Return to Transcripts main page

Breaking News

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and FEMA Director Hold News Conference

Aired November 12, 2001 - 16:17   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
AARON BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton is talking with reporters out in Queens now. Let's listen.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

SEN. HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D), NEW YORK: ... in the lead of recovering bodies, looking for evidence along with the FBI, the Police Department. The National Transportation Safety Board are bringing in their experts to determine what happened.

As we were walking over here, we saw one of the plane's engines that had fallen into a boat parked at the end of a driveway of a home, and the back of the home had caught on fire. But miraculously, the front was totally unscarred.

And then another piece of the engine fell into a gasoline station, and again it missed a fuel truck. It didn't penetrate the ground into the fuel tanks.

So although this is a terrible, terrible tragedy, one of the fire chiefs just said that, you know, it could have been a lot worse. And the investigation is looking at, you know, what caused this plane to go out of control so soon after takeoff.

There is absolutely no reason to believe at this time it was anything other than an accident.

QUESTION: Mr. Allbaugh, what are you doing now that you're on- site, what can you do working with the NTSB and the FBI?

JOE ALLBAUGH, DIRECTOR, FEMA: Actually, we're in close coordination with all of those agencies. We just met with Chief Frank Carruthers (ph), who's the incident commander here. Things seem to be well under control. There really isn't much that we can do right at this minute. They're going to be working through the night at the site removing all the bodies that they possibly can. And we'll provide any assistance that any agency needs.

I'm here at the direction of President Bush, making sure they have everything that they need. We'll make sure that they are covered from A to Z.

QUESTION: Are we sure at this point that this is just an accident?

ALLBAUGH: I think it's too soon to be sure. I hope that's the situation. That's horrible to say. We hope that it's just an accident, but it's very early in the process and the investigation.

QUESTION: There are reports that the pilot may have been dumping fuel...

ALLBAUGH: I'm sorry. We can't hear you.

QUESTION: There are reports the pilot may have been dumping fuel over the bay...

ALLBAUGH: I'm unaware of that.

QUESTION: Would that tell us anything if that were true?

CLINTON: Well, that will be part of the NTSB's investigation. And you'll see a lot of FBI agents and police officers who are, you know, walking up and down the streets. They're gathering evidence, both physical and from witnesses. So, that's all being pieced together.

QUESTION: And Mrs. Clinton, this is a city where the people have been through so much already. What would you say to them now on this (UNINTELLIGIBLE)?

CLINTON: Well, it sure has been a very tough two months. But there isn't any city in the world that is better prepared or has, you know, more courage and grit to take whatever comes. You know, I just was running into a lot of the firefighters and police officers that I've seen down at ground zero who are here. This happens to be a neighborhood where a lot of firefighters and police officers live. So you know, we're doing everything we can to deal with this, and you know, I know that the people of New York can rise to any challenge. And they will.

QUESTION: Mrs. Clinton, we know (UNINTELLIGIBLE). For these families overseas, where can they seek for assistance?

CLINTON: American Airlines and the city of New York have set up a -- an emergency center at the Ramada Hotel at JFK Airport. Some of you may remember the tragedy of TWA 800. It's the same hotel. There will be people there to provide information and assistance to family members. So I certainly urge everyone to make their way to the Ramada.

I know that -- I visited during the tragedy following TWA 800. That's where you can find information, where you can find help. And it is a -- it's a very good place for people both from this country and elsewhere to seek information.

BROWN: The junior senator from the state of New York, Hillary Rodham Clinton, along with Joe Allbaugh, the FEMA director, in town now, surveying the scene. These pictures are pool camera pictures. It is hard, isn't it, not to see this line of firefighters and keep your memory in the present and not go back to the 11th of September?

I was coming into town on the train today (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Grand Central, and someone walked up to me and said, "This is the season of our tests, isn't it?" And it does seem for the city of New York this is exactly that. And this is yet another test for New York.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com