Structural Engineer Emergency Response after 9/11: Looking Backward, Moving Forward

1. Vicki Arbitrio, PE, Gilsanz Murray Steficek LLP Structural Engineer Emergency Response after 9/11:Looking Backward, Moving Forward NCSEAAnnual Conference September 30, 2010 Jersey City, New Jersey

2. Thanks to… American Society of Civil Engineers National Institute of Standards and Technology New York City Department of Buildings Structural Engineers Association of New York

3. Thanks to… Michael De Chiara, Zetlin & De Chiara, LLP Daniel A. Cuoco, PE, Thornton Tomasetti Ramon Gilsanz, SE, PE, GMS Joseph F. Tortorella, PE, Robert Silman Associates

4. Previously presented at… 2009 SEI Structures Congress, Austin, TX NCSEA 17th Annual Conference - 2009, Scottsdale, AZ ATC 13th US - Japan Workshop on the Improvement of Structural Design and Construction Practice Details, Hawaii

5. Unless noted, photo credits to… Daniel A. Cuoco, PE, Thornton Tomasetti Ramon Gilsanz, SE, PE, GMS Joseph F. Tortorella, PE, Robert Silman Associates

6. Aerial View Photo Courtesy FEMA

7. Satellite Photo - Collapse SiteSeptember 12, 2001 Photo Courtesy FEMA

8. Facts: 2,451 civilian deaths, 800 injured and $33.44 billion lost. 10 million sq ft. commercial office space destroyed. 32 million sq ft. commercial office space considered useless. 860,000 sq ft. affected area. ~1.2 million tons of debris, including 350,000 tons of steel.

9. Lower Manhattan

10. Buildings WTC 1North Tower WTC 7NYC-OEM FBI Verizon WTC 6US CustomsHouse American Express Winter Garden WTC 5Morgan Stanley WTC 2South Tower WTC 4Commercial Bankers Trust 90 West St WTC 3Marriott Hotel Merrill Lynch N

11. Perimeter N Millennium Hotel WTC Plaza Area Church Street 101 Barclay 1 Liberty Plaza 30 West Broadway Century 21 Vesey Street Liberty Street 1 WFC West Street Battery Park

12. Transportation N Church Street 1 and 9 Subway N and R Subway Liberty Street Vesey Street Slurry Wall 7-storyBasement Path West Street

13. Site Photos Courtesy FEMA US&R

14. 7 World Trade Center Courtesy FEMA US&R

15. Timeline September 11th – In the afternoon, SEAoNY attempts to make contact with the authorities. September 12th –SEAoNY accesses the site and obtains permission for structural engineers to have access. September 13th – SEAoNY engineers start going to the site. September 14th- SEAoNY response organization is fully staffed and running. SEAoNY engineers work around the clock through January 9, 2002.

16. New York City’s Response Mayor’s Office of Emergency Management, through the NYC Department of Design & Construction, immediately retained: For Debris Removal to Support Rescue & Recovery Operations 4 major Construction Management firms AMEC Bovis Lend Lease Tully Construction Company Turner / Plaza Construction Companies For Structural Engineering Operations Thornton-Tomasetti SEAoNY Teams

17. CM Sector Map

18. Engineering Organization Chart

19. SEAoNY Release Form

20. Awareness I understand that by volunteering to provide these services and by my presence in the area of the World Trade Center, I expose myself to dangerous conditions and risk of injury. In the event that I suffer any injury (whether physical injury, emotional injury, loss of property, death or any other type of injury or loss), I release the Association from any and all liability for such injuries. I further understand that I shall not be entitled to Workers Compensation benefits thru the Association because I am a volunteer and not an employee of the Association.

21. Structural Engineering Challenges Emergency damage assessment of buildings in the immediate collapse area. Identify unstable areas. Develop temporary stabilization procedures. Identify safe locations for heavy equipment, design reinforcement and grillages. Develop and coordinate survey monitoring program. Inspect over 400 buildings in the area surrounding the collapse site. Detailed investigation of damaged buildings.

22. Slurry Wall Location 2 1

23. Liberty Street – October 7, 2001 1 2 • Fill excavation with sand. • Install dewatering wells. • Install tie-backs. Photos Courtesy D. Cuoco, Thornton Tomasetti

24. PATH and Subway System Courtesy MTA Courtesy PA NY/NJ

25. Crane Location Plan

26. 800-ton Crane at Slurry Wall

27. 300-ton Crane in Plaza Area

28. How do you tether off a 10 ton steel column hanging from a 50-story building?

29. Three World Financial Center

30. The Result Safety. Schedule. Cost.

31. Map of Sectors for Inspection September 17 & 18 – Rapid Building Evaluations. (371 buildings) One inspection team assigned to each sector.

