Latino Victims of Sandy Neglected: Hispanic Group Launches Official Complaint

One year after Hurricane Sandy ravaged parts of New York and New Jersey, many Latino victims still haven't received the state and federal help they were promised. CBS reports that Hispanic residents of New Jersey are complainig they have received an inadequate response from the Christie Administration. A group representing Hispanics has sent a second letter of complaint to the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The Latino Action Network complained two weeks ago about the poor quality of information available on the Spanish-language recovery website. The group's spokesman, Christian Estevez stated "Fixing the web site was only one part of it. The other part of it was making the people whole who may have been impacted by this omission."

Latino victims have in some cases been the hardest hit by Superstorm Sandy, particularly those that are undocumented migrants. As Fox News Latino reports, without insurance or a Social Security Number, undocumented migrants have been ineligible for state or federal releif support. "I have friends who have gone to FEMA and were told if they don't have a Social Security number they can't get help," said Staten Island resident Emma Bedals. FEMA states that undocumented migrants can apply for help without a Social Security Card and also assures migrants that their status will not be reported. However, while these familie were eligible for non-cash assistance such as food, shelter and clothing immediately after the Hurricane, a year later, without access to the "Individuals and Households Program Assistance," rebuilding after the storm has become a serious challenge.

The Food Bank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties is one organization trying to help Latino victims of Sandy. The organization's Executive Director Carlos Rodriguez explains: "We partner with 260 smaller local pantries, soup kitchens and other charities in the area. After the hurricane, we were asked by FEMA to channel all the information in English and in Spanish for those with language barriers and undocumented immigrants." The Food Bank serves the unemployed or the underemployed, over 50 percent of which are Latino families. Much of the problem comes from a lack of understanding from Latino families as to what help is actually available, and the Government has not helped. According to LAN president, Frank Argote-Freyre, Christie's 'Renew New Jersey Stronger' program was discriminatory towards Hispanic users as the Spanish language version of the website does not provide the same oportunity for appeal as its English language counterpart.

It is clear that the road to recovery from Hurricane Sandy will be long and arduous. Yet people of low-income, many of whom were Latino, were the most affected. It is saddening to think that the state is neglecting those that have fought the hardest to survive.