WTC apartment cleaning program article, Oct 2002

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

Residential Cleanup Deadline Extended Until 12/28/02 To ensure that all eligible New Yorkers concerned about dust and debris that accumulated in their homes as a result of the World Trade Center (WTC) collapse have the opportunity to register for apartment cleaning and/or testing, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), FEMA, and City of New York have extended the registration deadline for the Residential Dust Cleanup Program to December 28, 2002. The original deadline was October 3, 2002. To date, only about a quarter of the residents who are eligible for this program have registered. [Insert quote from EPA about importance of the program and why they felt it necessary to extend deadline.] About the Program Under this program, residents living south of Canal, Allen and Pike Streets may request the following: • That their residence be professionally cleaned and then tested for asbestos in the air (if asbestos is still present, their home will be re-cleaned), OR • That their residence be first tested for asbestos in the air without professional cleaning. If asbestos is found above the level that EPA has established to protect public health, they may ask that their residence be professionally cleaned. • Reimbursement by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for a high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter vacuum, if they have not already been reimbursed for one by FEMA.

How to Sign Up To request cleanup and/or testing, sign up on the EPA's website or call the toll-free hotline at 1- 877-796-5471. Names and addresses will not be made public. Residents can check on the status of their requests by checking the EPA website or calling the toll-free hotline. (You will be asked for the confirmation number given to you at the time of your request.)

Homes south of Canal, Allen and Pike Streets are eligible

Program Gives Extra Assurance There's no need to be concerned that initial cleanup efforts, including wet wiping, wet mopping and using HEPA filter vacuums, were insufficient. EPA is offering professional testing and cleanup services to provide an added level of assurance that residences have been properly cleaned.

Beware Phony Contractors Beware of people who falsely claim to be contractors working on the EPA's Lower Manhattan Dust Cleanup Program. The names of the contractors selected by EPA can be found on the EPA website, the EPA's WTC Email Notification Service and through community organizations and the news media.

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