32. SEAoNY Inspections No Damage Moderate Damage Major Damage Partial Collapse Full Collapse September 21 Detailed Building Evaluations of buildings rated Yellow, Blue, or Red (31 buildings)

33. Debris and the Salvage Yards SEAoNY volunteers monitored steel debris as it arrived at the salvage yards & helped to identify material from the impact zones. SEAoNY engineers also recorded/gathered videos and photographs in an attempt to fully document the collapses.

34. FEMA – BPAT Report SEAoNY contributions: CH 4 – 7 & Appendix D & F

35. NIST – WTC Study

36. Goal 1 Design buildings to resist collapse from fire in a manner similar to designing buildings to resist collapse when exposed to other loads (i.e. gravity, earthquakes, wind, etc…)

37. Goal 2 For emergency personnel to have information and assistance in an emergency.

38. Goal 3 Proper enforcement of the Code in construction and design.

39. Goal 4 Prevent local failure from causing a global collapse: Connections. Critical Components. Progressive Collapse.

40. Code Changes Increased Structural Integrity. Enhanced Fire Endurance of Structures. Improved Active Fire Protection. Improved Building Evacuation. Improved Emergency Response.

41. NYC Building Code (version of IBC)

42. The Road to Insurance Coverage: December 2001 – Annual Meeting of Design Professionals Risk Control Group. January 2002 – Joint Senate and House of Representatives on behalf of General Contractors Association of New York. April 2004 – federal funds were allocated for FEMA Insurance Coverage.

43. WTC Captive Insurance Company December 2004 – $1 Billion funding by FEMA. Provide broad third-party liability coverage, including general, marine, environmental, and professional, for claims (other than workers comp and disability claims) against the City and the contractors arising from their activities during the WTC debris removal project. Not a Victim’s Compensation Fund.

44. Over 12,000 Potential Cases There are approximately 19,977 total Plaintiffs [about 12,128 first-named and 7,849 derivative (spouse, etc.) Plaintiffs] suing New York City, the Contractors, Engineers and others. Approximately 5,584 uniformed NYC workers (NYPD, FDNY, NYC Dept. of Sanitation) Other groups of Plaintiffs include: Non-uniformed NYC workers; Uniformed Non-City workers; Government workers; (non-NYC and Non-Uniformed) Contractor employees; Utility workers; Building Cleaners and Others (including Local Union workers, Volunteers, Red Cross, Retired, Self-Employed, etc.)

45. Lawsuits Personal Injury Lawsuits. (ongoing) Conspiracy Theory Lawsuits. (dismissed in 2010 by U.S. Supreme Court) Insurance Subrogation Lawsuits. (ongoing)

46. Structural Engineering Firms Named in Lawsuits Arup Buro Happold Consulting Engineers Ewell W. Finley, PC Gilsanz Murray Steficek, LLP Goldstein Associates, PLLC Mueser Rutledge Consulting Engineers Parsons Group Leslie E Robertson Assoc, RLLP/LERA Liro-Kassner, Inc. Lockwood, Kessler & Bartlett, Inc. (LKB) Lucius Pitkin, Inc. M.G. McLaren PC Meridian Construction Group, LLC MRA Engineering, PC Robert Silman Associates, PC Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Inc. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, LLP (A/E Firm) Thornton Tomasetti Group (LZA) Vollmer Associates, LLP (now Stantec) Weidlinger Associates, Inc. WSP Cantor Seinuk

47. Liability Coverage Captive Insurance – time limitations as well as limitations of location. Professional Liability Insurance. Individual Firm Responsibility: Deductible Independent Lawyers

48. State and Federal Immunities Fall 2006 – US District Court denied motion to dismiss and for summary judgment. Jan. 2007 – Appeal to US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Spring 2008 - US Court of Appeals dismissed appeal on technical jurisdictional grounds Renewed motions filed Jan./Feb. 2010 12 “sample” cases selected for trial

49. Direct Personnel or Control the Site? March 28, 2008 – Structural Engineers filed a motion for summary judgment. August 26, 2008 – Court denied the engineers’ motion and requested more information. January 15, 2010 – a renewed motion was made on the engineers’ behalf. This motion has been briefed and is currently before the Court, which will either issue an Order resolving it, or schedule a date for oral argument.

50. Settlement? June 10, 2010Lawyers for the City, the contractors, and the engineers negotiated a new, $712 million settlement with the plaintiffs Settlement is endorsed by the judge, Alvin K. Hellerstein of US District Court in Manhattan The settlement must be approved by 95 percent of the plaintiffs by November 30 to take effect. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/11/nyregion/11zero.html?_r=1&ref=alvin_k_hellerstein