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Hurricane Sandy

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By: Teresa Roca

When I woke up on Tuesday morning, I had no clue how bad Staten Island got hit by Hurricane Sandy.

I looked out my window to see everything intact. With no trees on my block and everything such as tables and chairs put away or tied down, nothing seemed ruiened or out of place. I don’t live near the water, so my block and the surrounding blocks were okay. The only thing we suffered from was no power for two days.

Suffering from boredom, I drove to my friend’s house with the little gas I had left (not knowing gas would be scarce for weeks). I picked her up and we drove around my area for a fast food restaurant or diner. To our surprise, nothing was open. We then resorted to going to a grocery shop and finding food to make.

As we drove to other neighborhoods, that is when we started seeing the destruction. Fallen trees on destroyed houses, power lines in the middle of streets, traffic lights out and more. When we finally found an open super market, the lights were off and the only food being sold was non-perishable items. We waited on a long line for hours realizing that the storm was much more disastrous than we had previously thought.

Ater hearing horror stories from neighbors of massive flooding and a death toll on Staten Island rising by the hour, I decided I needed to find service to see if my loved ones were okay. I somehow got in touch with a friend who had power and I got my father to drive me to her house.

When I got there, I couldn’t help but cry when I saw the devastation that took place in New Jersey, the Rockaways and especially my home of Staten Island. Between the destruction, people pleading for help, and others crying for their missing loved ones, I couldn’t believe how naïve and selfish I had been.

When I got home, I was welcomed to power. I ignored it though, and filled bags with clothes and food to donate to people devastated by the hurricane.

When I sat down to watch the news, I learned that Staten Island waited days before receiving help from the Red Cross and FEMA. That is when I knew that I had to report about this injustice and shed light of the horrible circumstances that were happening in my borough.

I am grateful that my family, friends and myself weren’t harmed by the hurricane. I only wish I knew sooner so I could have helped sooner.

Staten Island Railway Commuters Furious Over Recent Service

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By: Teresa Roca

Every weekday morning, Dina Amato begins her commute to Manhattan by boarding the St. George-bound train to the Staten Island Ferry Terminal. As the express train zips by, it abruptly stops between two stations. Sighing in frustration, Amato checks her watch to see if making the ferry will be a possibility. The conductor makes an announcement in an attempt to keep commuters patient, blaming the 10-minute delay on construction and slippery tracks from leaves. With only a few minutes to spare, the train pulls into the St. George station as Amato runs with a crowd of commuters to the turnstiles. The only way Amato can get onto the free ferry is by paying $2.25 for the train that may have just caused her to miss her connection.

statenisland This is a typical weekday morning for Staten Island residents who are forced to rely on the Staten Island Railway to commute to New York City.

“I have been taking the train for about 10 years now and I don’t ever remember a time when it was so disrupted by leaves falling, that just doesn’t make sense to me,” said Amato. “If that is the case I think they would have to figure out a solution. You can’t just let people sit there on the train without any explanation other than leaves are falling and you’re going to miss your ferry and too bad. I just think they’re in fumble mode right now and they’re using the leaves as an excuse.”

The Staten Island Railway is the only running transit line in the borough, providing full-time local service and part-time express service between St. George and Tottenville. The 22-stop train is free between stations. The only stops Staten Islanders have to pay the $2.25 fee is when exiting the train at St. George to get onto the ferry and at Tompkinsville station, the second to last stop on the train. Because of heavy delays, many islanders feel that paying this fee is unfair.

Since May 21st, 2012, the Grasmere station has been undergoing construction in an effort to upgrade the station. According to mta.info, the track work at this station will be completed by April 2013. Destruction caused by Hurricane Sandy has added to the delays. The storm damaged the signal system, allowing only two of the tracks to operate. Service won’t be fully restored until March 2013.

“I think since the train services aren’t running at 100 percent right now we shouldn’t have to pay,” said St. Francis College undergraduate Anthony Ruggiero.

Some Staten Islanders feel that a waived fee from the other stations makes up for the cancelled express trains and heavy delays during rush hour.

“With any MTA system, even with the subways, there are always delays and problems,” said Cecilia Tribuzio, an undergraduate student at LIM College. “I feel like the train is pretty good for not having to pay at all the stops.”

