1月26日の朝、ピーター・カーリングさん（45）はニューヨークのロウアー・イースト・サイドにある礼拝所の前に立ち、タバコを吸いながら、雪が舞い落ちてくるのを眺めていた。その夜はニューヨークは大雪になるだろうと予想されており、今夜は礼拝所で寝ることになるだろうとカーリングさんは話してくれた。
アメリカ北東部一帯を吹き荒れる暴風雪は、ニューヨーク市と、ニューヨーク以北の地域に90センチメートルほどの雪を降らせる見込みで、ニューヨーク市のビル・デブラシオ市長は、今回の暴風雪はニューヨーク市を襲った暴風雪の中で史上最悪になる可能性があると警戒をよびかけている。
カーリングさんによると、この大雪のためにかなりの数のホームレスの人々が宿泊する場所を求めて集まっており、収容人数150人の礼拝所はいっぱいになるだろうという。
この礼拝所は1879年創立のニューヨーク市の慈善団体バワリー・ミッションによって運営されている。バワリー・ミッションは135年にわたってホームレス支援を行なっており、通常11月から1月にかけて気温が命に危険を及ぼすくらい低くなる間は、ホームレスの人々のために礼拝所にに体を横たえるための暖かいスペースを設けて、寝床やシャワー、食料を提供している。
バワリー・ミッション内で休むホームレスの人々。2004年1月に撮影。(AP Photo/Tina Fineberg)
この礼拝所に寝泊まりするベトナム戦争退役軍人のジェラルド・ハドソンさん（59）によれば、集まったホームレスの中には騒いで問題を起こそうとする人がおり、悪意を持ったいじめも横行しているという。そのため、ハドソンさんはその日の夜は、混雑するシェルター内で問題が起きないよう最善を尽くすだけでなく、路上にいる人たちを保護し、屋内に入るように勧めるつもりだと述べた。
礼拝所は宿泊施設として最適とはいえないが、バワリー・ミッションがこのシェルターを提供してくれなかったら、24時間走っているニューヨーク市地下鉄A線か、最悪の場合は外で夜を過ごすことになっていただろうとハドソンさんは述べた。
ハドソンさんによれば、バワリー・ミッションは今回の暴風雪のような状況で困っている人たちを助け、命を救っているという。一方で、大半の教会は、バワリー・ミッションと違いホームレスを受け入れなくなったという。
ニューヨーク市では毎晩、推定3300人が路上で寝る生活をしているとされる（ホームレス支援団体は、実際の数はもっと多いだろうとしている）。
ニューヨーク市のホームレスサービス局は1月26日、コード・ブルー（緊急事態）を宣言し、ホームレスの人々を暴風雪が吹き荒れる屋外から屋内に避難させるため、15の支援活動チームを市内5区に派遣した。
ホームレスサービス局長のギルバート・テイラー氏は、避難所を必要としている人を見かけたら311番に電話するよう、Twitterなどを通じて市民に強く呼びかけている。
バワリー・ミッションから10ブロックほど北にある、アルファベット・シティ地区のアベニューBと9番街東の角では、ジゼル・ベラさんが寒空の下、トリニティ・ルーテル教会が、ホームレス向けの食料を保存しているフードパントリーを開くのをじっと待っていた。
ベラさんは、すぐ近くにある女性ホームレスのための宿泊施設「サラ・パウエル・ハンティンドン・ハウス」に住んでおり、暴風雪に備えて自分や子どもたちが食べるための食料をたくわえに来たのだという。
ニューヨーク市のホームレス向け宿泊施設には、長期滞在者が6万人近くいる。これは過去最高の人数だ。ベラさんもその1人で、そういった人々は普段の食事を、スープキッチン（炊き出し）やフードパントリーに頼っている。
トリニティ教会のホームレス支援活動の責任者アレックス・ローレンス氏によると、万が一の場合に備えて、教会には2、3週間分の食料が貯蔵されているという。
「2012年にニューヨークに大きな被害を与えたハリケーン・サンディを教訓とし、私たちが運営するスープキッチンとフードパントリーでは、数週間分の食料をホームレスの人たちのために貯蔵しています」
ローレンス氏はさらに、暴風雪が吹き荒れる間も、スープキッチンとパントリーは開く予定だと話す。「今のところは、通常通り運営しています。ずっとオープンしていることが大事なことですから」
ベラさんは、パントリー内へとゆっくりと足を進めながら、火曜日は学校が休校になったので、暴風雪の間は5歳と11歳の子どもたちを宿泊施設から外に出さないつもりだと語った。「最悪な事態が通り過ぎるのをじっと待つ」そうだ。
バワリー・ミッションを支援する方法についてはこちら。
この記事はハフポストUS版に掲載されたものを翻訳しました。
[日本語版：遠藤康子/ガリレオ]
2015年1月の東海岸の大雪
APTOPIX Winter Weather Massachusetts(01 of37)
Taylor Millar, left, hugs her friend Jennifer Bruno, after Bruno was forced to vacate her house when it was heavily damaged by ocean waves in a winter storm, Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2015, in Marshfield, Mass. The storm has punched out a section of the seawall in the coastal town of Marshfield, police said. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
(02 of37)
Boston, Massachusetts in the snow. (credit:Andrew Kimball)
(03 of37)
Boston, Massachusetts in the snow. (credit:Andrew Kimball)
Winter Weather(04 of37)
Handicap parking signs are buried in a snow mound, Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2015 in a Central Islip, N.Y shopping center parking lot. A storm packing blizzard conditions spun up the East Coast early Tuesday, pounding coastal eastern Long Island into Maine with high winds and heavy snow. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
APTOPIX Winter Weather(05 of37)
Snow clings to the face of man as he braces himself against a gust of wind while shoveling a sidewalk, Tuesday, Jan 27, 2015, in downtown Portland, Maine. Forecasters with the National Weather Service in Gray have said that much of southern Maine will see 12 to 18 inches of snow, while small bands of intense snowfall will increase those totals in localized areas. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Winter Weather(06 of37)
A snowman stands sentinel in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2015. The Mid-Atlantic region avoided the brunt of a powerful winter storm that pounded parts of the Northeast. Meteorologist Jim Lee of the National Weather Service said Tuesday that the storm dealt \"a glancing blow\" to the Washington-Baltimore region. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Winter Weather(07 of37)
A snow shoveler pauses in the middle of a city street beside snow-covered vehicles during a winter snowstorm Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2015, in Boston. Massachusetts was pounded by snow and lashed by strong winds early Tuesday as bands of heavy snow left some towns including Sandwich on Cape Cod and Oxford in central Massachusetts reporting more than 18 inches of snow. (AP Photo/Steven Senne) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Winter Weather(08 of37)
