Put It Above Ground

It is truly amazing what headlines one might find in the papers

Mayor Expands Search for 9/11 Remains (NY Daily News)

Hunt Will Go Block By Block (NY Daily News)

Mayor Expands Search for 9/11 Remains (NY Times)

Ground Zero was Completely Searched, Mayor Says (News 10 ABC)

The same could be said of most of the leads on the local newscasts.

Many of which had variations on

WTC Search Moves to Streets and Rooftops

We need to continue to get the truth about yesterday’s report out to all we can.

We cannot allow this inadequate search to continue.

Back in August of 2002 the city commissioned an independent study into the response to the attacks.

Mr. Skyler was involved with this as well.

Some of the findings were that

City or State governments must establish a formal effective process of interagency planning and coordination.

The lack of information hindered their ability to evaluate the overall situation.

and most importantly

Accountability needs to be increased at headquarters and in the field.

Maybe Mr. Skyler and the Mayor should apply these findings to the current search operation at Ground Zero instead of continuing with the hit or miss process that was presented yesterday.

Put It Above Ground

For Related Articles Go To

http://www.where-to-turn.org/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=23

 

What Families ?

I have read all the updates on the continued search for remains at GZ. I have also read a very sorry excuse from the Mayor’s office for the “rush�.

I would request that all those families who asked for this “rush� for remains to please come forward….the only request we all had was “please, don’t give up�.

How dare he blame this atrocity on the 9/11 family members.

Thank you for all your efforts and getting the word out.

Regards,

Maureen Bosco
Mother of Richard WTC 1

This is actually in response to our petition for a safe above ground memorial but it just proves that people all over the world care about what is going on at Ground Zero.

Hi,

Just want to let you know that both myself and my partner, here in the remote back country of New Zealand have just signed your petition and forwarded it to friends and family hoping they will do same.

We are such a long way from where you are but want you to know that for many of us here in New Zealand 9/11 was not just an international news item but a very painful, emotional experience.

Personally it has effected me for life and I am determined my children will never forget it. I will never forget, nor will I ever forgive Iraq. It is even harder to forgive our own present government who have done all they can to alienate us from the US at every opportunity for many years.

I believe it is vitally important, spiritually as much as for safety reasons, for the monument to be above ground.

Thank you for giving us the online petition opportunity to have our say on this.

Our loving thoughts and support are and will remain always with those who lost their lives and those they left behind on 9/11

Regards

Linda Mitchell
Mangamahu, RD16
Wanganui
NEW ZEALAND

As reported earlier today there were no human remains uncovered today.There will be no search over the weekend do to the weather forecast.

Heavy rain tomorrow and high winds on Sunday.

They will continue on Monday at 7:00 AM.

In order to get to the level where the remains are located clean fill must be removed.

To be on the safe side they are sifting through the clean fill as well.

That is why no remains were reported today.

They did uncover a piece of what they think may have been a locket.

Must have been a coincidence that they scheduled their family meeting and press release on a day on which they were pretty sure that no remains would be located.

Probably just a coincidence that the press release about the release of medical funds for WTC survivors came out just about the same time.

We wouldn’t want to think that this was all planned in advance, would we.

As everyone knows by now the Mayor’s Office has rejected once again the services of JPAC and have refused to expand their search to surrounding buildings except for a few.

Even though it has already been shown that the fill under the service road contains debris from the site and they admitted that the layer of soil underneath the 60 foot wide service road could contain WTC debris they have only committed to digging into small spots to see if further search is needed.

The bottom line is they should be bringing charges against whatever company built the road and used fill from the site instead of fresh fill as was required.

This company should also be given the bill for the entire excavation of the service road and subsequent search.

The report also recommended that any manhole or utility box in the area that haven’t been looked at since 9/11 be dug up and searched.

Why they would not be looking at all the manholes and utility boxes as well as all of the other conduits on or under the site is really beyond us.

It has already been proven that locations that were searched have since turned up remains.

Have they forgotten the Deutche Bank Building already?

They also said they would expand the search of the sewer systems but exact details were not supplied.

Considering the report from an ex-employee that we received today, this better be an extensive and comprehensive search.

Overall the new recommendations leave much to be desired.

They still have construction and utility workers doing the initial search.

Instead of re-examining the entire site they are only doing spot checks.

They are totally disregarding the effect of the blast dynamics (how far remains might have traveled through the air and underground).

Not searching over 95% of the impacted buildings

Not searching anywhere where construction has started.

Which means if remains weren’t accidentally found or overlooked they will now permanently remain as part of the foundation of the transit hub and other buildings.

Finally and I want you to write this down the mayor said on his radio show prior to the release of this report when talking about the areas where new searches will not take place.

“It’s been cleaned. There’s no chance of any thing else”

NEXT STEPS

Continue to reach out for people who worked at the site and are will to speak about what actually went on.

Make everyone aware of the

Proper Recovery/Proper Burial Rally at Ground Zero 11/2

http://www.where-to-turn.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=32171

Finally remember that Election Day is Tuesday 11/7.

