WTC bodies found, not identified

NEW YORK, Oct. 2 (UPI) -- The number of bodies confirmed dead rose by

29 Tuesday but New York City officials refused to reveal how many were firefighters until families have been notified.

"The first few days we had hope that we could find some survivors, but now we're hoping to find bodies or anything to give families some closure," a firefighter said.

John Yannucci, 40, a construction worker directing traffic at Liberty and West streets, said he was not supposed to talk about finding body parts.

"We've been finding a lot of stuff in there," he said, gesturing to the rubble behind him. "It's not a happy sight. I was in the hole five stories down. There was a lot of heat from the air pockets. They're about 1,000 degrees."

Workers at Ground Zero did make a find -- Precious, a 9-pound Persian cat who had never been outdoors, survived since the Sept. 11 damage of its

owner's apartment building near the World Trade Center twin towers.

The cat's owners were out of town and had given up hope of ever seeing their kitty because their 114 Liberty St. apartment building was so damaged it will be unfit for occupancy for several months.

Cats can survive periods without food or water, but rescuers believe this cat was able to drink from rain puddles trapped in the wreckage.

The Rev. Alfred Thompson, a deputy chief of the Fire Department of New York and senior chaplain, said a lot of chaplains were at the site and "crisis intervention teams" visited every firehouse with a missing member.

Thompson replaced the Rev. Mychal Judge who was killed by falling debris at the scene while giving last rites to a dying victim.

Asked how it was compared to the early days at the site when they were trying to find survivors, Thompson said, "Now, it's actually easier."

First Deputy Mayor Joseph Lhota said 5,219 victims were listed with police as missing, down about 400, after further cross-checking of duplicate lists, and 344 were listed as dead, with 289 identified.

Lhota said two schools, P.S. 150 and P.S. 234, are expected to reopen next week. Seven public schools in lower Manhattan were closed as a result of

the attack on the World Trade Center.

Borough of Manhattan Community College, located four blocks from the World Trade Center, reopened Monday for the first time since Sept. 11. It was not severely damaged, but the buildings were used by rescue workers to sleep, eat and shower.

Lhota said the new restriction to allow cars with at least two people has reduced traffic problems within Manhattan. Bridge traffic into Manhattan is down 12 percent to 75 percent, he said. Ferries began operating again at Battery Park to other boroughs.

Gov. George Pataki, R-N.Y., assigned more than 300 New York Army and Air National Guard troops to provide additional security at airports throughout the state. Guard troops were at Albany International Airport Tuesday.

More than half of the National Guard force will be deployed to John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia airports in New York City, the rest will be deployed to

New York's 17 other airports.

More than 2,500 people attended a memorial service Monday in Central Park for the 700 members of the securities firm Cantor Fitzgerald declared dead or

missing. About 1,000 employees worked on floors 101, 103, 104 and 105 of the World Trade Center and no other company lost as many members.

New York City sold about $400,000 of the $1 billion in bonds put for sale Monday to pay for immediate needs as a result of the attack on the World Trade Center.

Information released by the mayor's office included:

-- 5,219 people are registered as missing by the police

-- 344 declared dead

-- 289 identified dead

-- 4,461 listed as missing by relatives

-- 4,657 registered at the family assistance center

-- 1,082 death certificate requested

-- 151,155 tons of material and rubble removed

-- 10,172 truckloads of rubble was removed

-- 70 buildings damaged but stable, repair, cleaning

-- 12 buildings listed with major structural damage

-- 1 building torn down