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CNN Live Today

Naomi Konovich Discusses Her Search for Her Brother-In-Law

Aired September 12, 2001 - 14:05   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.
LOU WATERS, CNN ANCHOR: There is another kind of search, a purely emotional search, by family members who still don't know what's happened to their loved ones up in New York. Naomi Konovich from New York who is searching for brother-in-law. Ms. Konovich, what is it you have been doing?

NAOMI KONOVICH, SEARCHING FOR BROTHER-IN-LAW: We started early this morning. Yesterday my brother-in-law, Andrew Zucker, went to work at Tower Two in the World Trade Center. The last we heard was that he was coming down the stairs in the staircase. No one has seen him since. I've been going with the family friends to check all the hospitals. We went to NYU to register there to check lists. We went to Bellevue to check lists. We even went to medical examiners office and they gave us advice of what to do.

There's nothing to do except for make phone calls and to keep going to different hospitals and asking and to keep passing his picture around and hoping that anyone who saw anything or saw him might to be able to give us some information about where he is or if he is OK.

WATERS: And his name is Andrew Zucker?

KONOVICH: Andrew Zucker, Z-U-C-K-E-R.

WATERS: And he was on what floor?

KONOVICH: He was on the 86th floor at Beach and Harris. It is a law firm there, he is one of the lawyers.

WATERS: North or south?

KONOVICH: South in Tower Two.

WATERS: In Tower Two. And what kind of reception are you getting in hospitals and places where you are checking? We've seen and heard other stories of other people in search of their relatives and been deflected, not out of any disregard for those people, but because of the sheer exhaustion of the amount of work that needs to be done there?

KONOVICH: There's a lot of work. And most of the hospitals in Bellevue had crisis counselors set up where they had (UNINTELLIGIBLE) and they have lists of people at different hospitals, whether it is an unknown person or the name of a victim.

And they are trying to be as helpful as they can. But it is very difficult for them. They have their jobs to do in taking care of patients as well as dealing with people who are coming to look for patients.

WATERS: Have you been able to be in touch with any people who may have worked with your brother-in-law at that office?

KONOVICH: We spoke to one of the partners from his law firm who had seen him, who said that if were not for my brother-in-law, Andrew, people would still be sitting at their desks. Andrew went around and told them all that they should get out of the building. And we spoke to actually his secretary who told us that she had seen him in the staircase and doesn't know anything further than that.

WATERS: That was going to be my question. What kind of a man is your brother-in-law? Because we heard the stories of folks who engineered the exits of several other people after the first explosions and the call to get out of the building quickly. Would you brother-in-law have been one of those kinds of people?

KONOVICH: My brother-in-law has a heart of gold. After the first plane hit, my sister called him. He said I'm OK, I will call you back. And then she hadn't heard from him. But he's the sweetest man who would go back in to try to help people. And apparently an announcement was made that the building was secure. So, maybe he was trying to tell other people to get out and to move out and that they should keep going.

He's the kind of person who would put other's safety probably before own. He is just a very, very sweet man.

WATERS: I know there must be others who are in a similar situation to yours. Is there anything you can tell folks who may have been attempting to find their loved ones, only to run into a stone wall?

KONOVICH: The only thing I can tell people is what seems to be working for us. We haven't found anything, but to keep calling the hospitals to fill out the missing person's report and to bring in all the things they ask for like pictures and fingerprints and hair samples and to just keep doing it.

And it's hard, but you have to keep calling. They are updating lists constantly, every couple of hours they update list at all the hospitals and to just keep trying. And to get their name or their picture out there for people to see. That's the only thing I can hope for.

WATERS: Where were you, Naomi, when this happened?

KONOVICH: I was actually at home. I was getting ready to go to work. WATERS: And how did you find out about it and... KONOVICH: My sister called to tell me that my that brother-in- law was OK, but that she doesn't know more than that. And that was before the second plane crashed.

WATERS: And your immediate reaction I can imagine was one of horror. KONOVICH: It was of tremendous fear to make sure everything was OK with my sister and brother-in-law.

WATERS: We certainly wish you good luck and God's speed. Naomi Konovich, searching for brother-in-law in New York.

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