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CNN Live At Daybreak

America Recovers: Death Toll in New York Climbing

Aired September 21, 2001 - 07:17   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: Back here in New York, the toll is climbing as other countries report their citizens missing and presumed dead in the ruins of the World Trade Center.

Bill Hemmer is at the corner of West and Moore. That is six blocks north of where the twin towers were destroyed. Bill, tell us a little bit first off about the weather. We really got drenched last night.

BILL HEMMER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we did. It started yesterday, late yesterday morning and overnight, and the winds kicked up quite a bit overnight as well. It's stopped now and the winds have died down, Paula. Whether it continues throughout the morning a bit uncertain right now, but we'll possibly see perhaps another band of showers. But at this point it's dry right now.

You mentioned our location. We were moved overnight and so, too, were all the other reporters and networks here that are operating. We were over on Greenwich Street a couple blocks east of here. We've been moved west and the police department is telling me they wanted to clear out that street that was just packed and loaded with satellite trucks throughout the entire operation.

They want to try and let some of those businesses open up again and, of course, let the residents get back into their apartments with less hassle than before.

The other indication we're getting is that with those trucks moving out and the street opening up, it's quite possible the perimeter will be constricted once again, moved in about a block, which is a measure, although a small measure but still a measure, nonetheless, of progress here.

Steve, why don't you go ahead and push past me? This is what we're getting from overnight, Paula. If you can look way past me here, this enormous crane. it may not look that way on television, but I can tell you, this enormous white crane here stretches 300 feet into the air. It's 30 stories tall.

At one time this crane is capable of lifting 700 tons. It's been set up on West Street and the idea is for that crane to sit on that street and then stretch over eastward over the pile, over the rubble, over the area that many rescuers refer to as the hole. Speaking of that area, we're told this morning there is still an awful lot of steel, an awful lot of these steel I-beams to be removed. One firefighter says those cranes and the iron workers are heading in throughout the operation and removing that steel first and allowing them to continue crawling through and removing more debris.

Asked how things are going, what they're finding, they say not much of anything at this point other than the enormous steel beams that I was referring to. And many times when you talk to these rescuers, when they come off their shift 10, 12 hours, sometimes more, you ask them how they're doing and they say OK and they shrug and the response after that is not much more.

Today we do anticipate John Ashcroft, the attorney general, the FBI director Robert Mueller, to come to the site. This follows a string of dignitaries from yesterday. About 47 members of Congress, including 40 percent of the U.S. Senate, came here to visit and the get the tour by the mayor and the governor of New York City, or rather the governor of New York State. And as they toured the response was the same that we have heard many, many times, that when they come and see it in person it is truly overwhelming.

At this point, the rain is clear. We'll watch it throughout the day. That rain can be very precarious for the rescue operation. Paula, more coming up a bit later this morning. Back to you.

ZAHN: All right, thanks so much, Bill.

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