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CNN Live Today

America's New War: New Yorker's Still Holding Hope

Aired September 18, 2001 - 12:59   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
AARON BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: An our viewers I hope heard a few moments ago, about 20 minutes ago, one week now after the tragedy, New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani saying there is little hope now that any of the 5422 people listed as missing will be found alive in the rubble of the World Trade Center. The official death count at this point is 218, 152 of which have been identified, and little hope for finding any other survivors.

This must be particularly bad news down at Pier 94 on the Hudson River, the Red Cross has set up relief work there.

And we're joined now by Gina Giallonardo of the Red Cross, and by Robert Dorf, who his brother is among the missing.

Welcome to you both.

Mr. Dorf, our hearts go out to you first.

I don't know if you heard the mayor, but have you given up hope at this point?

ROBERT DORF, BROTHER OF VICTIM: No, I haven't given up any hope, as I hope all the families that are involved don't give up any hope. It is my brother, I love him very much, and I will never give up hope until they pull every piece of scrap metal from that building.

BROWN: Obviously, these are difficult questions in difficult times. It's been a week and it's been now five days I think since anyone has been found alive. What sustains the hope?

DORF: My faith, my family all staying together. My peers at my work and my school, where I teach, Pierce 173 (ph) in Manhattan. Everyone pulling together. The city, all the people of New York have just come together and it's really -- it's helped me personally a lot getting through this ordeal. And I'm sure as everybody else.

BROWN: We've seen a picture of your brother. Talk to me for a minute about who he was or who he is, and what he was doing in the building, and give us some sense of it.

DORF: Well, my brother's name is Stephen Dorf, and works for Euro Brokers (ph) on the 84th floor of the second World Trade Center building. And on the day, Tuesday morning, at 9:00 he gave a phone call -- made phone call to my sister Michelle Dorf and told her that he was watching people jumping out of the windows from the first building and he said he felt like he was going to have a heart attack because it was such a shock to him. And then my sister said get out of the building quickly, but he being the fire warden with two other workers, he had a job to do to get all of the people off of the floor.

And later on we found out that he had -- a friend called us and told us that he -- they got down, but he got a call on his CB to go back into the building because he though someone else was left behind, because there are 70 people still missing from his firm, and that's the last we've heard of him.

BROWN: And Mr. Dorf, before I turn to miss -- Gina Giallonardo, is there anything you need, that you're not getting at this point, other than the most obvious, which is your brother back? Are you getting the kind of help and support you need?

DORF: Well, we're getting a lot of counseling and support from the Red Cross and other organizations. But we really want the city -- we want to be more informed, the families want to know. We want the companies to get more in touch with the families that are involved. And we just need to stop this circle -- that I feel like I'm going around in a circle since this all happened. And we just need more information, lists going out to the people of their loved ones missing, just flashing on the screen is comforting to people, to the family.

BROWN: Miss Giallonardo, tell me the kind of support the Red Cross is able to provide to the families of the missing.

GINA GIALLONARDO, AMERICAN RED CROSS: The most important thing that we can do right now is activate our national response of our mental health relief efforts. We have over 13 thousand Red Cross workers who are working around the clock, combing the city of New York, talking to people who are having to go back in their building for the first time. Many people are here at the Family Assistant Center helping people such as Robert to just cope with this tragedy and the feelings that they're facing.

BROWN: What is it that you can tell them, other than you put an arm around them and you hug them and you hope for the best? What is it that these counselors can do?

GIALLONARDO: Sometimes a hug is what people need, and it's the families that are affected, it's also the relief workers, it's people who have been watching us on television. We can't underestimate the impact that this has had on so many people across can country. But the way people are coping right now is very different, people are at very different stages in the process. Some people just need to know that the feelings that they are experiencing are normal, and we tell them that it is OK. Other people are experiencing severe, tremendous emotional trama, and for those people we need to be next to them now and for many years to come.

BROWN: And what kind -- we're looking at pictures of people putting up posters, flyers of missing relative or friend. Is there anything, as we watch that, that the Red Cross needs in terms of donations, volunteers, whatever, that people ought to know about?

GIALLONARDO: We've had such a generous outpouring of support from the American people in the forms of blood, finances, as well as people wanting to donate their time. The support is so much appreciated by us and by people like Robert. Please continue to support us any way that we can, and we will promise you that the Red Cross will be here not just today but for many, many years helping these people the best that we can.

BROWN: Miss Giallonardo, Mr. Dorf, thank you for joining us. These are difficult moments in a difficult week. Thank you very much.

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