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Lack of preparedness
Despite
the heroic images in he media, a deeper look reveals that New York City was
largely unprepared in basic ways even though the World Trade Center had long
been a target for terrorism. Much of
the lack of preparation is understandable—the failure of communications, the
loss of key emergency coordination functions.
“We’re
prepared now, but we really weren’t then,” says Revella.
Among
some of the major criticisms: The city should have been prepared with
respirators and safety equipment at the time. Of course, some of that problem was
due to the tragic loss of firefighters with hazardous materials expertise. Many
remember the mad scramble to get respirators on the first day. But critics also
blame fundamental lack of coordination among agencies and little regard to
environmental health and safety.
 |
Photo: Paul Olivier |
Forras
answered the call for help as a volunteer firefighter on the morning of
September 11, driving down from upper Westchester country north of the city.
“My
first sight upon arrival on the scene was seeing Ladder 3 totally crushed by a
large block of the building and twisted into pieces.”
Inspecting
the side compartment where the crew’s names were listed, he and his fellow volunteers
determined that their buddies had to have been in the building.
“We
spent the better part of the next 48 hours trying to find Jeff [Giordano] and
three others and anyone else that might still be alive.”
However,
because Forras and thousands of others were largely unprotected in those first
hours and days, they are still suffering from a long list of ailments.
“It took at least two weeks to get properly
equipped. By then we were pretty well cooked.”
Forras
continues to be severely ill from a host of respiratory ailments, some stemming
from sinus surgery, as well as severe headaches.
“All
we had was paper masks, and there weren’t enough respirators,” he recalls. “It
took at least two weeks to get properly equipped. By then we were pretty well
cooked.”
Footnotes:
http://www.boma.org/pubs/property_gep_INTRO.htm
(2) http://www.ssrc.org/sept11/essays/tierney_text_only.htm
(3)
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has completed its mission assignment to
provide debris estimates and reports that 1.2 million tons of steel, concrete
and glass were left on the ground following the World Trade Center attacks.
http://www.nrdc.org/cities/wtc/wtcinx.asp
http://www.fema.gov/nwz01/nwz01_139.shtm
(4) The Environmental Impacts of the World Trade Center
Attacks
A
Preliminary Assessment
http://www.nrdc.org/cities/wtc/wtcinx.asp
(5) http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/magazine/stories/mag2.htm
(6)
Earthquake/ richter scale
http://www.cnn.com/2001/US/09/12/seismic.impact/
(7)http://www.nyc.gov/html/fdny/pdf/mck_report/executive_summary.pdf
(8) http://www.ourpublicservice.org/staff_name3761/staff_name_show.htm?doc_id=139998
(10)
http://www.justiceworks.unh.edu/Research/B_B_Vol_5/justiceworkspub.pdf
(11)
OSHA
(OSHA's Manhattan Area Office was based in the top floor of
the World Trade Center's Building 6. Tower 1's collapse completely destroyed
OSHA's Area Office)
http://www.osha.gov/as/opa/911/)
(12)
http://www7.nationalacademies.org/ndr/1Harrald_Presentation.pdf
(13)
http://www.pswn.gov/admin/librarydocs8/pentagon_release_2_1.htm
(14)
http://www.justiceworks.unh.edu/Research/B_B_Vol_5/justiceworkspub.pdf
(15)
http://www7.nationalacademies.org/ndr/1Harrald_Presentation.pdf
(16)
http://www.fema.gov/hazards/terrorism/terror.shtm
(17)
Michael Benedict
http://www.ourpublicservice.org/staff_name3761/staff_name_show.htm?doc_id=139998
(18)
http://www.geocities.com/cureworks2/lisa.htm
(19)
http://www.co.arlington.va.us/fire/edu/about/docs/aar.htm
(20)
http://www.geocities.com/cureworks2/lisa.htm
(21)
http://www.dodgeconstructionpublications.com/Group/Features/feature02nov01.htm
(22)
http://everest.hunter.cuny.edu/~mclarke/Problems%20with%20EPA%20scopes%20Oct%202002.htm
(23)
http://www.fema.gov/about/mediausr.shtm
(24)
http://www.state.ny.us/governor/press/year01/sept11_5_01.htm
(25)
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/magazine/stories/mag2.htm
(26)
U.S. Army Medical Department
http://history.amedd.army.mil/booksdocs/opnoblegle/nurse911.htm
(27) “Only
recently have U.S. military leaders begun to regard a clean, healthy environment as a critical national interest
worth fighting to protect,” noted Peter Lee Miller of Vermont Law School
discussing the school’s symposium on the environmental impacts of war. “A
Pentagon office is now tasked exclusively to protect the environment from
military activities that would unnecessarily degrade it.”