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CNN Live At Daybreak

America Recovers: At The Site

Aired October 02, 2001 - 07:13   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: You were looking at the site of the former World Trade Centers, where workers are recovering more victims from the September 11 attacks.

Our Martin Savidge is standing by near there. He has an update for us now -- good morning, Marty.

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Paula.

And as you can see by the background, maybe the sun reflecting off the World Financial Center, it is shaping up to be a beautiful day in New York, blue skies. But, of course, all of that beauty is lost when you see the destruction of the World Trade Center in the foreground here.

Yesterday was a day, I suppose, you could say, of mixed emotions for the people that were working on the recovery effort and for a number of families. The death toll took one of its largest jumps since the first week initially after the attack on the World Trade Center building. In fact, the number of dead that were recovered from the rubble was said to be around 30.

Among those numbers were also reported to be about 16 firefighters, perhaps as many as 25 firefighters that were pulled from the debris. There is one report that says there were as many as those 16 found in a stairwell that once was part of the World Trade Center complex there.

It's a very somber scene when you see firefighters and police officers recovered. Usually what takes place is that you will see the body bag covered with the American flag and then as those bodies are led out, usually the work in the immediate area comes to a stop. People bow their heads, sometimes remove their hard hats or helmets and observe the moment.

The work goes on again today. You're looking at this FEMA footage that is coming in. You really don't see a lot of change in the site down here. But what is obviously clear is that all the work with the heavy machinery, all that work that has been going on moving the debris carefully is now beginning to pay off as they come down to levels where they're finding more and more of the victims.

The official number of those listed as missing this morning stands at 5,219. That number has not changed. And also, 151,000 just over tons have been removed from the site here. There are also other encouraging signs, not at the site, but in the surrounding area. The TriBeCa area south of Canal getting more back to normal. The streets opening up there. Schools reopening. Ferry service once again resuming. And the streets also to the west of Broadway now are being reopened to traffic for residents, for taxis, delivery trucks. And the mayor is saying that traffic in Manhattan overall has improved as a result of the car pool restrictions that are now in place.

So as you see, life starting to get back in some way, even as they continue to search for the victims who have lost their lives -- Paula.

ZAHN: And, Martin, and yet in spite of what you're talking about in terms of streets opening and some buildings reopening to business, you've still got thousands of families who can't go back to their apartments. Have you had a chance to talk with any of them about what their expectation is and when they'll finally be able to go home?

SAVIDGE: Well, it's conflicting. A lot of the apartments, actually, that were in the immediate area -- there were a great many that opened up last weekend and the weekend before. It's still true, there are many people that can't go back. There are some people that won't go back, the difference being that they can get to their apartments, but they can't face what they will have to look out upon and emotionally they're not ready for it.

What's being done now is they are working with FEMA. FEMA offers all sorts of programs to try to supplement as far as income, as far as rent. The Red Cross also helping to find alternative housing.

That's going to be a problem for thousands of people for a long time. But there is help available, at least to most of them -- Paula.

ZAHN: All right, Martin Savidge, thanks so much for that report.

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