For years, commuters would get off at the Tomkinsville station and walk six blocks to the Staten Island Ferry to avoid paying the fare. In 2010, MTA added turnstiles to the station to restrict islanders from getting out of paying at St. George.turnstiles

“A lot of people used to get off,” said Pino Ciaccia, a longtime commuter who used to beat this system. “I would say half of the people walking to the ferry were people who lived in the area and the other half would take the five-minute walk to save two dollars.”

John G. Gaul, former vice president and chief officer of the railway, stated in an interview to The New York Times that the added turnstiles at Tomkinsville were “in a large measure, but not totally,” to receive fare from people who tried to beat the system. He projected that they would receive about $661,000 in annual revenue by adding turnstiles at Tompkinsville.

“I think it’s fair because people used to leave Tomkinsville and not have to pay for the train when they got off for the ferry,” said Tribuzio. “The MTA system was losing a lot of money.”

Until 1997, conductors of the Staten Island Railway would collect tickets from passengers as they boarded the train from one of the 22 stops. This was eliminated when the MetroCard was introduced. The Staten Island Railway lost about $3.4 million a year in response to the cut. Silive.com reported that in an effort to increase revenue, MTA plans to restore fare collection at every station.

“I don’t think that makes sense because a lot of students use the train system to get to and from school and a lot of elderly people and local people use it,” said Amato. “I mean, it’s still a city suburb so I think a lot of people use that to get around Staten Island.”

Ciaccia feels that paying $2.25 at Tomkinsville and St. George is bad enough, let alone at every station.

“There is a lot of waste because a lot of the time I see work and the work has not been finished or they fix the stations and you see ten people doing nothing all day long. You never see a complete job. MTA should manage their resources and the money they spend in a better way. The easy way is to raise the fare.”

IMG_0314For residents living on the South Shore of Staten Island, the Staten Island Railway is their only source of transportation to midtown Manhattan. Although they can drive to express bus stops, that would involve more time, money and frustration since parking is limited.

“If you want to run to a Knicks game real quick you have to plan a few hours in advance just to get there early for a game that starts at 7,” said Ruggiero. “You have to leave here at least 3:30 p.m. just to get to the city on time. It’s really a pain living in Staten Island, especially with this train.”

When asked how the MTA could improve transportation for South Shore Staten Islanders, Amato insisted that MTA focus on other alternatives.

“I really don’t understand why South Shore Staten Islanders can’t get straight to midtown Manhattan without relying on the train system. I think they should put a ferry down on the South Shore. Utilizing Tottenville would be great since there is a port capability right there. It can make multiple stops up the island and go right downtown.”

 

Staten Islanders respond to delays and the possible addition of turnstiles at every station.

Katherine Vaz Profile

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By Teresa Roca

Standing at the podium, with her eyes fixated on the page in front of her, Katherine Vaz reads an excerpt from her upcoming novel “Below the Salt.” As she reads, the seated audience remains still. No cell phones vibrate. No one shifts in his or her chair. The only sound in the room is of the words that captivate the audience. As she portrays the themes of death and tragedy through these words, she is able to evoke emotion from her listeners. This talent makes her the critically acclaimed author she is today.

“It’s really hard to write fiction that doesn’t have those issues that connect to loss,” said Vaz. “Death is going to happen.”

Growing up in Oakland, California in the late ’60s, the issues of race and the Vietnam War plagued her community. After hearing stories of her grandmother’s death, how her mother was born dead then brought back to life, and experiencing her grandfather’s passing first hand, death has been prevalent throughout her life.

“I don’t think I am unusual or different. I tend to think of death as just plain life,” said Vaz.

“Taking a Stitch to a Dead Man’s Arm,” the first short story in her collection “Our Lady of the Artichokes and Other Portuguese American Stories,” is inspired by experiences from Vaz’s childhood such as taking the bus to school, forming a friendship of protection with another student, and her relationship with her father. Vaz took her father’s fear of the dark and a family myth to create a fictional story bigger than the truth it came from.

“It’s completely fictional. I am not that character at all,” said Vaz. “That is the thing about fiction, it is not an autobiography, but you do draw on essences.”

Vaz knew she wanted to be a writer at the age of 12. From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Vaz would spend her workdays giving herself writing exercises such as copying paragraphs to see the construction and writing short stories in a specific time span. Although she did not save one word from these exercises, this is how Vaz learned to write.