Steve Berlo walks along the beach after unsuccessfully trying to reach his house in the flooded Cedar Point neighborhood in Scituate, Mass., Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2015. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Winter Weather(09 of37)
As snow continues to fall, workers shovel a deserted street, after an overnight storm Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2015, in Newtown, Pa. The storm that shut down New York and much of New England on Monday and Tuesday shifted east, sparing Philadelphia and its suburbs from a crippling blow and prompting city officials to lift a snow emergency early Tuesday. (AP Photo/Mel Evans) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Winter Weather(10 of37)
Water floods a street on the coast in Scituate, Mass., Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2015. A storm packing blizzard conditions spun up the East Coast early Tuesday, pounding parts of coastal New Jersey northward through Maine with high winds and heavy snow. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Blizzard Barrels Into Northeastern U.S.(11 of37)
WINTHROP, MA - JANUARY 27: A woman walks her dog past ice buildup on the sea wall along Winthrop Shore Drive January 27, 2015 in Winthrop, Massachusetts. An overnight blizzard hit the region bringing strong wind gusts and up to two feet of snow in some areas. (Photo by Darren McCollester/Getty Images) (credit:Darren McCollester via Getty Images)
US-WEATHER-SNOW(12 of37)
A man wearing a New York Yankees cap shovels the sidewalk January 27, 2015 in the Bronx Borough of New York City. Tens of millions of Americans along the northeast coast buckled down Tuesday for another day following a snowstorm that shut down New York and other major cities.AFP PHOTO/DON EMMERT (Photo credit should read DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:DON EMMERT via Getty Images)
Blizzard Barrels Into Northeastern U.S.(13 of37)
NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 26: A man shovels on 50th street looking towards Radio City Music Hall on January 26, 2015 in New York City. New York, and much of the Northeast, is bracing for a major winter storm which is expected to bring blizzard conditions and 10 to 30 inches of snow to the area. (Photo by Alex Trautwig/Getty Images) (credit:Alex Trautwig via Getty Images)
Northeast Braces For Major Storm(14 of37)
CHATHAM, MA - JANUARY 26: The light from Chatham Light cuts through the night as snow and winds hit the Cape this evening. (Photo by Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) (credit:Boston Globe via Getty Images)
Blizzard Barrels Into Northeastern U.S.(15 of37)
NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 26: Chains are used on a New York City bus in Times Square on January 26, 2015 in New York City. New York, and much of the Northeast, is bracing for a major winter storm which is expected to bring blizzard conditions and 10 to 30 inches of snow to the area. (Photo by Alex Trautwig/Getty Images) (credit:Alex Trautwig via Getty Images)
Boston Braces For Major Storm(16 of37)
BOSTON - JANUARY 26: A woman walks her dog as snow swirls around the Bunker Hill Monument in Charlestown. (Photo by Bill Greene/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) (credit:Boston Globe via Getty Images)
APTOPIX Winter Weather(17 of37)
Pedestrians make their way through driving snow in midtown Manhattan in New York, Monday, Jan. 26, 2015. More than 35 million people along the Philadelphia-to-Boston corridor rushed to get home and settle in Monday as a fearsome storm swirled in with the potential for hurricane-force winds and 1 to 3 feet of snow that could paralyze the Northeast for days. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Blizzard Barrels Into New York City(18 of37)
NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 26: Pedestrians walk along a Manhattan street in heavy snow on January 26, 2015 in New York City. New York, and much of the Northeast, is bracing for a major winter storm which is expected to bring blizzard conditions and 18 to 24 inches of snow to the area. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced that only emergency vehicles will be allowed on area roads after 11pm. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) (credit:Spencer Platt via Getty Images)
Blizzard Barrels Into Northeastern U.S.(19 of37)
