Recovery Operations Continue Around the Clock 

Release Date: September 16, 2001
Release Number: HQ-01-111

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Washington, DC -- Response and recovery operations at the World Trade Center and Pentagon continue around the clock. Disaster field offices are open in New York and Arlington, Va. Representatives of federal agencies involved in disaster operations have been assigned to these offices.

Following is a status report on other aspects of the operations:

Victim Assistance: Final plans are being drawn to coordinate the numerous disaster assistance programs available to victims of the World Trade and Pentagon disasters. To date FEMA has received over 1500 applications for assistance.

FEMA is also working with the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division to set up a national 800-number hotline for disaster legal services. That line should be operational early in the coming week.

FEMA is working with the New York City Mayor's Office and the State Department to assist families who lost foreign nationals in the World Trade Center disaster. Through each country's respective Consulate General in New York, the City assists Consular Officers with the official registration procedure that has been set up on behalf of missing persons located at the Family Center. Any person abroad who wishes to report a missing foreign national should contact that missing person's Consulate General in New York for assistance.

Search and Rescue: A rotation plan has been set up for the nine Urban Search and Rescue teams in New York. Teams from Florida, Utah, Texas and New Mexico are activated and awaiting rotation to duty.

Twenty-three of the 38 compromised columns at the Pentagon have been shored up.

Debris Removal: Final debris removal plans are being drawn and contractors identified. The debris will be taken to the Staten Island Landfill.

Air Transportation: Ronald Reagan National Airport remains closed to passenger service. A security agreement permits Canadian flights over US air space between certain specific locations.

All issues of security certification for American Airlines operations at Dulles and Baltimore and for TWA at Dulles have been resolved.

Last Modified: Monday, 20-Oct-2003 16:00:20