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Working Together Toward Recovery


The New York City Partnership recently issued a sector-by-sector report on the economic impact of the September 11th attack on our City. The findings of the report are sobering. In addition to the human suffering caused by the attack, the report found that the net damage to the New York City economy is likely to be at least $16 billion. This damage, while concentrated Downtown, will result in a net loss of 57,000 jobs throughout the City by the end of 2003. The impact of the attack will be felt most in the financial services, tourism and retail industries.

In addition to describing the economic devastation caused by the attack, the report sets forth a series of recommendations as to how we should respond. It notes that we have the chance to create a new and improved Downtown while appropriately honoring the victims of September 11th. In publishing this report, the New York City Partnership has begun a conversation in which other civic organizations and the public at large must be active participants. Indeed, as the title of the report stresses, our ability to ensure that the City remains the Capital of the World depends on the capacity of the leaders of our City to keep "Working Together to Accelerate New York's Recovery." Building on the recommendations in the report, we suggest a few ways in which this can be accomplished.

We Must Work Together In The Planning Process. With our wounds still raw, civic leaders must commit to open proceedings so that New Yorkers from all five boroughs will have a voice in the reconstruction of our City. John Whitehead, the chair of the Lower Manhattan Redevelopment Corporation, is appointing advisory committees to represent diverse groups such as the families of victims, local residents and local businesses. This is a great start.

But we cannot forget that the attack rippled through all of our communities and we must consider all of its effects. In "Back to Work," The Community Service Society of New York has evaluated the effects the attack had upon "working people, particularly low-wage workers, and the communities of color in all the five boroughs." In addition, Professors Dennis Derryck and Rikki Abzug at the New School University have recently outlined the negative impactof the September 11th attack on grassroots not-for-profits throughout the City. Without losing focus on Downtown, we must ensure that plans for its reconstruction are coordinated with development plans for the entire City. And, we must have a forum for these City-wide concerns to be aired and addressed as well as those concerns specific to Downtown.

Transparent proceedings relating to the redevelopment of the World Trade Center site itself are particularly important. They will go a long way toward addressing the concern that so much power is to be concentrated in a quasi-public agency, the Redevelopment Corporation. The Redevelopment Corporation will by its nature be able to bypass certain types of public review, particularly environmental review. By allowing for significant public input in the planning process, concerns that an expedited reconstruction plan are not subject to formal land use and environmental review will be met. It will also ensure that a broad segment of the public will have a strong emotional investment in the final outcome.

A broad consensus is important because we New Yorkers have a long history of allowing turf battles (look no farther than the stalled development of Governor's Island for an example) to interfere with the furtherance of our civic goals. Such turf battles can lead to significant delays in important projects. That cannot happen here. The stakes are too high for all of us. A good first step is for the leaders of both parties to publicly commit to a shared agenda for the development process and set an example of unity for other New Yorkers to follow. Indeed, knowing that Governor Pataki, Mayor Bloomberg, Senators Schumer and Clinton, Speaker Silver and Majority Leader Bruno agreed on a broad outline for redevelopment would go a long way toward convincing the public that the reconstruction will proceed apace.

We Must Work Together To Act Quickly.As a result of the September 11th attacks, there is an extraordinary amount of goodwill toward our City across the country and at all levels of government. But if we do not move forward in a timely and responsible manner, much of that goodwill may dry up or be overtaken by other urgent concerns such as the war on terrorism. Not surprisingly then, the Partnership report calls for the immediate initiation of a master planning process for Downtown so that we can begin to rebuild as soon as the clean-up process permits. This is key, particularly now that the clean-up is coming to an end much sooner than we expected. We must demonstrate to the world that we are making meaningful progress on a thoughtful reconstruction plan so that others remain committed to our cause.

We Must Work Together To Build 21st Century Infrastructure.As the Partnership report indicates, the most important part of the rebuilding process will be to quickly restore the confidence of the public and of private industry in government's ability to provide the necessary security and resources that Downtown needs. As Partnership President Kathryn Wylde recently noted, legislation must be passed that empowers government agencies to facilitate the efforts of the various utilities and municipal actors to build new infrastructure efficiently.

In planning the reconstruction, we must recognize that the Downtown infrastructure was inadequate prior to September 11th. Only a well thought-out plan for the revitalization of the power, telecom and transportation systems will make Downtown attractive again and stem its ever-expanding corporate diaspora. That being the case, we ought to explore big ideas, such as the extension of MetroNorth and the Long Island Railroad to Downtown. We have the rare opportunity to build a 21st century infrastructure in the middle of an established community. Let us make the most of it.

We Must Work Together Creatively.As the report indicates, a significant portion of the focus of Downtown development must be on reestablishing the financial services sector. But, given that many believe that the City does not need many millions of additional square feet of office space in the next few years, the Redevelopment Corporation must explore creative anchors for redevelopment. The increasing importance of cultural institutions to Downtown, as evidenced by such institutions as the recently built Museum of Jewish Heritage, the forthcoming Irish Hunger Memorial and the proposed Guggenheim Museum, indicate that a cultural focus may be appropriate. The suggested move of City Opera to the Downtown area sounds like a step in the right direction.

There has already been a great deal of soul searching and creative ferment as to what type of memorial is appropriate for the hallowed ground at the World Trade Center site. Thought should also be given to the creation of a living memorial, one that responds to the depraved violence of September 11th with our fundamental values. One suggestion is to move the United Nations to Downtown. Indeed, the UN, dedicated to the eradication of violence throughout the world, might be the greatest monument of all to the victims of September 11th.

