Returning to ground zero after months of 9/11 cleanup efforts | 60 Minutes Archive
In a Nutshell
Eight months after 9/11, the WTC recovery operation is nearly complete after removing 1.5 million tons of debris and recovering over 19,000 human remains, though only about 1,000 of the 2,800+ victims have been identified. Workers have reached bedrock 70 feet down across 16 acres, with debris still being sorted at Staten Island landfill where 135 additional victims were identified. Families are divided between those refusing closure until all remains are found versus those accepting each recovery, while rebuilding of subway lines begins as the first step toward reconstruction.
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While the rest of the country has moved on, Ground Zero has remained frozen in time. September 11th never ended there, with recovery work continuing day and night without stopping. After 233 days, the operation is nearly complete. In terms of concrete and steel, what has been accomplished is described as close to a miracle, but there are limits to what can be done with flesh and blood. It is likely that most of those lost will never be found.
Lower Manhattan has not looked like this since 1968. The World Trade Center was a mountain of misery containing 1,500,000 tons of wreckage and nearly 3,000 people to be found inside. The recovery began hand-over-hand, one bucket at a time, and has not stopped for a single hour since the day of the attacks. After almost 8 months, the work is nearly done.
At the base of downtown's towers, all that remains is a wound covering 16 acres and cutting 70 feet deep, a hole in the heart of Manhattan. Workers are now down to the bedrock of the island in the seven-story Trade Center basement.
Front loaders shake out the last of the ruins for inspection. Dan Henry, a Port Authority cop helping recover human remains, states: "When we do have a recovery, I don't think of it as a bad thing. I think of it as the beginning of closure for families that have been through just pure hell."
The seven buildings lost included:
- Seven World Trade Center: 47 floors
- Building 6: 8 floors
- Buildings 5 and 4: 9 floors each
- Towers 1 and 2: 110 floors each
- Number 3: 22-floor hotel
Piece by piece, these buildings have been transported on barges across the Hudson to a landfill on Staten Island, where the ruins are separated, sorted, and searched again. Among the debris, personal items include frequent flyer cards, keys to offices, golf clubs, birthday presents, kids' toys, and wedding invitations still with their doilies. Approximately 500-600 pieces of jewelry have been found.
Jim Luongo and Bruce Bovino of the NYPD and FBI's Richard Marks describe the findings as "life interrupted" and "bits and pieces of people's lives." The wedding invitations particularly struck home as symbols of lives cut short. Gold survives while steel does not, with diamond engagement rings and wedding rings being found intact among the destruction.
Among the remarkable items found:
- A US Secret Service armored limousine wheel and engine, kept for visiting heads of state
- Landing gear strut and engine parts from Flight 11, identified by serial numbers
- Rodin statues from the 105th floor of Cantor Fitzgerald, including part of "The Three Shades" from the Gates of Hell sculpture
135 victims have been identified at the Staten Island landfill that were not found at the World Trade Center site. More than 19,000 human remains have been collected overall. Only a little more than 1,000 victims have been identified out of 2,420 civilians plus 37 Port Authority PD, 23 New York PD, and 343 FDNY personnel.
The Ragusas, parents of firefighter Mike Ragusa, have refused a memorial until the last hope of identifying their son is gone, finding comfort in not knowing. They explain that DNA identification would confirm he was "blown to bits," which they find hurtful. Their grandchild believes "Uncle Mikey" is in Pennsylvania.
Nicole Petrucelli has been notified about four recoveries of her husband Mark Petrucelli, a commodities broker who had just received a promotion in Tower 1. She chooses to know every time, stating: "If he was sick and he was dying, I would have taken care of him. So, this is the way I can take care of him." She received a call that they found his heart, noting she "never imagined that his torso wasn't intact."
Reconstruction has begun despite the sacred nature of the site for many families. The subway system that carried 60,000 commuters from New Jersey every day is already being worked on. The first thing rebuilt will be the subways. Port Authority engineer Lou Minnow, who was general manager of the World Trade Center on September 11th, states that reopening the rail lines in 20 months represents "saying to the world that we have survived. This is going to be our finest hour."
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg explains that the Vietnam Memorial took 5 years before being accepted, and a similar process will be needed. He states that buildings will include residential, commercial, office, cultural, and possibly athletic facilities, but "it's just too early to tell."
Officer Dan Henry, searching for his brother Fireman Joseph Henry, suggests: "I think there should be a nice size park with lots of beautiful trees and flowers and benches. And I think a big memorial wall with each victim's name on it. Because you know, you don't have a cemetery to go to. This is going to be the place we go on his birthday or Christmas."
At the Pentagon, where 189 people were killed, the same spot where destruction occurred is now being rebuilt, with plans to reopen the section on September 11th of that year. Five victims have never been found.
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