Emergency declaration letter, WTC, March 2003

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

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DECLARATION OF EMERGENCY WHEREAS, on September 11,2001, an unforeseen terrorist attack resulted in the tragic destruction of the World Trade Center (“WTC”); and WHEREAS, as a result of said catastrophe, buildings in surrounding areas were damaged, if not destroyed; and WHEREAS, in the aftermath, to minimize further destruction and implications of the attack, various remediation activities were immediately instituted; and I WHEREAS, as a follow-up to such activities performed in October and November of 2001, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (“NYCDEP”), in conjunction with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“USEPA”) and the'New York State Department of Labor (“NYSDOL”), performed site visits at buildings in the , sumounding vicinity; and WHEREAS, buildings containing debris characteristic of the debris from the impact of the collapse of the WTC were identified and remediation was commenced; and WHEREAS, debris removal from the immediate areas of destruction in the WTC complex is nearing completion and the remaining unoccupied buildings identified as potentially contaminated must be rid of debris; and . WHEREAS, as local residents are concerned that apartments may contain debris from the WTC catastrophe, it has been deemed necessary to establish a “call center," to provide residents and residential building owners a means of obtaining professional contractor clean-up and testing; and I WHEREAS, USEPA has determined that an expedited clean-up of buildings containing debris is in the public interest, and is necessary to ensure that the air quality of the affected area is as pure as possible; and' WHEREAS, such clean-up is required to help protect against any adverse effects on air quality or public health and safety; and j WHEREAS, the clean-up process will require technical services, as well as the services of asbestos-remediation and air monitoring firms; and | WHEREAS, the area designated for such clean-up shall be divided into four sectors, each requiring asbestos­ remediation and air monitoring contracts; and WHEREAS, fundingjfor such clean-up will be provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (“FEMA”); and WHEREAS, the imniediate action required cannot be met through normal procurement methods; and

WHEREAS, the aforementioned circumstances may affect the health and safety of the inhabitants of the City of New York. I I NOW, THEREFORE, for the aforementioned reasons, pursuant to the authority conferred by Section 315 of the New York City Charter and Section 3-06 of the Procurement Policy Board Rules, 1 hereby determine that an emergency exists; and 1 FURTHER DETERMINE that emergency contract(s) must be let in the most expeditious manner possible to ensure that necessary asbestos remediation in the affected area can occur, to monitor and ensure the air quality of the City of New York. Dated: May 7, 2002

CHIRSTOPHER O. WARD Commissioner

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