16 After 9/11 The New York Times interviewed the families and wrote articles on almost all victims under the title “Portrait of Griefs”.

The 9/11 attack brought many valiant acts and reactions from all corners of the society. Among such wonderful acts was New York Times’ articles on all the victims that died. The articles most elegantly depict them as they were seen through the eyes of their family, friends or loved ones.(source)

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17 Actor Steve Buscemi rejoined his old firehouse to volunteer after the 9/11 incident. He dug the debris for missing firefighters for twelve hour shifts for a week until the firehouse was closed.

Steve Buscemi worked as a firefighter in Little Italy section of New York. When the authorities cut down the number of uniformed personnel working at the site he also participated in the protest and was arrested. He narrated and starred in a HBO documentary A Good Job: Stories of the FDNY based on the efforts and role of the firefighters in helping after 9/11.(source)

18 Almost 19, 435 body parts were recovered along with 1.4 million tons or 110, 000 truckloads of debris removed from the site.

By the midnight of 9/11 search and rescue operations have started and Genelle Guzman was the last survivor of the 18 people rescued alive. After a few weeks of examining and analyzing the structural integrity of the building, recovery and cleaning work started. With the help of uniformed crew and volunteers the recovery was completed and debris finally cleared by the last week of June, 2002.(source)

19 During the aftermath of 9/11, Search and Rescue dogs found so few living people, that it caused them great stress because they believed they had failed. Handlers and Rescue workers had to regularly hide in the rubble in order to give the rescue dogs a successful find, and keep their spirits up.

One of the dogs, Worf, used in 9/11 survivor search was got so depressed after only finding dead people that he lost appetite, started shedding and wouldn’t play with other dogs. The dogs were trained to find living people and are rewarded for it. Seeing so much death and destruction, and not finding anyone alive was too emotional for them. After the rescue work they were given thorough and periodic medical and psychological examinations to ensure their well-being.(source)

20 Over 400 tonnes of asbestos used in constructing the building was released as toxins in the dust cloud after the attack. Over 410, 000 people were exposed during and after the incident. There will be a significant increase in cancer cases by the year 2041 due to exposure.

Police officers, construction workers, debris removal crew, firefighters, truck drivers, transit workers, nearby office workers and many more groups of people were exposed to the toxic dust and asbestos. Inhaling such huge quantities causes serious lung conditions such as asbestosis, mesothelioma and lung cancer. As they take around 20 to 50 years to show any signs or symptoms there will be an expected rise in the number of cancer cases in the future.(source)