WTC Victim Names to be Read by Sibs
WTC victim names to be read by sibsBy PAUL D. COLFORDDAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
The names of the 2,749 killed at the World Trade Center will be read aloud by siblings of the victims during this year's commemoration ceremony.
The special role for the victims' brothers and sisters was revealed in a recent letter to 9/11 families signed by Gov. Pataki and Mayor Bloomberg.
The solemn roll call was read by victims' parents and grandparents during the annual ceremony last year and by children of the lost in 2003.
"There's been a strong response. We've been flooded with names," said Christy Ferer, the mayor's liaison to the victims' families and a key organizer of the annual observance.
"We'll probably have to do a lottery, as we did before, to see who reads," said Ferer, widow of former Port Authority executive director Neil Levin, who was killed on 9/11.
As in the past three years, the fourth anniversary of the terror attacks will be punctuated by four moments of silence.
They will be observed at 8:46 a.m., when the first hijacked plane slammed into the north tower; 9:03 a.m., when the south tower was hit; 9:59 a.m., when the south tower fell, and 10:29 a.m., when the north tower collapsed.
Victims' families will also be allowed to descend into Ground Zero and gather at the footprints of the twin towers.
The footprints, which mark the 200-by-200-foot perimeters of the towers, hold special meaning for many relatives, especially for the loved ones of the 1,200 victims whose remains were not identified or recovered.
Until the World Trade Center Memorial opens in 2009, access to the footprints will likely remain limited to the annual observances.
"The ceremony will conclude at approximately noon. However, the site will remain open to families until 4 p.m.," the letter from Pataki and Bloomberg says.
Siblings who wish to read names during the ceremony next month can call (212) 442-8953.