UNITED STATES - JANUARY 26: In this handout provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) from the Suomi NPP satellite, a major winter storm covers the Atlantic region bringing snow to the Northeast of the U.S. pictured at 18:25 UTC on January 26, 2015. Blizzard Warnings are in effect for the coastal areas from New Jersey to Maine. The storm will move along the northeast coastline from Monday night into Tuesday bringing a significant amount of snow and blustery winds across the northeast and New England causing blizzard conditions. Snow totals of 1 to 3 feet will occur from the New York City area into southern and eastern New England. (Photo by NOAA via Getty Images) (credit:Handout via Getty Images)
APTOPIX Winter Weather(20 of37)
A man strolls on a walking path at Liberty State Park, with the Statue of Liberty in the distance, Monday, Jan. 26, 2015, in Jersey City, N.J. The Philadelphia-to-Boston corridor of more than 35 million people began shutting down as a monster storm, that could unload a paralyzing 1 to 3 feet of snow, moved through the northeast. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
APTOPIX Winter Weather Massachusetts(21 of37)
Crystal, a golden retriever, dashes through the snow as she gets away from Danielle Reid, who was walking dogs with her mom, at Revere Beach in Revere, Mass., Monday, Jan. 26, 2015. New England is bracing for a blockbuster blizzard threatening more than 2 feet of snow, hurricane-force winds, coastal flooding and widespread power outages. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Blizzard Barrels Into New York City(22 of37)
NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 26: People wait at a bus stop, some for over two hours, during heavy snow in the financial district of Manhattan on January 26, 2015 in New York City. New York, and much of the Northeast, is bracing for a major winter storm which is expected to bring blizzard conditions and 18 to 24 inches of snow to the area. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced that only emergency vehicles will be allowed on area roads after 11pm. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) (credit:Spencer Platt via Getty Images)
US-WEATHER-STORM(23 of37)
A man dressed as the Statue of Liberty waits for tourists during a snow storm in New York on January 26, 2015. Thousands of flights were canceled as millions of Americans in the Northeast braced for a winter storm that New York\'s mayor warned could be one of the biggest blizzards in history. Snow, which was already falling across the region, is expected to accumulate steadily throughout the day before turning into a major storm expected to paralyze parts of New York and New England. AFP PHOTO/JEWEL SAMAD (Photo credit should read JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:JEWEL SAMAD via Getty Images)
US-WEATHER-STORM(24 of37)
A woman uses an umbrella during a snow storm in New York\'s Times Square on January 26, 2015. Thousands of flights were canceled as millions of Americans in the Northeast braced for a winter storm that New York\'s mayor warned could be one of the biggest blizzards in history. Snow, which was already falling across the region, is expected to accumulate steadily throughout the day before turning into a major storm expected to paralyze parts of New York and New England. AFP PHOTO/JEWEL SAMAD (Photo credit should read JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:JEWEL SAMAD via Getty Images)
US-WEATHER-STORM(25 of37)
A tugboat sails on the East River during a snow storm in New York on January 26, 2015. Thousands of flights were canceled as millions of Americans in the Northeast braced for a winter storm that New York\'s mayor warned could be one of the biggest blizzards in history. Snow, which was already falling across the region, is expected to accumulate steadily throughout the day before turning into a major storm expected to paralyze parts of New York and New England. AFP PHOTO/JEWEL SAMAD (Photo credit should read JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:JEWEL SAMAD via Getty Images)
Winter Weather Pennsylvania(26 of37)
Traffic moves through the falling snow down southbound I79 near Evans City, Pa. on Monday, Jan. 26, 2015. Cities across the Northeast mobilized snowplows and airlines canceled thousands of flights Monday as a potentially historic storm pushed its way up the Philadelphia-to-Boston corridor with what forecasters said could be up to 2 feet of snow. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
APTOPIX Winter Weather Flights(27 of37)
