According to John Feal, the first survivor and advocate for survivors, people continue to die from 9/11-related health problems and continue to struggle for recognition.
“We gave hope to a broken city 20 years ago, and we are paying for it with our lives. And the first 20 years were difficult for us. The next 20 years we will decimate the 9/11 response community. And I pray for our federal government to evolve us, as we evolve for the worse, ”Feal told CNN.
Feal worked at the Ground Zero site for more than five days and was injured there, he said. He never wore a mask or respirator because no one ever told workers to do so, he said.
“We worked, there we ate there, we slept, there we cried there, we went to the bathroom there. The absorption through the nose, mouth and skin; we were there 24/7, these men and women, uniformed and non-uniformed , they never thought as they searched and cleaned lower Manhattan that their city, states and local governments would lie to them, ”Feal said.
“9/11 continues to kill,” he said.
“And now these men and women pay the final price and, while they left Ground Zero, a part of them stayed there, but then they went home and died because they were lied to and never cared for properly. No one apologized to us, “Feal added.
Some context: Since August 2021, the 9/11 Victims ’Compensation Fund has received claims from people in every state in the United States, as well as Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and 31 foreign countries. . More than 40,000 people have received awards totaling more than $ 8,952 million in compensation.
Since reopening in 2011, the VCF has received more than 67,000 total eligibility claims.
“We had to fight and keep coming and going to DC, to get medical care and then compensation to the same people who lied to us. That’s hard to wrap up 20 years later. You know, today, I’m going to stay vigilant. and we will respect those who lost a loved one. But tomorrow we will defend again, “Feal said.