Rescue and recovery effort


The area surrounding the World Trade Center became the site of the greatest
number of casualties and missing, and physical destruction. This region
became known in the ensuing days as "ground zero".

Firefighters

New York City firefighters rushed to the World Trade Center minutes after
the first plane struck the north tower. Chief brass set up a command center
in the lobby as firefighters climbed up the stairs. FDNY deployed 200 units
to the site.

Many firefighters arrived at the World Trade Center without meeting at the
command centers.

Problems with radio communication caused commanders to lose contact with
many of the firefighters who went into the buildings; those firefighters
were unable to hear evacuation orders.

There was practically no communication with the police, who had helicopters
at the scene.

When the towers collapsed, hundreds were killed or trapped within.

Meanwhile, average response times to fires elsewhere in the city that day
only rose by one minute, to 5.5 minutes.

The other firefighters worked alternating 24-hour shifts.

Firefighters came from hundreds of miles around New York City, including
numerous volunteer units in small-town New York.

Doctors, EMTs, etc.

Police

NYPD helicopters were soon at the scene, reporting on the status of the
burning buildings.

Many New York City and Port Authority of New York and New Jersey police were
killed in the collapse of the towers.

The NYPD worked alternating 12-hour shifts in the rescue and recovery effort.

Engineers

Starting on September 12, engineers organized by the Structural Engineers
Association of New York were working on site for the New York City
Department of Design and Construction, reviewing stability of the rubble,
evaluating the safety of hundreds of buildings near the site, and designing
support for the cranes brought in to clear the debris.

Ironworkers

Truckdrivers

By Friday, 9/14/2001, 9000 tons in 1500 truckloads of debris have been
brought to the Fresh Kills landfill. By Monday afternoon, 40,000 tons have
been taken out.

Volunteers

Volunteers began arriving at the World Trade Center soon after the towers
collapsed. Those who arrived in the early hours helped in any way they
could, including college students who gave out water to the rescue workers;
later unsolicited volunteers were turned away. People with particular
skills, including construction, demolition, medical training, and mental
health conseling, came to assist throughout the first few days; a team of
disaster relief specialists even came from France. By late Friday, September
14, there was essentially no more room for volunteers, though people had
arrived from as far off as California, waiting in lines outside the relief
administration center at Javits Center.

American Red Cross

Numbers from the American Red Cross, as of November 19, 2001: 11,549,338
meals/snacks have been served. There have been 50,423 total disaster
workers, 48,491 of them volunteers. See also Assistance.

Monetary Cost

Estimated total costs, as of 10/3/2001:

     $5 billion for debris removal
     $14 billion for reconstruction
     $3 billion in overtime payments to uniformed workers
     $1 billion for replacement of destroyed vehicles and equipment
     (one Fire Department accident response vehicle costs $400,000)