Skip to main content
CNN.com /transcript

CNN TV

EDITIONS
SERVICES
CNN TV
EDITIONS

CNN LIVE EVENT/SPECIAL

America's New War: New York Rescue Operation Underway

Aired September 18, 2001 - 05:11   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Let's go and check and see how things are shaping up at ground zero this morning. CNN's Allesio Vinci is in New York this morning.

Allesio, good morning.

ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Leon.

Well, the officials here are still calling the operation a rescue operation, meaning that there's still hope that somewhere underneath this big pile of rubble behind me and to my left, they might still find somebody alive. However, since last Wednesday, nobody -- no survivor -- has been found and pulled out of there alive.

The -- it's been now almost a week -- in about a couple of hours, it will be a week since the two jets -- hijacked jets crashed into the two towers, and people here really speak about a possible miracle if anybody, by this time, would still be found alive.

As you can see, perhaps , behind me, the rubble is still smoldering. It is making the rescue operation extremely dangerous and extremely difficult for the fireman who are up there. One of the firemen we were speaking earlier today was telling us that it was the worst situation there. They're saying that it is extremely slippery, and it is, of course, a big mishmash of concrete and blocks of cement.

Now, joining me here is Steve Adams. He is the safety site manager of one of the buildings here -- one of the buildings that collapsed after the World Trade Center pancaked.

And the first question I want to ask you is, what kind of risks are the firemen facing there?

STEVE ADAMS, RESCUE WORKER: Well, there's a lot of risks that are there. Not only do you have a lot of debris which is dangerous, it's not stable. You've got fires; you've got burning debris; numerous, numerous hazards.

VINCI: What is your take on the possibility of finding survivors after a week?

ADAMS: Well, I believe that the desire to live is very strong, providing someone is in a pocket. We're working as hard as we can to find someone in a pocket.

VINCI: How many pockets do you come across? I mean, they've been digging now for almost a week. Have you seen evidence that there are large-enough pockets where somebody could be still found alive?

ADAMS: Well, there is so much debris there, we're still just at surface. I have not personally come across any pockets.

VINCI: Right.

How do you prepare for an operation like this one? I mean, you know, you're digging, you're going through a lot of debris, and then there is a possibility that you come across a human remain. I mean, this is something that somebody cannot really be prepared for it. Psychologically, how you and your men and your friends out there are really preparing for this kind of stuff?

ADAMS: Well, you can't really prepare for it, Alessio. I think that, you know, you have a job, you take it seriously, and you go and do your job. You don't really think about the consequences. You go and you do the best that you can do. When you have your free time -- whenever that might be -- that's when you'll think about it.

VINCI: Other people here are saying that, OK, there's still hope to find survivors, but realistically, it's really going to be extremely hard.

What does it -- where is the push comes from to still be there and risk your lives in trying to find survivors? Where does it come from? I mean, where do you get our energy from, if there is still some left?

ADAMS: Well, after 18 hours straight, there's still some energy. I can definitely use some sleep, but, you know, you have to keep pushing. You know, you have to have hope that there's still somebody there.

VINCI: Briefly, the mood of the people in there -- the rescue workers.

ADAMS: I think a lot of people are just very exhausted. With everything that's going on, it's very hard and very stressful, but with all the support of so many people from so many different locations, it's very easy to continue.

VINCI: Steve , thank you. Thank you very much.

ADAMS: Thank you.

VINCI: Well, Leon , you heard it. Earlier today, we asked to another colleague of Steve how long it would take to remove all the rubble from here, and he said that the answer that he has been getting is any time between two weeks and one year. Of course, it will take a lot longer than that to restore any kind of normal life below this checkpoint.

Back to you, Leon.

HARRIS: Boy , that's amazing.

All right. Thank you very much, Allesio. Allesio Vinci , in New York this morning.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com

 Search   


Back to the top