Article from: Gateway National Recreation Area - Winter 2002 Program Guide
Author: Felice Ciccone, Chief Curator - Gateway National Recreation Area

On the news we have seen the Red Cross feeding volunteers, victims, emergency service workers and many others after the September 11 attack on New York City. Watching all this I wondered where the food was being prepared. Walking up to Hangar B at Floyd Bennett Field this question was answered. I was amazed at the amount of activity. In front of the hangar are tractor-trailers from all over the country. The names you see on the trailers are Kentucky, North Carolina, New York and Delaware to name just a few. Each trailer has a function: some for cooking, a trailer for showers, one for offices, etc.

When the disaster struck, the Red Cross mobilized and quickly had 30 people at work at Floyd Bennett Field. They spoke with park officials and said that within 24 hours they would have 150 people on site and these people all needed a place to sleep. The park responded to their needs and within a few hours crews from Jamaica Bay, Staten Island and Sandy Hook units were all involved in preparing areas for the influx of Red Cross personnel.

When the volunteers first arrived they were preparing as many as 10,000 meals each day. By the end of October, the number decreased to 7,000, reflecting the reduced workforce involved in the disaster relief and recovery effort. Not only does this group cook meals, there are over 30 trucks they use to deliver the food to many different points in Manhattan.

To those who know the airplane hangars at Floyd Bennett Field, it seems like an obvious choice for the Red Cross. The hangars have a log of open space in which to sort, store and keep track of the huge inventory of supplies required to complete their mission. What people may not know is that these two groups also have a long history of working together. The historic ties between the Red Cross and Floyd Bennett Field are strong and go back to World War II. During the war, the Red Cross had a permanent office at Floyd Bennett Field that oversaw a variety of activities including the welfare of navy personnel and their families, to coordinating blood drives so badly needed in the war effort.

When the Red Cross put out the call for blood donations, the people at Floyd Bennett Field always responded. In August of 1944 a mobile blood donation unit came to the field and in one day collected 353 pints of blood, a record at that time. In November of this same year, another call for blood went out and again the personnel at the field responded. Navy and civilian personnel lined up to give blood and mobile unit collected 693 pints, an international record for blood received from a single day's donation. The Red Cross awarded the staff at Floyd Bennett Field a special certificate showing their appreciation.

Gateway is known primarily for recreation activities. However, Gateway, and other National Parks in the New York City area, were available to serve the country in ways beyond their original purpose. Few ever imagined the resources that would be needed to respond to a disaster like the September 2001 attack. Putting a National Park in an urban environment was an experiment in the 1970's. Thirty years of service to the community has shown the great value these parks bring to the community, including the value of large, open federal spaces that are accessible and secure during times of disaster.

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