane victims are facing, having himself gone through tough times following Sept. 11, 2001. “9/11 was bad. This is not worse, but it’s totally different,” he said.
Just blocks away Kenneth Mashel also posted a listing on hurricanehousing.org for hurricane victims to stay in his one-bedroom Rego Park apartment.
“The only way to help is to go out and volunteer – to get to the people who need it,” he said. “Maybe I could help them.”
Middle Village resident Liz Dicaesar posted an invite for two people in her two-bedroom apartment.
“I will assist in any way possible with finding work, registering at school, clothing, food, etc.,” wrote Dicaesar on the website to hurricane victims.
Adams has had one inquiry into his listing: a family of four with roots in Rego Park who were looking for a full apartment with a kitchen and bathroom. With two children – one having just graduated from Yale and the other in high school – the family has still not decided whether to travel north to New York or west to Boca Raton, Fla. Unable to provide the family with enough space, Adams has continued to look for a suitable place for them.
“Most people are staying in the south, and you can’t blame them. I [wouldn’t] want to uproot my family 1,000 miles,” Adams said.
According to MoveOn.org, Katrina victims have not yet necessarily taken advantage of the website’s offerings.
“Because of the conditions on the ground in the Gulf Coast and in the cities evacuees are being taken to, finding semi-permanent housing may not be the first thing on people’s minds,” reads a statement on the site.
But whether or not the victims are choosing to stay closer to home or whether many are unaware of MoveOn’s service remains a question.
Twenty-four hours after the launch on September 1, organizers listed more than 33,000 available beds being offered to Katrina evacuees.
So far, organizers estimate over 17,000 beds have been found for hurricane victims.
Queens residents who wish to offer space to hurricane evacuees are encouraged to post their information at www.hurricanehousing.org.