Staten Islanders To Receive September 11th Remembrance Bell, Stark Reminder That Death Toll Continues 25 Years Later

The below is authored by Lee London, a Senior Partner and Chief Acquisition Officer at Barasch & McGarry, where he spearheads the firm’s 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund Practice.

The below video shows the September 11th remembrance ceremony for firefighters lost in the last year to 9/11 related illness:

 

The article addresses the seventh bell that will be added to the 9/11 remembrance ceremony for the first time this year in memory of the over 9,500 people who have died of 9/11-related illness. That bell is a stark reminder for all Staten Islanders that the toll of 9/11 continues, even 25 years later, and that it’s not too late to access the healthcare and compensation available to you.

Seventh Bell Toll A Reminder 9/11 Didn’t End on 9/11

By Lee London

This year, when New Yorkers come together in Lower Manhattan to mark a quarter-century since September 11, 2001, the annual remembrance ceremony will take on a new level of significance, not just because this is a milestone year, but because the day’s mourning will extend beyond the memorial events of that day for the first time.

A seventh bell will ring this year, honoring the memory of those who died of the 69 cancers and other illnesses that have been linked to 9/11. Even as a third of Staten Island residents were not even alive on that tragic day, many others live with the pain of 9/11 every day. This is not just a history lesson that can be taught in a textbook, but an event that changed a country and millions of lives with it.

Staten Island was uniquely impacted by the events of 9/11. The Borough has long been synonymous with public service, with more police officers, firefighters, and paramedics per capita than any other borough. Roughly 2% of the Island’s residents are public safety professionals, more than double the national average of 0.82%.

The 9/11 attacks took the lives of 275 people with ties to Staten Island, including 78 firefighters—nearly a quarter of the 343 firefighters who perished that day. Given that Staten Island made up approximately 5% of New York City’s population at the time, that figure is truly staggering.

The fallout did not stop once the rubble was cleared from Ground Zero. 144,000 Americans, including nearly 10,000 Staten Islanders, are now living with 9/11 every day of their lives.

As the towers went down, a cloud of toxic dust enveloped Lower Manhattan, imperiling the first responders who ran towards danger, just as it did the residents and office workers who were running away to safety. A week later, the Environmental Protection Agency said that the air was safe to breathe, cleanup efforts began, and hundreds of thousands of residents, school children, and working men and women all returned to the area.

Meanwhile, Ground Zero would remain on fire for a total of 99 days.The EPA’s words turned out to be a lie, the price of which is felt particularly strongly on Staten Island.

According to the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP), which provides free medical monitoring and treatment to eligible survivors and first responders, more than 9,000 people have died since 9/11, including over 700 Staten Islanders—a number that far exceeds the death toll on that day.The WTCHP does go a step towards righting these wrongs, as a new report released this month showed that the annual health monitoring and early detection and treatment offered by the program significantly increase the odds of surviving a 9/11 cancer. Data shows 86% of cancer patients enrolled in the WTCHP are still alive five years after being diagnosed with cancer, while only 63% of New Yorkers outside the 9/11 community can say the same.However, while 80% of the first responders who were present have enrolled in the program, only 15% of the eligible civilian survivors, like the teachers, students, and local employees who were told that the air was safe, are aware of this critical lifeline.When roughly 18 to 19 million people took the Staten Island Ferry into Lower Manhattan in 2001 and 2002, breaking down to more than 50,000 daily passengers, it stands to reason that many of those people likely worked in the area and are eligible for the program.

 

Staten Island is also home to the Fresh Kills Landfill, which was used as a sorting facility for 1.8 million tons of debris from Ground Zero. Workers spent the better part of a year searching through the rubble, and approximately 1,800 cleanup workers have suffered health problems as a result of their exposure to toxic material.That is why this year’s seventh bell should serve as a wake-up call for all of those Staten Islanders who have yet to register. This winter, Congress passed a bill fully funding the WTCHP through 2040, which President Donald Trump signed. No one who registers today is taking money away from the first responders; they are simply accessing the care to which they are entitled. And the longer time goes on, the more difficult it will get to do so as witnesses fall out of touch or pass away. 

The latest data from the program underscores the urgency of enrolling. Just this past June, the program recorded 57,044 lifetime cancer certifications, a 1,680% increase since the 3,204 such diagnoses in 2015.

 

The hundreds of thousands of people who were impacted by these toxins, be they first responders, cleanup crews, or ordinary citizens going to work, were lied to by their government.

 

The World Trade Center Health Program is a step towards righting that wrong.

Lee London (center) next to Michael Barasch (left) and Retired Deputy FDNY Chief Richard Alles (right) in the White House Rose Garden in 2019. They were at the ceremony where President Trump signed the Never Forget the Heroes: James Zadroga, Ray Pfeifer, and Luis Alvarez Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act, which fully extended the Victim Compensation Fund until 2090. Image Credit – Barasch & McGarry

Lee London is a Senior Partner and Chief Acquisition Officer at Barasch & McGarry, the leading 9/11 legal advocacy firm representing more than 50,000 members of the 9/11 community. He spearheads the firm’s 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund Practice.

Banner Image:  Lee London (center) next to Michael Barasch (left) and Retired Deputy FDNY Chief Richard Alles (right) in the White House Rose Garden in 2019. They were at the ceremony where President Trump signed the Never Forget the Heroes: James Zadroga, Ray Pfeifer, and Luis Alvarez Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act, which fully extended the Victim Compensation Fund until 2090.