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Coney Island Woman Claims "People Are Defecating In The Hallways"
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Nov 3, 2012
Modified Nov 3, 2012
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By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Nov 3, 2012
Modified Nov 3, 2012
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Two Coney Island women spoke with NBC reporters today about the dire situation in their neighborhood, with one saying things are so desperate there that people are forced to defecate in the hallways.
"They can't go upstairs to go to the bathrooms," Anna Hay, who lives in a senior complex on W. 36th Street, said. "Where are they going to go? They're walking all around for a place to go. There's nowhere to go in this area." Coney Island residents, who have seen significant damage to their neighborhood, have been without power, water and heat since the onset of Hurricane Sandy. Without transportation this week, many have been trapped.
"I'm dealing with a whole week of losing income, of having nowhere to go with my children…no heat, no water, no toilets, no food," Priscilla Santos, who lives on Neptune Ave, said. Santos also noted that her neighborhood is particularly prone to flooding, with a regular rainstorm sending water up to the first step of her apartment building. "They wait until a giant storm comes along, leave us here and still do nothing," she said.
Santos told a reporter that she hasn't seen any Red Cross or FEMA workers in the area, and that yesterday was the first time she'd seen anyone from the city agencies come to help. "I'm a working person in this community," she said. "I'm a taxpayer. I'm tired of being treated like I don't exist." Coney Island residents have also had to deal with a lot of looting. Santos attributed some of the looting to the absence of food and other resources in the area, saying she felt people were stealing out of desperation.
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coney island
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Rebecca Fishbein
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