We can do something new and wonderful for the future while also honoring those we have lost. But we can only do so if we work together.

David Reiss and Mathew Kleiner are New York natives. Reiss, a real estate lawyer at the firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, was a candidate for City Council this past year. Kleiner, a former assistant district attorney, was his campaign manager.

Coping with Post-Traumatic Stress



Research shows that after most traumatic events about one in five people who are directly affected will develop long term symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. These can include sleeplessness, nightmares, flashbacks, a sense of hyper-vigilance, jumpiness and anxiety and depression.

"There are about 100,000 people in New York who were directly involved with events related to the World Trade Center attack," says Dr. Edna Foa, a professor of clinical psychology who is director of the Center for Study and Treatment of Anxiety at the University of Pennsylvania and one of the world's leading experts on post-traumatic stress disorder, which is called PTSD. "This includes rescue workers, people caught in the buildings, those who saw people jumping or saw pieces of bodies and people who lost loved ones. About 20 to 25 percent will have some chronic problems."

Foa and at least a dozen other major experts are concerned that some efforts to treat traumatic stress or prevent symptoms from becoming chronic can actually do more harm than good. They sent a letter discussing this problem in the wake of the disaster to the newsletter of the American Psychological Association.

For example, the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation sent to New York 100 teams of up to seven members each after September 11th to offer "Critical Incident Stress Debriefings." These are one-shot group or individual sessions in which those who have experienced a traumatic event meet with a trained professional to "process" what happened -- by discussing their experiences in detail, within three days of the incident.

There are no properly controlled studies of this technique -- but a similar therapy, which involves meeting one-on-one for one session with a professional shortly after the event and discussing it explicitly is called Psychological Debriefing. This has been studied extensively -- and the results are distressing.

Of ten studies, eight showed no effect, positive or negative. But the two studies that followed patients longest found that those who had been debriefed did significantly worse. One, a 1997 study of serious burn victims, found that fourteen months after the incident, 26 percent of those who had been debriefed had post-traumatic stress symptoms -- while only nine percent of those who received no psychological intervention did.

The other study which found that those who had been debriefed did worse also looked at the relationship between people's initial reactions and their responses to the therapy. Those whose first reactions did not include many or severe symptoms did not seem to be helped or harmed by the debriefing. But those who had a strong initial reaction were much worse if they got debriefed.

"It was as if the debriefing arrested the course of natural recovery," says Foa.

So what should people do who are experiencing after-effects of the World Trade Center terrorist attack? First, says Foa, allow yourself a chance to recover on your own. There is no evidence that any type of early treatment can help -- and some that some kinds can harm -- so simply do what feels right for you.

If you are having a strong reaction to the events, it is best to talk about your emotions with friends and loved ones. Those who have little initial psychological reaction are less likely to develop symptoms than those who react strongly and experience symptoms right away. As a result, you should not try to get people to talk about it if they aren't ready -- their own methods of coping may be best for them.

Contrary to much of the advice being given by the media, watching images of the catastrophe on television may not always be harmful. "We don't really know what effect television has," says Foa, "but I would think repeated exposure would produce habituation." This could help by allowing strong reactions to diminish over time. "There's a sensitive balance," says Foa. "You don't want to obsess too much and sit inside watching TV all the time either."

As much as possible, try to get back to your normal life. Avoidance of things like the subway or tall buildings can become a habit that is difficult to break.

If symptoms do not diminish on their own after six weeks, says Foa, "That's the time to seek professional help."

Cognitive/behavioral therapy (CBT) is one technique that has been shown by a number of studies to be particularly effective. Studies comparing therapy by those trained in cognitive techniques with ordinary counseling find that CBT consistently does better. CBT involves recalling the trauma with a therapist and learning new ways of thinking about it to improve emotional coping skills. Antidepressant medication like Prozac, Zoloft and Paxil can also be helpful.

There are also heavily-promoted therapies that have little evidence to support their claims. For example, much media attention has been given to a technique called EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), which involves recalling the incident while a therapist moves her fingers in front of your eyes. Most research on EMDR has not been properly controlled-- and it is promoted by a group that sells training in it to therapists. Says Foa, "There are now three studies where it has been compared to exposure [a type of cognitive/behavioral therapy]. In two of the three studies, EMDR was not as effective and the third study, which was done by a proponent of EMDR showed the two were equivalent."

It is a shame that psychological treatment is so vulnerable to fads and so rarely properly researched-- and unsettling to think that some treatments can really make matters worse. To protect yourself, be sure that you know what you are getting, what the research on it shows and that it is appropriate for your needs.

Below are some websites that may be helpful:

The Revised Design




Rebuilding officials released a revised master plan for the World Trade Center site on September 17. At first glance, architect Daniel Libeskind' s revised design looks much the same as it did when first revealed in February (click here for a virtual tour of the original design), with a ring of towers rising in a spiral from south to north up to a 1,776-foot-tall spire.

But in the new version, the five towers that surround the sunken, green memorial area are slimmer, and three of them are taller. Libeskind modified the towers to make them less bulky, and allow more sunlight to shine into the site. They also allow for more retail space. Other major changes to the design include a new park at the southern end of the World Trade Center site, and reconfigurations below ground.

"I stand by all of the changes," Libeskind said when he presented the new design. "I was not forced to make them by anybody. They create spaces that are viable commercially and buildable and that recognize all the complex interests that are not only on the ground level but also what's below."



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