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American Morning

America Under Attack: America Grieves for Victims of Tuesday's Terrorist Attacks

Aired September 14, 2001 - 11:20   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: Just one quick note about the cleanup effort under way, as the rain continues to fall here in New York City, complicating the clean up effort, to Martin Savidge as close as you can get to ground-zero with more on the impact this weather is having -- Martin.

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Paula, we are at the intersection of Reed and Greenwich, which is an area located three and a half blocks north of the World Trade Center site. It's one of the major checkpoints that has been set up allow emergency crews to come and go. We've noticed over the past hour the increasing security. In fact, right now, we are being asked by members of the military police and the National Guard to relocate.

Obviously, beefed up presence. This anticipation of the presidential visit expected to come to the site.

You are right, it is the weather the biggest problem so far. The rain let up. That's good news. Bad news as the wind continues to blow. in fact, at times quite gusty, especially side streets roadways downtown Manhattan here, a problem for number of buildings said to be on shaky ground, great concern for volunteers in there trying to look for survivors.

I'm joined right now by two of those volunteers actually, Brad Bradley and also Mike Torvino (ph). Thank you so much for being with us. Now you were in there when the weather was this morning, what has the impact been for the job you are trying to do?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It makes it as -- a volunteer, it makes it a lot more difficult to shovel the materials. We're trying to bucket the materials away from the structural steel at the base. There are iron workers working their with cranes, who pull the big pieces away, but all small materials have to be handled by hand.

SAVIDGE: But this is literally trying to dig through two the Twin Towers by hand that you're doing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely.

SAVIDGE: And what is the difficulty when you have the rain?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It does makes it more slippery, it does make it somewhat treacherous, but as crazy as it may seem, as much chaos as there may seem to be there, everyone is actually working in an orderly fashion, setting up, basically marshalling lines, bucket brigades bringing through.

SAVIDGE: These are human chains.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Human chains, it's incredible, because basically, it comes down to every individual working together as a group, and basically saying, to hell with it, we will clean it up, get the position, do whatever we can.

SAVIDGE: When you were down there in the pits, as they describe it, you ever stand there and say it is just impossible to think that there could be someone alive, or what moves you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I traveled travel that route every day, or I used to travel that route, from the path train, and my belief is there are probably places in the lower cellar areas, where there may still be people, and they may be well protected down there, and I really believe there's a way to get into it, maybe from subway tunnels, I don't know.

SAVIDGE: You save one family, you save one person, you save an entire family, you say, you know, hundreds maybe, just by saving one, just to get people hope.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why did you come down? Why did you feel you had to be a part of this?

SAVIDGE: Because we witnessed it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We saw the whole thing. We were blocks north of here on a construction site. We saw it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We saw the whole thing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, and it's something I will never forget, and like we were looking at the flag on top of the building up there, I saw a guy on top of the one tower waving, and it told me, here is a guy up there has faith, has hope that somebody is going to come and rescue him, and you know, it gave me hope, the guy didn't make it, but he had hope, and it gave me hope.

And I really think, you know, we are doing the right thing.

SAVIDGE: Thank you both. We appreciate your efforts and thank you both for talking with us today.

The spirit of the volunteers and the flags that fly above them inspiring them and of course the lives that they hope to save.

Paula, back to you.

Thanks so much, Martin.

As you were talking, that was Dennis Hastert that was just entering the services, and reminded of how the nation's most powerful leaders will be gathering from prayer in about fifteen minutes from now at the National Cathedral.

Right now, I want to check in with Dick Armey there, but before we do that, let's check in with Jeff Flock, who joins from Iowan to give us an idea how the rest of America is going to spend it's day of remembrance -- Jeff.

JEFF FLOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Indeed, Paula. At a cornfield here on the end of Dyersville, Iowa, with a group of farmers that have gathered out here to take a look at the seed for next year's crop. But I want to survey their spirit this morning.

How is your spirit, Gary, this morning?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think we are all grief stricken with the tragedy that happened, but feel there's a lot of support behind the way people are handling it.

FLOCK: You folks are a long way from New York and Washington, but you feel part of this as well, don't you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, of course we do, because folks even though we're out here in Iowa, what they hit was the World Trade Center, and we do a lot of exporting from Ohio.

FLOCK: You guys are all businessmen. You're farmers, but businessman, too, are you worried about the impact this tragedy will have on nation's economy as we go forward?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It could have some impact. But I we hold the line and use some common sense, I think we'll work ourselves through this.

FLOCK: Where do we go from here? What does the U.S. do? You talked a lot about anger, what do you do with that anger?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The government has to research this, find all the facts, find out who did this, and then have a well laid out plan to react accordingly. I think that is what the people want this in country, and it might take some time to do this, but a well thought- out plan was necessary.

FLOCK: You all, as we talked earlier, are God-fearing people. If you were on the National Cathedral on this day, what would you pray for, what would you pray for as you go home?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We keep the people who are killed, the families, and all the rescue workers in our thoughts and prayer. Our hearts certainly go out to them.

FLOCK: What about your own future?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have no problem. Those people are the ones who have problems today. FLOCK: Gentlemen, I appreciate it. Thank you. I know this affects everyone in this nation, and we appreciate you sharing thoughts with us this day. Here in a cornfield, Dyersville, Iowa, Paula, as the whole nation unites in some way.

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