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CNN Live At Daybreak

America's New War: Rescue Workers Are Completely Committed to Rescue Efforts

Aired September 19, 2001 - 07:51   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.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: This is what New York City looks like this morning. If you look over my left shoulder, you can see that that cloud of steam continues to blow up from the debris site, although for the first time because of the way the winds are blowing today, you can actually make out some of the buildings south of the debris site.

Lots to bring you up to date with. We go to Bill Hemmer, who's standing by not from ground zero -- Bill, I have a quick question for you. On my way into work this morning I met a FEMA official and he was telling me it's their expectation that they will be there on the ground for at least the next six months. But he talked a little bit about the workers who are working 12 hours on, 12 hours off, in some cases 24 hours on, 24 hours off. And he said that many of the rescue workers have to literally be told -- almost pulled out of the site and said you need to go home now. They are that committed to their work down there now.

BILL HEMMER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Paula. I apologize at the end there. I'm having a little bit of difficulty hearing you at the end there. But I heard you talk about the FEMA officials and the six month operation here. Well, you know, over the weekend we were told maybe a month, possibly two months. That was the forecast that kept sliding. But wow, when they say six months, and until you see this rubble behind me here, there's just a massive amount of pounds and tonnage of things that still must be removed.

I want to bring you up to date on what we're hearing. This is the time of day where you kind of get a shift change down here, where rescue workers come out. What they're telling us is that fiber optic equipment is still being used at this time to go in and poke through small holes that are entirely too small for any human being to get through.

They also talk about these heat sensing cameras, about a $25,000 piece of equipment being used to pick out the hot spots so the officials can stay away from certain areas that are, indeed, too dangerous and too precarious to go through.

Also getting a description from some rescuers who went to the sixth level below the street and the descriptions they give are quite eerie. They talk about an empty area down there with no subway trains found there. They say that it indicates to them, anyway, that everyone got out alive. But they also talked about donuts being cooked on ovens that are still sitting there. They talked about coffee in a Starbucks cup that is still there at this point, almost like the place in an instant just vanished and cleared up.

Also want to share with you one thing we caught last night that caught our eye up on Eighth Avenue here north of here outside a fire station here. There was an enormous bronze statute, about 3,000 pounds, and the story behind it is quite endearing. Thus was commissioned by firefighters in the state of Missouri and the idea was to ship it last week from JFK out to St. Louis. But with the tragedy, certainly it never went anywhere. Now they're saying it will not go to Missouri. It will stay in the New York area. But now they need to find a place to put it and until they make that decision, it will to a warehouse in the state of New Jersey, an enormous, an impressive structure and piece of art that we came across yesterday, another indication of the generosity and the memories, again, that continue here in New York City.

Also want to make mention, Paula, we talked 30 minutes ago about French President Jacques Chirac coming to the site a bit later today. I think it's critical to point out that last night on CNN's "LARRY KING," the mayor, Rudy Giuliani, talked about how he insisted that Kofi Annan, the U.N. secretary general, come to the site this week. Well, he came yesterday. And, again, like so many people who come down here, it is a devastating scene. And Kofi Annan talked about his feelings when he left.

The key for city officials is to bring more like French President Jacques Chirac here to give them a firsthand account. As President Bush said last week, until you come here and see it you cannot truly understand the enormity of it. It's also possible Tony Blair, with his visit later this week in Washington, he may come here, as well. That is something we will watch -- Paula.

ZAHN: All right, Bill, we'll see you throughout the morning.

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