STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — After Hurricane Sandy swept in and loosened their toehold on stability, thousands of immigrants on Staten Island did the only thing they know how to do: Put their heads down and work even harder
At least 60 percent of immigrants, both documented and undocumented, who were affected by the storm did not seek help, according to a report last month by Make the Road New York.
Even business owners, confounded by paperwork, did not look to the government or other groups to get them through the hard times.
Thursday evening, Russian, Italian, Polish, Albanian and Spanish-speaking immigrants who lost their homes to Sandy will share their stories of survival and hope and speak to the needs of the Sandy-affected communities.
The meeting, to start at 7 p.m. in St. Margaret Mary’s R.C. Church, South Beach, in the Occupy Sandy Community Room, is free and open to the public. Representatives from the Mayor’s Office on Immigrant Affairs will be on hand, to announce a new program to support Sandy-affected families.
Discussion will also include plans for developing a local campaign to support national immigration reform.