Bloomberg to Announce Private Platform for Victim's Families

Mayor Bloomberg has scheduled a press conference on Sunday February 10, 2002 at 9:30 a.m. on the West Street platform (formerly known as the VIP platform) to announce a formal and private area for all of the Victims' Families to use as their own private space. Mayor Bloomberg has invited all September 11th Victim's Family Members and hopes to see as many Families present.

This area is located on what could be considered West Street at the World Financial Center just east of the FDNY memorial and NYPD memorial. The Mayor’s office is concerned about the general public attempting to access the platform and needs feedback on whether all of you think it is appropriate to ask for a victim's Family members for proof for access.

Below you will find directions that were given to us by the Mayor’s Office. The Mayor’s Office suggested to enter Ground Zero from the entrance specified below.

As far as access to the press conference, you will need to provide your Loved One’s “P” or “T” Number and their Name. I would suggest getting to the site between 8:15am and 9:00am.

From Downtown Manhattan:

Go to end of BROADWAY, bearing right at the famous bull;
Right turn at light onto BATTERY PLACE;
Take BATTERY PLACE to WEST STREET;
Left onto WEST STREET;
WEST STREET to BATTERY PLACE (continuance of the same street, dissected by West Street);
Right onto BATTERY PLACE;
Take BATTERY PLACE to THAMES STREET;
Left onto THAMES STREET;
Take THAMES STREET to SOUTH END AVENUE;
Right onto SOUTH END AVENUE;
Take SOUTH END AVENUE to LIBERTY STREET.

If you have any questions please E-mail Michael Cartier at MCartier1@NYC.RR.COM for more details.

OCME Out-Reach Successful

The Medical Examiner's Office contacted Give Your Voice and said that their out-reach was successful. They have received hundreds of phone calls regarding DNA inoformation. The OCME ensured Give Your Voice that all phone calls will be answered.

Message From the Medical Examiner regarding DNA Identification

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of the City of New York remains committed to doing everything possible for as long as it takes to attempt to identify victims of September 11 terrorist attacks.

We are pleased to announce that we recently had discussions with and received supportive suggestions from representatives of family groups, including: 911 WVFA, GIVE YOUR VOICE, and September’s Mission. These groups will assist us in an outreach program to collect an initial DNA sample or additional samples from the families of victims of the tragic events of September 11th. Obtaining DNA samples from the family members is crucial to the process we use to identify their loved ones.

Unfortunately, in some instances, the personal articles submitted did not produce conclusive DNA profiles, and we now must collect more DNA material. We also need samples from the families that have not yet submitted material for analysis. The OCME has prepared a list of those victims who do not have a usable DNA sample on file, and we have established a DNA hot-line number for families to call. A trained investigator will interview callers and will make an appointment to collect samples. The OCME DNA Hotline number is (212-447-7884), 9 a.m. to 9p.m., seven days a week.

The Office of Chief Medical Examiner and the families’ organizations urge all families previously submitting DNA sampling materials to immediately contact the Medical Examiner’s office by telephone to determine whether the personal articles were useful in conducting analysis. And, all families that have not yet submitted DNA samples are urged to do so at their earliest convenience. For more information, family members may also visit our Web site (TBA).

NY1 News September 11 Victim Profile Requests

Over the last few months, New York 1 News, a 24-hour all-news station in New York City, has received a number of calls and emails asking us to profile those lost on Sept. 11th. The station has since started a segment on New York Tonight doing just that.

If you would like to have a loved one - a relative, companion, or friend- profiled, please contact New York 1.

You can either send an email to - nytonight@ny1.com - or a letter (and please include photographs) to

Tara Heinchon, Executive Producer, New York 1 News, 75 Ninth Avenue, 6th Floor New York, N.Y. 10011.

New York 1 wants to accurately portray loved ones, and so we would need information about each person, such as a person's age, occupation, place of employment, and last residence.