14 THE QUEENS COURIER • SEPTEMBER 9, 2021 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Astoria residents ‘lost everything’ as a result of fl ooding
BY JULIA MORO
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
Around 10 p.m. on Sept. 1, residents on
Astoria Park South stepped out of their
beds and felt the water rushing in beneath
their feet.
Th e rain from Hurricane Ida started
earlier Wednesday, with more than half
a foot falling in just the fi rst few hours,
and killing at least 28 people across three
states, including at least 10 in Queens.
Frankie Recarte, the apartment building’s
Governor honors MTA bus driver for her ‘bravery and courage’
BY JULIA MORO
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
Governor Kathy Hochul honored an
MTA bus driver in Ridgewood for continuing
to work when her bus was fl ooding
with water Wednesday night, Sept.
1, as a result of the remanants from
Hurricane Ida.
Rosa Amonte has been an MTA bus
driver for eight years. A video of Amonte
showed her driving passengers in three
to four feet of water in the bus as people
stood on the seats.
“Can you imagine the terror people
experienced in that moment,” Hochul
said. “She stayed there. She drove. I
thank you for your bravery and your
courage.”
Amonte said that she represented all
of her coworkers, saying everybody felt
the immense responsibility and call to
action as waters fl ooded the roads.
“Th e only thing in that moment —
take the passengers to a safe place,”
Amonte said. “I didn’t even see the
water in my bus or the people over the
seats, I just thought I’m going to go
through this water and I’m going to take
the passengers to the other side. We’re
just happy to serve.”
Hochul said that when the subways were
shut down, the only option for public
transportation was the bus, and thanked
drivers for never leaving their post.
“During the depths last night, people
were literally driving down rivers. Many
vehicles were abandoned. People fl ed
for their lives,” Hochul said. “But people
still needed to get where they needed to
go and get to the safety of their homes.”
Janno Lieber, the CEO of the MTA,
said that subways are operating at 75 to
80 percent, and thanked the bus drivers
for continuing to work as the MTA
restored the rails.
State Senator Joseph Addabbo came
down from Albany to honor Amonte.
“When Amonte woke up yesterday, I
don’t think she envisioned what her day
would end that way — but that’s New
Yorkers,” Addabbo said. “We go from
ordinary to extraordinary when we have
these kinds of situations. She stepped up
and did what she had to do for the safety
of her passengers.”
Th e storm has caused extensive damage
in areas of Queens. Hochul has been
traveling around the borough to assess
those communities’ needs.
“I need to fi nd out what exactly happened
we can quantify it to be able to apply
for Federal Emergency Management
Agency assistance,” Hochul said.
Hochul mentioned she spoke to
President Joe Biden, who she said gave
his full support of whatever the state
may need. Hochul said she will look into
relief aid for small businesses and homeowners.
superintendent at 12-10 Astoria Park
South, said he lost everything in a matter
of 10 minutes as the water reached his
waist. Recarte fl ed to higher levels of the
building as the stairwell and lower levels
fl ooded. In the early hours of the morning,
when it was safer to exit the building,
he and his wife went to a motel.
Recarte said he and his wife saved their
money for so long to buy computers and
furnish their apartment, but it was all
gone in a matter of minutes.
“It’s like a nightmare,” Recarte said. “I
couldn’t sleep last night. I slept a little bit,
but I kept dreaming about this. You never
think it’s going to happen to you. I don’t
even want to be here. I’m going to cry.”
Recarte said that even when his apartment
is eventually repaired, he won’t feel
safe living there.
“I’ll be sad coming back here,” Recarte
said. “I don’t know. Now I’m traumatized.”
Recarte and others described a chaotic
scene Wednesday night as forceful water
rushed through the doors and windows
of the building.
One resident, Marlena, who declined to
provide her last name, said she tried calling
911 multiple times, but no one ever
came.
“911 put us through to FDNY and
they went ‘can’t help,’ and disconnected,”
Marlena said.
Marlena lost everything. On top of that,
she’s worried about how she will fi nancially
get by. Marlena is thousands of dollars
in debt aft er paying for treatment for
her dog that had cancer a few months ago.
“I don’t have extra money at the
moment,” Marlena said. “All my childhood
memories are gone, all my journals
— gone,” Marlena said. “It’s the worst. My
dog died in May and now I don’t have a
home.”
Marlena said even though this is a devastating
loss, she is grateful everyone in
her building survived and came together
to help each other.
Hurricane Ida
Photo by Julia Moro
Couches and other furniture in one resident’s apartment were picked up by the water and turned
over.
Photo by Darren McGee/Hochul’s offi ce
Governor Kathy Hochul honors MTA bus driver Rose Amonte who was caught in high water from Tropical Storm Ida with passengers on board and bravely
transported passengers to safety.
/WWW.QNS.COM
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