In order to assist New York in the recovery process, Congress approved $20 billion in federal funding with FEMA providing $7.4 billion in public assistance programs (Disaster assistance). The money spent by FEMA not only went towards public assistance, but also to the removal of debris, rebuilding of …show more content…
An estimated 3.1 million hours were spent over nine months by workers who removed 1.6 million tons of debris from the World Trade Center site. Debris from the towers extended seven stories into the ground and were as high as 11 stories in some places (Disaster Assistance, 2003). What made the debris removal even more difficult was the need to sort through it for the remains and personal effects of victims and possible criminal evidence. FEMA provided $72 million to the Army Corps of Engineers to manage the debris inspection process (Disaster Assistance, 2003).
The public transportation system in Lower Manhattan was used by about 80% of the 350,000 daily commuters (Disaster Assistance, 2003). The attacks on the World Trade Center severely damaged this system. In a joint venture with the Department of Transportation, FEMA provided $2.8 billion to help repair this system. The money was used to repair subway stations, tunnels, and