FAMILIES MOURN FIRST RESPONDERS WHO DIED AFTER ATTACK
The brother of Detective Luis Alvarez, who died from 9/11-related cancer 15 years after the attacks, has warned that New Yorkers were breathing deadly toxins from Ground Zero for months after Twin Towers fell.
Phil Alvarez, a former cop and now Director of Outreach and Education for the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) Claims, told The Sun that “people will continue to get sick” decades after the atrocity.
Luis, or “Lou” as his family called him, was a man of few words – but when it came to getting justice for first responders exposed to the hazardous debris, he was vocal and took the issue to lawmakers in Washington, DC.
His activism resulted in the “Never Forget the Heroes: James Zadroga, Ray Pfeifer, and Luis Alvarez Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act” (2019) which extended the VCF permanently.
Luis died 15 days after the bill was passed by Congress, leaving behind his wife and three sons, now aged 18, 21, and 29.
Luis’ unit was sent to Ground Zero on the afternoon of 9/11, and he “went right on the pile” as the rescue mission rapidly changed into a recovery operation after the deadly al-Qaeda strike.