“I can even see the moment where that wasn’t just what I wanted to do, but who I was,” said Vaz.

After years of having her short stories published in literary magazines, Vaz was accepted into the MFA program at the University of California at Irvine in her early 30s. Her thesis, which drew on her past experiences, as opposed to conventional topics, became her first novel entitled “Saudade.” This novel portrays a young woman’s struggle with self-expression in a world with no sound. Her second book, “Mariana,” depicts the true story of a nun who wrote love letters that many people believe to be the most passionate documents in history. This novel received widespread popularity. It was printed in seven editions, six languages and remained on the bestsellers list in Portugal for years.

Aside from writing, Vaz dedicated her time to a teaching fellowship at Harvard University for five years. During that time, she also did a fellowship at Radcliff Institute for Advanced Study.

With a religious family that practiced the catholic faith, Vaz grew up learning about saints and their crucial role in her culture. The use of miracles and religious beliefs regarding saints are two consistent themes found throughout her work.

“I grew up with the stories of the saints,” said Vaz. “They were real people who had miraculous things happen, things phenomenal to me. I realize they’re mythological, but it does introduce the possibility that extraordinary things can exist the real world. ”

Her ability to present old Portuguese-American traditions and catholic beliefs, while understanding the complexities of life, has made her an award-winning author.

She won the 1997 Drue Heinz Literature Prize for her first short story collection “Fado & Other Stories” and was the 2007 winner of the Prairie Schooner Book Prize in Fiction for “Our Lady of the Artichokes and Other Portuguese American Stories.”

When asked how Vaz knows that her readers will be interested in the topics she writes about, she replied, “I feel and give weight to what’s important to me, what do I need to get across to people. You explore that and are not confined by having to report this is the way the incident happened. It is not about what I share about myself, what happened to me. It is about what I have in my heart that I manifest in the world, what I want to find as a story.”

Quiz

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By: Teresa Roca

How would you describe his place on the social/political spectrum? Is he a conservative, a liberal, or middle of the road? Back up your description by giving examples from the article.

Sheik Reda Shata has a significant presence in the Islamic community of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. His role of helping Muslims adjust to the loose morals of American culture, while staying true to Islamic beliefs and faith is a difficult job that Shata executes well.

“I try to be more of a doctor than a judge,” said Mr. Shata. “A judge sentences. A doctor tries to remedy.”

This quote highlights the duty Shata has to the Islamic community. After calling fellow sheiks in Egypt for advice on how to instruct Muslims in Brooklyn, he discovered that their views did not relate to life in America. He then began to construct his own remedies. His place on the social/political spectrum would be middle of the road. He is able to accomplish the task of helping Muslims relate to American life without dismissing the laws and faith of their culture.

When asked difficult questions such as, is oral sex acceptable? Can one take out a mortgage? Can one eat a Big Mac? Can Muslims take a job selling alcohol or pork? Shata understands how difficult it is to move forward in American life and adapt when restricted to Muslim ideals. He helps his fellow Muslims by giving them restrictions, yet lenience. They can have oral sex, but only when married. They may eat Big Macs, but with no bacon or cheese. They can take jobs serving alcohol or pork, but only if there is no other job available. They can take out mortgages in order to be successful.

The author is able to show the struggles of the imam, while portraying his progress of adapting to American life.

My favorite part of the article is the last quote. “Here you don’t know what will solve a problem,” he said. “It’s about looking for the key.” This quote summarizes the main focus of the article. Shata is a man who doesn’t judge or force his people to follow in his beliefs. Instead, he is a source of understanding and guidance. He may not always know the answer or what may be acceptable to the Islamic culture, but there is always a solution, and he intends to find it everytime.

Staten Islanders Unite in the Wake of Hurricane Sandy

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By: Teresa Roca

Canned vegetables, bleach, jars of baby food, bottled water and hygiene products consume the inside of small, white tents. Outside, labeled duct tape separates garbage bags of pillows, used clothing, towels and blankets. Clusters of people stop by these tents, rummaging through the donated necessities, similar to the ones that once filled their homes.

