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American Morning
America's New War: New York City Rebuilding
Aired September 17, 2001 - 10:46 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 ZAUN, CNN ANCHOR: Right now we wanted to give you an idea of some of what's going on in New York City now, as we look at the round-the-clock rescue operation underway.
We have reports that some of New York's great chefs are cooking up meals for those toiling away at ground zero now. And not far from the wreckage site, workers can now board the cruise ship the Spirit of New York. There they can get hot and cold meals prepared by some of New York's best restaurants. And even though the boat provides a break, we're told it's still so close to ground zero that you can see and smell the smoke from the wreckage.
Let's go back to Bill Hemmer, who joins us from outside the stock exchange for -- to be filled in on some of what he's heard from workers there.
Hi again, Bill.
BILL HEMMER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Paula. Good morning once again.
I can tell you, the five hours we've been down here this is the quietest we have seen Broad Street, again, just about a half block away from the front facade of the New York Stock Exchange.
People at this point people clearly have made way into their offices, and they're watching along with us as we watch the markets tick away at this point; open for more than an hour at this point.
The work continues, though. We've seen electrical workers down here, construction crews again trying to relay the infrastructure that was damaged this past week.
And, Paula, quickly here, I want to bring in Reno Eterno (ph). He's with Con Edison, the main electricity supplier here in the city of New York.
Reno, good morning to you.
You've been here throughout the week trying to reestablish connections and cable lines. Specifically at this point, what have you been able to do?
RENO ETERNO (ph), ELECTRICIAN: Well, we've been setting up temporary cables throughout the area just to get them going for the temporary. Then in a few weeks, hopefully, we will put in the permanent stuff.
HEMMER: When you say "temporary," what do you mean by that?
ETERNO: Well, it's the same cable, but we don't have time to dig up the street, so we're just laying them out, boxing them up, making sure they're safe.
HEMMER: OK. We're on Broad Street, but on Broadway, early this morning, we saw a number of streets that are even torn up.
ETERNO: Yes, we're working on that, too. Some sections we are able to go in, trench it out, and put the cables in. But it's also gas, too, it's not just electrical. There's a lot of stuff going on bills.
HEMMER: What are you hearing right now about how far you've gone, how much farther you may have to go from here?
ETERNO: It's hard to say. We hear -- you know, we're like you, we hear a few weeks of work; at some points then we hear we might be here until January. You never know. It depends.
HEMMER: Well, we have not heard reports today about phone lines or electricity being a problem just yet, based on what you've done. What are you hearing?
ETERNO: No problems. They tested yesterday for the stock exchange, everything went great. And, again, you know, we're like everyone else, hoping everything goes well.
HEMMER: Yes, sure.
And I don't mean to put you on the spot, I know you're not a supervisor or the man in charge, but what are you hearing about the building around here in terms of electricity, power supply, et cetera?
ETERNO: Yes, I know they shut off a lot of stuff for safety reasons. I haven't heard anything as far as when they're coming on.
HEMMER: OK. Keep doing a good job, OK.
How do you feel being back, by the way?
ETERNO: I think we needed to come back as soon as possible, you know, just for everything, for the country as a whole.
HEMMER: OK, good luck. Reno, thanks .
Reno Eterno with Con Edison, the main electricity supplier here.
Quickly here, Paula, listening to Lou Dobbs talk, I'm reminded yesterday of the interview that Suze Orman gave to CNN, a well-known financial analyst. She said don't gauge this market based on what you are seeing today, but watch it tomorrow and throughout the rest of the week. Indeed, she said, one day does not a market make.
We'll watch it. More coming up shortly -- Paula.
ZAUN: Although, as you and I both know, as you watch these numbers go up and down, it's sometimes kind of hard to have that long view.
HEMMER: It can be tough medicine. Indeed you're right, Paula.
ZAUN: Thanks, Bill. Absolutely.
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