Pentagon Terror Damage Will Take Years to Repair
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Oct. 3, 2001 -- The Pentagon's chief renovation
official said Oct. 2 that repairs on the building stemming
from the Sept. 11 terrorist attack might take more than
three years to complete.
The Pentagon's Wedge 1 section, which along with Wedge 2
took the brunt of the hijacked airliner's impact, had just
undergone improvements as part of a total building
renovation slated for completion by 2012.
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| Walker Evey, Pentagon renovation project manager, updates reporters at an Oct. 2, 2001, press conference on building repair and renovation efforts in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attack. Photo by Gerry J. Gilmore.
(Click photo for
screen-resolution image; high-resolution image available.)
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The damaged wedge sections have to be torn down, cleared
and rebuilt, and that will take about 18 months, said
Walker Evey, Pentagon renovation project manager. He added
it could take as much as another two years after that to
distribute utilities for tenants and provide furniture,
fixtures, equipment and carpeting.
"We'll certainly try to do it faster than that, however,"
he said, estimating it could cost around $800 million for
repairs and renovations for the two sections.
Much of the debris from the impact has been removed, Evey
said, noting that the FBI on Sept. 26 handed over crash
site management to the Army's Military District of
Washington. At that time, about 10,000 tons of debris had
been removed during rescue and recovery efforts.
Damaged furniture, file cabinets and other debris
originally moved by firefighters and relief workers still
need to be removed, Evey said.
A current concern at the building is the growth of mold and
mildew caused by water poured onto fires, Evey said. He
said the building's air is tested extensively "to ensure
that it's a healthy work environment." Historical materials
housed in the recently renovated Pentagon library are
unharmed, he added.
Evey noted that his staff of 300 has been working 15- to
18-hour days since the attack.
As a result of the attack, 125 people were killed or remain
unaccounted for, not including the 64 passengers on the
hijacked plane, according to DoD documents. To date, 118
remains have been recovered and transported to Dover Air
Force Base, Del., for identification.
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