A woman sleeps on top of her luggage at LaGuardia Airport in New York, Monday, Jan. 26, 2015. Airlines canceled thousands of flights into and out of East Coast airports as a major snowstorm packing up to 3 feet of snow barrels down on the region. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
APTOPIX Winter Weather Flights(28 of37)
A crewmember de-ices a Frontier Airlines plane at LaGuardia Airport in New York, Monday, Jan. 26, 2015. More than 5,000 flights in and out of East Coast airports have been canceled as a major snowstorm packing up to three feet of snow barrels down on the region. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Winter Weather Flights(29 of37)
Air travelers wait to to board a flight at LaGuardia Airport in New York, Monday, Jan. 26, 2015. Airlines cancelled thousands of flights into and out of East Coast airports as a major snowstorm packing up to three feet of snow barrels down on the region. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Winter Weather(30 of37)
Andrew Caso, of Jersey City, sleds down a hill at Liberty State Park, Monday, Jan. 26, 2015, in Jersey City, N.J. The Philadelphia-to-Boston corridor of more than 35 million people began shutting down as a monster storm, that could unload a paralyzing 1 to 3 feet of snow, moved through the northeast. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Winter Weather Flights(31 of37)
A man de-ices a plane during a light snow at a gate at LaGuardia Airport in New York, Monday, Jan. 26, 2015. Airlines canceled thousands of flights into and out of East Coast airports as a major snowstorm packing up to three feet of snow barrels down on the region. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Winter Weather(32 of37)
A man crosses Sixth Ave., in front of New York City Sanitation trucks with snow plows attached, near Bryant Park in New York, Monday, Jan. 26, 2015. Officials cautioned Northeast residents to not be misled by a relatively smooth Monday morning commute, and pressed their cautions to prepare for a \"crippling and potentially historic\" storm that could bury communities from northern New Jersey to southern Maine in up to 2 feet of snow starting later in the day. (AP Photo/Richard Drew) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Winter Weather(33 of37)
Francisco Mathurine, of the Times Square Alliance, clears snow from the steps in Father Duffy Square in New York, Monday, Jan. 26, 2015. Officials cautioned Northeast residents to not be misled by a relatively smooth Monday morning commute, and pressed their cautions to prepare for a \"crippling and potentially historic\" storm that could bury communities from northern New Jersey to southern Maine in up to 2 feet of snow starting later in the day. (AP Photo/Richard Drew) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Winter Weather(34 of37)
A New York City snowplow, loaded with salt, sits parked in midtown Manhattan as light snow falls, Monday, Jan. 26, 2015. Northeast residents are girding for a heavy snowstorm that could bury communities from northern New Jersey to southern Maine in up to 2 feet of snow. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Winter Weather(35 of37)
A jogger crosses a footbridge to the Esplanade in Boston, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2015. A winter storm warning covering Boston and Hartford, Connecticut was in effect through 7 p.m. as the National Weather Service said to expect 4 to 8 inches of wet snow to fall by the time the storm moves out. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Winter Weather(36 of37)
Irv Rosenberg, of Boston, uses cross country skis on the Esplanade in Boston, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2015. A winter storm warning covering Boston and Hartford, Connecticut was in effect through 7 p.m. as the National Weather Service said to expect 4 to 8 inches of wet snow to fall by the time the storm moves out. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Winter Weather(37 of37)
An ice fisherman waits for a bite on Shady Lake, Monday, Jan. 26, 2015, in Solon, Ohio. The worst of the snow appears to be past Ohio now as a powerful storm pushes into New England. Much of central and eastern Ohio remain under a winter weather advisory and has seen up to 5 inches of snow. Another 1-to-3 inches are expected as the storm ends this evening. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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