3,000 Plus Ground Searchers From 38 States Hunting Columbia Debris, NASA Asks For Help From Landowners In Reporting Suspected Finds
Release Date: February 25, 2003
Release Number: 3171-36
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Lufkin, TX -- The search for Columbia shuttle debris continues to intensify as more than 3,000 searchers representing 38 states trek daily through fields, forests and farm lands attempting to find any pieces that may help the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) determine the cause of the Columbia accident.
Ground crews are combing the primary search area, which consists of a 10 mile wide by 240-mile long swath that extends from Ellis County, south of Dallas, to Hemphill; on the shore of Toledo Bend Reservoir in deep East Texas.
"These people are doing a tremendous job especially in light of the adverse weather conditions they face and the wet, dense terrain they are covering," said Federal Coordinating Officer Scott Wells, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
NASA Astronaut Dom Gorie, at a Lufkin news conference Monday, issued a plea to those living near the flight path of the Columbia to "continue to search for and report anything that will help us determine the cause of our loss of Columbia and her crew."
Residents, farmers, ranchers, and landowners who reside and work in the area of the New Mexico / Texas state line by Bailey County and continuing in a line to just south of Fort Worth are asked to be aware of potential shuttle material.
"Anyone finding what they suspect to be Columbia debris should call the toll-free Material Recovery Line at 1-866-446-6603. This will allow Environmental Protection Agency officials to make arrangements to recover the suspected material," said Division of Emergency Management (DEM), Department of Public Safety, Deputy State Coordinating Officer Dell Greer.
Last Modified: Monday, 14-Apr-2003 10:16:44