Share the Vigil: About the NYC Disaster Morgue

(As of 7/8/21)

Photo Credit: AIR11 / Copyright 2020 Scripps Media (pix11.com)

1) Where is the NYC disaster morgue and why is it there?

At the height of NYC's initial "mass fatality management" in the spring of 2020, refrigerated trucks served as temporary morgue sites outside hospitals throughout the city. As the NYC COVID-19 death rate tapered off and the hospital trucks were removed, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) brought 27 morgue trailers to a pier on 39th Street in Sunset Park, Brooklyn for centralized "long-term decedent storage."

 

2) How many bodies are currently stored at the disaster morgue?

As of early July 2021, there were about 200 bodies left in long-term freezer storage or refrigerated trailers at the Sunset Park disaster morgue — compared with 750 bodies as of early May, 569 bodies as of December 2020, 1,344 bodies as of  June 2020, and 2,137 bodies as of May 2020.

3) How long will the bodies remain in storage?

The long-term storage reflects pre-pandemic policy changes related to Hart Island, NYC's public burial ground off the coast of the Bronx. In the past, the unclaimed dead — as well as those whose final dispositions were not arranged within a narrow time frame — were routinely sent for burial on Hart Island. All Hart Island burials must now be formally authorized by next of kin.

 

Until recently, the OCME had imposed no time limit for final disposition of the bodies in storage. Now, however, there has been increasing consensus to move forward with Hart Island burials for many. While the transfer of Hart Island jurisdiction from the Corrections Department to the Parks Department has brought additional complexities, there are now plans to phase out the temporary morgue by the end of the summer. 

 

4) What are some of the reasons why the bodies of the dead might be in 

     long-term storage?

For homeless people as well as others who have lived more isolated lives, next of kin may not have been identified. Even when next of kin have been identified, they may live far away — and/or be coping with other ravages of the pandemic, such as illness, unemployment, or dislocation.

While NYC has increased the public benefit for funerals to $1700 and extended this benefit to undocumented residents, even the simplest NYC funeral arrangements generally exceed the current $3400 cap on expenses under the public benefit rule. And for immigrants, the costs of repatriation (return of a body for burial in one's home country) are often exorbitant.

There may also be issues of estrangement and conflict among next of kin, including lack of family agreement regarding funeral decisions. 

5) How can we honor the dead at the disaster morgue? 

While there have been laudable efforts to honor the COVID-19 dead by name, those whose bodies are stored indefinitely in the freezer trucks are least likely to be named and most likely to be forgotten — due to the various vulnerabilities and sensitivities involved. Remote vigil-keeping offers a way to bear witness and remain mindful of ALL dead — near and far, whether named or unknown.

 

Share the Vigil volunteers devote at least an hour a week to honoring the dead; some keep vigil for an hour each day or night. Across the U.S. — from New Mexico and Texas to Illinois and Florida and up through Washington DC, New Jersey, New York and Massachusetts — hourly volunteers around the clock currently span Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, post-Christian and non-sectarian spiritual traditions. We warmly welcome others to bear witness with us.

 

6) Is it possible to visit the disaster morgue site in person?

The site itself is not open to the public. However, it is possible to bear witness at the perimeter fence. Rabbi Regina Sandler-Phillips makes a brief visit every 10-25 days on behalf of all Share the Vigil volunteers. Local NYC supporters are welcome to write to SharetheVigil@gmail.com if you would like to share this pilgrimage of witness

 

7) What can we do beyond memorials?

The unnamed and unclaimed dead reflect silent but deeply-rooted inequalities that connect economic justice and environmental sustainability, housing and homelessness, immigration, social services, transportation, and more.

 

Contact us to learn more about the interconnected issues of funeral justice that rarely make headlines. As we pause long enough to honor the dead, we can clarify our priorities for engaged action on behalf of the living.

 

“Share the Vigil” is a How to Mourn AND Organize initiative of WAYS OF PEACE.

For more information, please visit Share the Vigil. To support or join the vigil, please write to SharetheVigil@gmail.com.