FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 2, 2012

Reference:

Bea Sabino, Chairperson, Anakbayan New Jersey

Contact: 201.779.6886; anakbayan.nynj@gmail.com

Hanalei Ramos, Operation Kaligtasan Hudson County Coordinator

Contact: 347.829.9802; operation.kaligtasan@gmail.com

Jersey City Filipino Youth Group Starts Post-Sandy Relief Efforts

Jersey City- Filipino youth organization, Anakbayan New Jersey, mobilizes community support after hurricane Sandy wreaked havoc along the east coast last Monday, Oct. 29.  The Filipino youth organization calls on the local Jersey City government to prioritize assistance for working class and immigrant communities.  The said efforts are part of “Operation Kaligtasan/ Operation Safety”, a Filipino volunteer based emergency disaster response team.  After the storm, members of Anakbayan New Jersey conducted a preliminary assessment of the effects of hurricane Sandy and the immediate needs of the Filipino Jersey City community.

Community left in the dark

Working class and immigrant communities are literally and figuratively left in the dark due to power outage and lack of information dissemination from the city government.  Based on the assessment that Anakbayan NJ made, the major concern among the community is the extended power outage and its effects on the people’s livelihood. “A majority of the city has been out of power since Monday.  In a predominantly immigrant and working class community such as Jersey City, not being able to work for an extended period of time means no food on their families’ plates, delayed bill payments and unstable living conditions,” said Bea Sabino, Chairperson of the local Filipino youth organization, Anakbayan New Jersey.

Also based on the assessment, most Jersey City residents are frustrated by the City of Jersey City’s inefficient methods of disseminating information. Dissemination of updates about resources available to the community have been limited to an unstaffed City Hall and inaudible police patrol car announcements. This, according to the youth organization, left the community relying mostly on word-of-mouth for information. “There are shelters, food and water distribution services available in certain locations across the city. However, the communities who are in dire need of these services are neither receiving this information nor can access it due to the ineffective communication systems between local city government and residents,” Ms. Sabino added.

Power to the people

With frustration building-up and uncertainties piling up, community members are coming together to save themselves. Conversations between concerned citizens and community leaders are leading to an effort to unite the diverse neighborhoods of Jersey City to voice out these clear cases of government neglect of working class and immigrant communities.

“We call on Mayor Healy, and the local Jersey City government to not leave our communities in the dark. We demand immediate government assistance for the residents of Greenville, Bergen-Lafayette, West Side and Journal Square. We also demand to immediately address the long power outage in our neighborhoods and lastly, to improve information dissemination regarding updates on what the city is doing by working closely with grassroots organizations,” concluded Ms. Sabino. In the following days, Anakbayan NJ, in collaboration with local community organizations will be conducting more surveys and will be distributing information sheets for relief and assistance in Jersey City. 

Anakbayan NJ is calling for volunteers for survey teams. For more information contact them at anakbayan.nynj@gmail.com or visit them at www.anakbayannynj.wordpress.com.

###

A partial list of resources can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/okjerseycitylink to resource map at http://goo.gl/maps/K9HZh

To contact the 24-hour hotline to the Jersey City Mayor’s Action Bureau, call (201) 547 5563 ATMs

• Downtown – PNC Bank,  95 Christopher Columbus Drive
• Downtown, ATM at Wayne and Grove Streets outside Las America
• Downtown, Provident Bank, 239 Washington Street
• Journal Square, PNC Bank, 26 Journal Square
• Heights, Chase Bank, 374 Central Avenue

Free Charging Stations: (electrical outlets available for free to charge for devices)

• Pershing Field Community Center, 201 Central Avenue (Summit Avenue and Manhattan Avenue), Open 9 am to 7 pm daily
• Joseph Connors Senior Center, 28 Paterson Street off Central Avenue
• Mira Fruit Market, 500 West Side Avenue (by Williams St.)
• Lowe’s Bayonne, Bayonne Crossing Way
• NJ Lightrail Parking lots on West Side Avenue and Claremont Avenue, or call  800 436 7734

Gasoline (as of 11/2/2012; availability changes quickly)

• Hess, Marin Blvd. and 14th Street
• Quick Check, 54th St. in Bayonne
• Gulf Gas, along route 1&9 & Duncan
• Hess, Tonelle Ave.
• EZ Gas, Tonelle Ave.
• Shell, Tonelle Ave.

Meals/Food Distribution:

• Pershing Field Community Center, 201 Central Avenue (Summit Avenue and Manhattan Avenue)
• Jersey City Armory, 678 Montgomery St. (by Jordan Ave., Journal Square area)
• Dr. Ercel Webb Pool, Johnston Avenue Pool (Johnston Avenue Entrance), 395 Johnston Avenue. (by Van Horne St.)
• MLK Hub, Martin Luther King Dr. and Ege Avenue West Side Avenue Light Rail Station, Claremont Avenue on West Side Avenue

Pet Food

• Liberty Humane Society on Jersey City Boulevard across the street from Liberty Science Center.
• Joseph Connors Senior Center, located at 28 Paterson
• Maureen Collier Senior Center, located 335 Bergen Avenue

Water & Ice Distribution

• NJ Lightrail Parking lots on West Side Avenue and Claremont Avenue, or call  800 436 7734

Oxygen re-fills are available at these Fire Departments:

• 255 Kearny Avenue, between JFK and Country Road 605/West Side Ave.
• 355 Newark Avenue, by 5th Street in Downtown Jersey City
• 715 Summit Avenue, by Jefferson Ave. in the Heights
• 595 Palisade Avenue, by Congress St. in the Heights
• Or call (201) 547 5681

Red Cross Stations/ Shelter:

• Jersey City Armory,  678 Montgomery St. (by Jordan Ave., Journal Square area)
• Dickinson High School and PS #7 have closed to prepare for school reopening