Disaster Relief

The SEPTEMBER 11, 2001, TERRORIST ATTACKS against the United States triggered what became an unprecedented level of federal disaster relief. The twin towers at the World Trade Center complex in New York City collapsed after being targeted by two hijacked commercial airliners, and four other buildings partially collapsed shortly thereafter. Several nearby buildings also suffered extensive collateral damage. After the World Trade Center attacks, another hijacked plane was deliberately crashed into the Pentagon and a fourth hijacked plane crashed in Somerset County, Pennsylvania.

In response to the attacks, President GEORGE W. BUSH immediately signed a major disaster declaration for 5 counties in New York. The disaster declaration was amended on September 27 and again on October 2, 2001, making all counties in the state of New York eligible for some form of federal disaster assistance in the wake of the terrorist attack. The president also promptly declared a federal emergency in Virginia under subsection 501(b) of the Stafford Act, and a short time later declared a major disaster in Virginia to trigger a broader range of Stafford-Act responses.

In addition, the president declared an emergency for all 21 counties in New Jersey. These declarations made available federal programs that provide assistance for families and individuals victimized by the attacks. Normally, the federal government provides 75 percent of the disaster response costs with the remaining 25 percent of the costs undertaken by non-federal entities. However, FEMA reimbursed the states and affected local governments for 100 percent of the eligible costs for debris removal, emergency protective measures, and public infrastructure rebuilding costs in response to the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Minutes after the first hijacked airplane hit the World Trade Center, FEMA activated a full Emergency Support Team at its National Interagency Emergency Operations Center in Washington, D.C. Federal officials immediately began arriving at the center to coordinate the nationwide response and recovery effort. Some 1,800 federal workers were deployed to New York to support the disaster response, about 800 from FEMA and almost 1,000 from other federal departments and agencies.

FEMA'S top priorities throughout its entire disaster response effort included: (1) providing urban search and rescue support; (2) assisting in life saving operations; (3) meeting individual and public assistance needs; (4) implementing human services and victims assistance programs; and (5) assisting in debris removal (FEMA helped remove close to 1.4 million tons of debris from the disaster areas, then transported the debris to the sorting and disposal site at the Staten Island landfill).

The New York City Office of Emergency Management's US&R Task Force was among the first responders at the World Trade Center. The New York Force is part of FEMA's 28 Task Forces that make up the National US&R Response System. Its Task Force leader, Chief Raymond Downey, was one of the first responders on the scene, where he ultimately died during search and rescue operations. The DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES and PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE played an important role in the health and medical response. One hundred and sixty-seven persons were assigned to Disaster Medical Assistance Teams and a Medical Support Team to support the response in New York and remain in the City. Thirty-three Centers for Disease Control epidemiologists were assigned to track illness trends. A Veterinary Medical Assistance Team was deployed to treat the rescue dogs.

Since the Stafford Act prohibits FEMA from duplicating disaster assistance, FEMA had to be very careful in coordinating its activities with all of the organizations providing disaster relief. For example, FEMA worked with the Department of Justice's Office for Victims of Crime to maximize the investigative resources deployed at Ground Zero, which was not only a disaster area but a crime scene as well. FEMA also deployed resources to non-governmental organizations that were having difficulty managing the flood of charitable donations made by people around the world. Finally, FEMA worked with the NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD (NTSB) to provide assistance from United and American Airlines to the families of the victims.