Roebling residents part of relief teams
By:Vanessa S. Holt
ROEBLING Local men and women who were among the hundreds of volunteers at the ruins of the World Trade Center over the past week said they will never forget the chaos and devastation at the scene of the collapse, nor will they forget the selfless outpouring of support they saw there.
Among the volunteers from the area called to the former site of the Twin Towers were several members of the Roebling Rescue Squad and a Roebling man who went up with a unit from Plumbers and Pipefitters Local Union No. 9 from Englishtown.
Four rescue squad members returned from the scene of devastation in New York City on the afternoon of Sept. 12, after a long night spent treating the injured in a triage center in the city.
They returned exhausted and still partially coated with ash, haunted by images of the disaster area.
Squad member Jeff McGinley recalled seeing scraps of paper amidst the debris bearing an address that is now surreal and tragic: Two World Trade Center, 73rd floor.
Rescue workers described how they made their way through an apocalyptic scene where military personnel filled the dust-choked streets, fighter jets flew overhead and fires still smoldered within the rubble.
Rescue squad members Norman and Nadine O’Hara were among the volunteers who found themselves at "ground zero" after darkness fell Sept. 11, the date the two hijacked jets struck the Twin Towers.
"It looked like a war zone," said Mr. O’Hara. "It was total destruction. Cars piled on top of cars, fire trucks destroyed; buildings were damaged six blocks away. It was like something you’d see in a movie."
They navigated obstacles like twisted metal, broken glass, stacks of cars destroyed in the blast and firetrucks obliterated by the collapsing buildings.
Refuse was scattered for blocks around the scene of the disaster, which was covered in several inches of ash that recalled a volcanic eruption.
Volunteers also noted yachts along the waterfront that had been destroyed by falling debris.
"It was like the movie ‘Independence Day,’ but three times worse," added Mr. McGinley. "It will take months, if not years, to clean it all up."
Emergency vehicles from as far away as Delaware and Virginia gathered in a staging area at the Meadowlands sports complex in East Rutherford Tuesday night and teams were transported from Jersey City to New York City in shifts that generally lasted about six hours, said the volunteers. Ambulances from area towns including Bordentown City also reported to the Meadowlands and were allowed to return home later that night.
County Office of Emergency Management Coordinator Kevin Tuno said a rotation system was devised for counties to send EMS units to staging areas in northern New Jersey.
Additional units from the county were sent throughout the past week.
"The rescue mission will be a long, tiring one," said county Freeholder James K. Wujcik. "How we in Burlington County, and other southern New Jersey counties, best can help is to stay ready and respond when called."
Police boats and private tugboats ferried volunteers back and forth across the Hudson River, as all other routes into the city were closed off that Tuesday night after the attack, said Mr. McGinley.
Where the 110-story World Trade Center towers once stood, hundreds of emergency workers sifted through the remains in complete silence, said Mr. O’Hara. "The Twin Towers are nothing but a pile of rubble a hundred feet high with fires still burning in them," he said.
Squad members assisted injured patients throughout the night, finally leaving at 11 a.m. the next day, coated with ash and dust.
"It definitely makes you think that anything is possible," said Mr. McGinley. "Everything you train for and learn, it all comes down to this."
The wreckage was still burning the day after the attack, smoke billowing from the rubble.
"In the daylight you can grasp what happened," said squad member Mike Espenschied. "This will be with us for a long time."
Charles Russell of Roebling, a member of Plumbers and Pipefitters Local Union No. 9, based in Englishtown, was on the scene on Saturday as part of a volunteer team from his union.
He was not sure what form their assistance would take but said he was willing to do anything to help.
"I didn’t know what we would be doing, but the next thing I know I’m at ground zero," he said. "I wasn’t ready for the things I saw, the things I experienced."
Mr. Russell’s experience with welding brought him to the difficult task of cutting through metal with a welding torch so rescuers could recover bodies.
Five bodies were recovered in the area where Mr. Russell worked on Saturday.
"Nothing could have prepared me for what I experienced," he said. "No pictures or TV images could have explained it."
After 20 hours of work, digging by hand, taking part in bucket brigades and cutting through metal, he finally rested.
"Everybody should see what I saw at ground zero," said Mr. Russell. "It’s something that isn’t described. Pieces of buildings are falling off, firefighters were breaking out windows because glass was falling on people … fire engines smashed to nothing. It’s something that will be with me for a long time."
After their excavation uncovered a body, a recovery team was brought in to extricate the deceased.
"They brought a chaplain from the Salvation Army; we took off our hats and said a prayer when they brought someone out," said Mr. Russell.
An image that he said will stay in his mind the longest was the absolute devastation that spread out in every direction.
A 360-degree turn revealed nothing but ruins on every side.
One thing that kept Mr. Russell going strong throughout exhaustion and the pain of hours of difficult work was a photograph he found in the wreckage.
"I found one picture of a guy and his baseball team; I kept it with me as my inspiration," said Mr. Russell.
The American Red Cross is urging anyone who wants to assist the rescue and recovery workers, the victims and their families to consider making a monetary donation by calling 1-800-HELP-NOW. Blood donors may volunteer at 1-800-GIVE-LIFE.
If you have a story you would like to share about last week’s tragedy, please contact the Register-News at (609) 448-8145 or e-mail [email protected].

