9/11 report: Every state has claims
Victim compensation filings show all affected
NEW YORK – The 9/11 attack 20 years ago touched lives in every corner of the United States, according to a new report chronicling victim compensation claims from every state.
Though the damage was done and lives were lost in New York, Washington and Shanksville, Pa., new data from the official September 11 Victim’s Compensation Fund shows that no state was untouched by the impact of the deadly terrorist attack.
Two decades later, officials believe that more people have died from 9/11related illnesses than were lost when hijacked planes brought down the World Trade Center and crashed into the Pentagon and into an open field in Pennsylvania.
“We must never forget those lost and injured during the attacks, and we must also address the suffering that continues,” said U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland.
“In the decades since 9/11, tens of thousands of responders and survivors have become sick or died because of their exposure. While no amount of money can erase the losses our nation endured on that day and in the years since, the Department’s September 11th Victim Compensation Fund is dedicated to providing compensation to those who continue to suffer as a result of the 9/11 attacks.”
According to the fund’s 20th Anniversary Special Report, the fund through last month has received compensation claims from every state as well as from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Claims also came in under the categories “other” and “unknown.”
New York State led with 46,505 claims, New Jersey had 7,079, Florida had 3,778 and Pennsylvania had 1,164. North Dakota had 3. Nearly half of claimants have a cancer as one of their eligible conditions. The fund has issued awards to more than 40,000 totaling more than $8.95 billion.