I was the Supervisor of Government and Community Affairs at the Port Authority in the 1990s and moved to The General Contractor’s Association (GCA) just before 9/11. At the PA, my responsibilities included government and community relations in NYC, Albany, Washington, DC, and homeless services in NY and NJ. The days following 9/11 were spent in emergency mode at the PA Bus Terminal on 42nd Street; the World Trade Center site, which soon became known as The Pit or Ground Zero, was dedicated to search and rescue.
When the site was cleared for activity, St. Paul’s Church at 209 Broadway was transformed into a round-the-clock relief and recovery center for workers and volunteers. Whenever I could, I would leave The Pit and walk to St. Paul’s to meet government and elected officials, Red Cross workers, rest, eat, and thank the volunteers, including some who gave shoulder massages which were very appreciated. Four construction companies were selected to clear debris. I worked primarily from the Tully Group construction trailer which was on the Church Street side of The Pit. My primary responsibility was coordinating site visits and escorting elected and appointed officials from all over the world to view the disaster. A key purpose and a constant request: to have their photos taken on The Pit. These photos ran in their local papers. One memory: a wine distributor arrived with cases of champagne labeled Windows on the World. GCA purchased them and I distributed bottles to workers in recognition of their contributions. Some of these bottles were put on display at the WTC Tribute Center, where I worked as a docent, and are now in the National September 11 Museum.
For the next eight years, along with the leadership of the NY delegation, including Senator Chuck Schumer, Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney, Senator Hillary Clinton, and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, I was often in Washington, DC, trying to garner passage of a finance bill that would support emergency workers, volunteers, and downtown NYC residents whose physical and/or mental health were impacted by the attack and its aftermath. When working to acquire the needed funding, the discussion veered from “America is with you in this national disaster,” to “Sorry, this is a New York issue.” It felt unjust to have survivors, first responders, and rescue and recovery workers called “heroes” in one breath and denied care in the next. This long hard fight turned into a protracted congressional issue. The James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, which includes the World Trade Center Health Program and Victim Compensation Fund was signed into law in January 2011 and is authorized and funded until October 2090.
Sharing my memories is an opportunity to honor the 87 friends and colleagues – PA cops, secretaries, people who worked in the aviation department and in the 107th Floor restaurant – who were lost that day. I’m still connected to the Port Authority in both memory and real time and attend memorial services every year with a full heart.
Rita I. Schwartz
