Interview202044 min640×360

Clare Ellen Romano oral history interview conducted by Laurel Gumpert, June 25, 2020

Gumpert, Laurel

History

At the Library of Congress

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About

Clare, a detective in the NYPD's Special Victims Unit, was on her way home from the night shift when she learned about the attack and immediately returned to One Police Plaza to help. She was told to gather information about the situation and could not believe the amount of damage and debris in the streets when she arrived at the WTC. She was then sent to surrounding hospitals to get information about the people being treated, so their family members could find them. She expected there to be more patients, but most victims had been killed. In the following days, Clare worked twelve-hour shifts with different assignments. She was on autopilot, rarely stopping to think or talk about anything. At the time, she wasn't concerned about the air quality and didn't start wearing a mask until a couple of days later. Clare worked until May of 2002 on the 9/11 cleanup. During these months, she helped set up an area where family members could bring objects and pictures to collect DNA to identify victims, which she described as the hardest part. She also worked on the bucket brigade, at the Staten Island Landfill, and was put in charge of the command center, where all the agencies worked together to coordinate their services. She felt a sense of camaraderie with the other agencies that aided the NYPD during this time. She found it heartwarming to see the willingness of strangers to go above and beyond to help each other. She keeps in touch with some of her coworkers and even some of the…

Archive
Library of Congress, in Library of Congress
Licence or status
Rights statement at the Library of Congress, as the Library of Congress states it.
Credit
Library of Congress
Language
English
Country
United States
Who can watch
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