[StBernard] LRA cost me $24,000 & called to say "I was lucky."

[Westley Annis]

"During the 5 yr anniversary of 9/11, the Discovery Channel showed that of
the 7,000
rescue workers in and around the towers, over 6,500 all have multiple forms
of cancer believed to be caused by the benzene in the jetfuel. Now they were
exposed for a few days..."
 
Okay...This seems a trivial point, but...
My husband and I have the dubious distinction of having lived in NYC on
September 11, 2001 and having moved to Violet in October 2004 and starting
our own business in March 2005 on Magazine Street.

Flight 175 that hit the South Tower flew LOW over my head about 20 seconds
before it disappeared into the Tower. 

I was at the World Trade Center site 10 days after September 11, 2001.
Having that smell burned in my olfactory memory for eternity, I can honestly
say that I never believed the EPA report that said Ground Zero was safe. It
was clear that there were plastics burning, cement, bodies, etc., etc. 

The rescue workers were down there IMMEDIATELY after the buildings fell (I
believe they only left the site briefly when building #7 collapsed that
afternoon) and they stayed there for MONTHS. Many of them were volunteers
from around the country. They were not provided with any breathing
apparatus. 
Many people don't know (how could you?) that the fires in the sub-basements
below the World Trade Center burned for about 8 MONTHS after September 11,
2001. That smell hovered until well after the fires were finally
extinguished.
I apologize for nit-picking, but I just wanted to make sure that you all
knew that these rescue workers were unstoppable. It was expected that the
clean-up would take at least twice as long as it actually did. This is
because the FDNY wanted to bring all of their brothers home to their
families and because the volunteers sacrificed vacations, sick days, time
with family, going to work and being paid, sleep, etc., etc. At the same
time, they were finding pieces of people. Seriously. 
I don't know how these people were able to stay sane while doing the heroic
work that they did. We New Yorkers didn't know how to thank them, so we
would stand on the West Side Highway and hold up signs thanking them and we
would cheer and clap as they came to and from the site. It was a small
gesture to us, but they were usually teary-eyed and would mouth "Thank you"
to all of us.
No offense meant here, I just didn't want anyone to think that the rescue
workers were only there for a few days.
Hope all of you are having a wonderful (okay, I'll settle for 'good') day...
-Donna
Oak Ridge Park
Violet