Call your elected officials and candidates and tell them that you want them to stand with us on 11/2 and that we want them to support our efforts to bring JPAC in and once and for all develop a strategic plan leading to a comprehensive search by qualified forensic experts.

Put It Above Ground

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: HHS Press Office

Friday, Oct. 27, 2006 (202) 690-6343

HHS COMPLETES ALLOCATION OF $75 MILLION FOR

WORLD TRADE CENTER MEDICAL CARE

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced the completion of the allocation of $75 million in federal funds for monitoring, screening, analysis and medical treatment of emergency responders and recovery workers at the World Trade Center (WTC) disaster site. These recent awards build on more than $125 million for screening and monitoring of more than 30,000 WTC responders, recovery workers and volunteers that the Department has administered since 2002.

“Today’s action reflects our commitment to provide compassionate, appropriate and timely support to the responders who were affected by World Trade Center exposures following the attacks,� HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt said. “Continued screening and monitoring will promote further scientific understanding of the nature of WTC health effects and will inform our work going forward.�

Today’s announcement highlights the granting of $40 million to the Fire Department of New York, Long Island Occupational and Environmental Health Center, Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, City University of New York’s Queens College, Bellevue Hospital/New York University School of Medicine and University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey’s Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. The $40 million is in addition to funds previously released. Also, in consultation with grantees, $8 million will be awarded to provide in-patient services to responders. HHS anticipates funds will be spent through 2008 by HHS and grantees for continued monitoring, screening and analysis.

The goal of these funds is to assist workers with everything from medications to specialized diagnostic care and treatment.

“We have worked closely with our partners at the WTC clinical consortium and the New York City Fire Department to ensure that these important programs continue their work to help WTC response workers and volunteers,� said John Howard M.D., WTC Programs Coordinator.

To date, some 30,000 responders have been screened under the WTC Medical Monitoring Program. The program is open to responders in the New York area and across the country who served at Ground Zero. Eligible responders who have not yet been screened are urged to enroll in the program. The funds also support two data coordination centers at the New York City Fire Department and the WTC clinical consortium that provide a data base for scientific reporting on the incidence of responder health conditions and trends in those conditions over time.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 27, 2006

No. 379

www.nyc.gov

MAYOR BLOOMBERG ACCEPTS REPORT ON EXPANDED SEARCH

FOR THOSE LOST DURING ATTACK ON WORLD TRADE CENTER

Mayor Orders Comprehensive Searches for Remains

Underground, on Rooftops and in Buildings

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today accepted recommendations contained in a report from Design and Construction (DDC) Commissioner David J. Burney and Lower Manhattan Construction Command Center (LMCCC) Executive Director Charles J. Maikish which recommended expanding the current search for human remains at and near the World Trade Center site. After human remains were found during an excavation by Con Edison, Deputy Mayor for Administration Edward Skyler requested the report last Friday in an emergency meeting with high-ranking officials from various City agencies, State agencies, and private utilities, including DDC, LMCCC, the Police Department, Fire Department, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME), Office of Emergency Management, Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), Metropolitan Transportation Authority, State Department of Transportation, Battery Park City Authority, Verizon, and Con Edison. Representatives from the same organizations convened again this afternoon at City Hall for a briefing on the report and to discuss its implementation.

“Last week’s discovery caused every New Yorker pain, especially those who lost someone close to them during the 9/11 attacks,� Mayor Bloomberg said. “I hope that the actions we are taking will assure everyone that we are doing everything in our power to find their friends, colleagues and loved ones. I would like to thank Commissioner Burney and LMCCC Executive Director Maikish for their hard work in making these recommendations.�

“Over the past week, a team of dedicated professionals from the City, State and private utilities have worked tirelessly in the search for human remains at the World Trade Center site,� Deputy Mayor Skyler said. “Today’s report makes it clear that we have much more work to do. We will start immediately by planning the implementation of these recommendations so that those we lost may rest in peace.�

Although the report finds that the vast majority of the site had been thoroughly searched and is free of human remains, it recommends the continued excavations on the haul road where remains have been recovered (the haul road runs parallel to West Street, from Vesey to Liberty Streets, along the western edge of the World Trade Center site); the exploratory excavation of the 140 Liberty Street parcel, the former site of the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church; the searching of selected subterranean structures in neighboring streets, such as Con Edison, Verizon, and DEP manholes (at the Mayor’s request, these searches will exceed the report’s recommendations because all the material from these locations will be removed and sifted by OCME); and the development of protocols for future construction on the site which would include having the City’s Medical Examiner on site to observe all future construction in areas that have not been excavated since 9/11. This work will continue to be coordinated with the Port Authority and no construction delays are anticipated as a result.

In addition, OCME will sift through the rooftops of two buildings, One Liberty Plaza and the Millennium Hotel to make sure there are no human remains. All the rooftops of area buildings have been visually inspected but the roofs of those two buildings have ballast surfaces, making a visual search inconclusive. Finally, OCME will search through damaged areas and areas exposed to the environment on 9/11 in the Deutsche Bank building (130 Liberty Street), Fiterman Hall (30 West Broadway), and 130 Cedar Street to make sure there are no human remains within the buildings.

-30-

Contact: Stu Loeser (212) 788-2958