World Trade Center environmental data report, 2001-2002

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

Experts say that the response system designed for response to natural disasters worked very effectively for the response to the consequences of a terrorist attack, in the sense that federal agencies like HHS and the Army Corps of Engineers integrated well with local responders. “Disaster Medical Assist and Disaster Mortuaiy Teams were mobilized and deployed by the HHS Office of Emergency Preparedness and debris removal teams deployed by the US Army Corps of Engineers as local fire and rescue responded to the WTC and Pentagon,” notes The Institute for Crisis, Disaster and Risk Management at George Washington University.

However, because New York State is a “home-rule” state, the responsibility for managing the rescue and recovery was entrusted to the state. Because Mayor Giuliani exerted such leadership, the state was criticized for taking too much of a backseat during the crisis. "Gov. Pataki was criticized because he was not the leader supposedly (on Sept. 11). That's true. The mayor was the leader. New York State is a home rule state. All emergencies begin and end at the local level. We were there to support New York City during that time," New York state director of Ki emergency response Ed Jacoby told reporter John Nagy of the Pew Center on the States (Stateline.org).

Photo: Andrea Booher/FEMA News Photo

The city Fire Department was the so-called “incident command” from the beginning, and the city’s Department of Design and Construction was later appointed “co-incident commander” with fire officials.

“ It is tough duty and it takes unique individuals.” However, some experts brought in to help assess the environmental damage say a significant problem early on was that the federal response plan did not anticipate—in fact, could not have anticipated—the kind of environmental impacts that struck the city on September 11 and was therefore not prepared to address it.

Even Joe Allbaugh, the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA in an interview with Don Imus, was aghast at the hazards. He described them this way: “The rescue workers, fire, police the USR Teams they go into those pockets, and they run into carbon monoxide, which is deadly. And that forces them to back out after about 20-25 minutes. And take as much as an hour an hour and fifteen breaks to recoup. And it’s very strenuous. Not only on the physical side, but the mental side crawling around inside the rubble. It is tough duty and it takes unique individuals. That’s why I think Americans ought to go to the Fire Departments and Police Departments and say “Thank you”. And every one of these team that are coming in from outside of New York. When they return they ought to be welcomed home ...”

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