The organization of these relief zones is a contrast from the surrounding area. Wood, shrubbery and unsalvageable belongings litter foundations where homes once stood; red tags reading “unsafe” and “fully destroyed” hang from front doors; people wearing masks walk in and out of homes, carrying bags of garbage and sheetrock.

Without the Hurricane Sandy relief zones organized by local groups and businesses, the residents of the New Dorp section of Staten Island would have nothing.

“If this place wasn’t here, if these people weren’t getting the help they needed, who knows what would have happened to them,” said Celia Iervasi, a main coordinator of Ariana’s Grand relief center. “We’re talking life and death. They would be dead.”

Ariana’s Grand, a local catering hall, is one of the many businesses damaged by Hurricane Sandy. With Ariana’s flooded basement, and electricity and heat returning just last weekend, owner Frank DiMattina knew what his new role would be in the devastated community.

“He could have just said ‘I’m done. My business is closed,’ lock the door and go about his business,” said Sean Cusick, another coordinator of the center. “But he is a community-minded guy. He is always looking to help out.”

Iervasi and Cusick have been accepting, distributing, and organizing items ever since DiMattina set up his tent in response to the hurricane. Receiving over 100 volunteers every weekend, Ariana’s has been a safe haven for New Dorp residents seeking hot meals served inside the hall and donated supplies in the tent outside.

“We are organizing demolition crews, manpower, to go out into the houses and actually demo the interior of the homes for the people that have been affected,” said Cusick. “This way, they don’t have to hire a contractor and spend the money.”

A couple of blocks down the road, another tent is set up. Hallowed Sons, a motorcycle group out of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, are the organizers.

“The Hallowed Sons had a family member here that lost their home,” said Donna Graziano, the main coordinator. “They came here to take furniture out of the house. Then we came with a barbeque and it just exploded from there.”

Like Ariana’s, Hallowed Sons offers food, accepts and distributes donations, and sends crews to clean out houses. On site 24 hours a day, Hallowed Sons receives volunteers from all over the country. They are currently accepting donations to keep their soup kitchen and food line running for those affected by Sandy.

In front of their tent a sign reads, “#OccupySandyRelief. #WeGotThis.”

This sign represents the unification of volunteers and residents in the community. These relief zones have sprung up in the ravished parts of Staten Island in response to the government’s lack of support. The Red Cross and FEMA didn’t come to Staten Island until November 2nd. In these four days after Hurricane Sandy, Staten Island residents were pleading for food, clothing, gasoline and help. As one of the hardest hit areas, Staten Islanders believe the Red Cross and FEMA didn’t come soon enough.

“You’re talking about 14 feet of water in someone’s home. Nothing is salvageable,” said Cusick. “Without this organization, they wouldn’t have gotten the help they needed because they weren’t getting help from the outside until recently when President Obama came. The government wasn’t doing anything for these people.”

Angelo Chiarello is one of the many residents in the New Dorp area whose home was damaged by the hurricane. After deciding to evacuate last minute with his family, he came home to what he describes as a “war zone.” Eleven feet of water flooded Chiarello’s basement, destroying thousands of dollars of toys, tools, collectibles and personal items. His family had no power for two weeks.

“If it wasn’t for the community helping us out, it would have been a lot worse,” said Chiarello. “The Red Cross came like five days later, Fema like a week later, so we really had no help except for each other. The tents were good to have there because people could get hot food and other stuff.”

When asked about the government’s response to the hurricane Chiarello replied, “Horrible. I got to go make a phone call to complain, I will be right back.”

The altruism of the community in wake of Hurricane Sandy hasn’t gone unnoticed. Volunteers and residents have become a family.

“Staten Island helped Staten Island. That’s what helped us. There was no one else,” said Chiarello. “People from the tents were driving around asking, ‘you want a case of water? You want food?’ Coming around with sandwiches and cleaning stuff, it helped big.”

After weeks of volunteering and aiding Hurricane Sandy victims, the relief areas aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.

“They don’t want us to leave, honestly, they don’t want us to go,” said Graziano. “That is why I am still here. I will stay as long as they need me.”

As Iervasi told Cusick that they had to get back to work, he paused for a moment, and with a smile he said, “When I was reading the papers, the people that live here said that we are doing the work of God.”

 

Find out how community groups are rising to the occasion to help Hurricane Sandy victims.