Flights are slowly starting to resume for volcanic ash-troubled travelers to and from Europe, which has brought some hope to those stranded. But know what was also pretty good for folks at JFK Airport's "cot city"? The showers in trailers that were brought in by the Port Authority and parked outside Terminal 4!
Dominica Zschiesche, who had been living at JFK Airport for the past five, told the AP she "cleaned her body with hand wipes and used a public bathroom sink to shave her legs and wash her hair" for the first four days. Enter the shower: "By Day 5 at Camp Kennedy, she seemed almost at home, standing near the concourse barefoot and with her hair wrapped in a blue towel after she finally got to shower. 'It was wonderful. It was the best shower I ever had,' said the 29-year-old art student from Frankfurt."
The Port Authority also set up 1,000 cots at JFK and Newark Airport, handing out some supplies like bottled water and baby wipes. The Red Cross and other countries' consulates have also handed out bedding, food, or food vouchers. Still, some people were staving off boredom by constructing airplanes out of boxes (from pillows) and describing their areas as "JFK Squatters, Yorkshire Branch."
The Daily News has a diary of what one pair of French consulate officers are doing while as "Volcano Refugee Camp" (aka JFK): "3 a.m.: Wake up and hit the bathrooms to wash armpits, face and hair with hand soap" (because "It's when no one else is in the bathroom.") and then sleep. "6 a.m.: Climb out of the cot again and head to Starbucks for coffee and brownies. Breakfast is often their biggest splurge of the day at about $6. Saves and Benoit are trying to keep food expenses to about $15 a day. After breakfast, most of their meals come from vending machines. They pay for Starbucks Wi-Fi to check on flight information on their laptop. The airline is not giving them information, they say..."
