Investigators at Fresh Kills initially inspected debris by hand. By late autumn, a network of climate-controlled work and respite spaces had been constructed on the West Mound and the sorting process had been mechanized.

Work at Fresh Kills resulted in the recovery of 4,257 pieces of human remains, 54,000 personal effects, and hundreds of airplane fragments. Debris removed from the World Trade Center site was buried at Fresh Kills, which is being transformed into a city park. Photo by Andrea Booher/FEMA News Photo, October 16, 2001 (FEMA 5470).