DUNSTAN PRIAL
Associated Press Writer
NEW YORK (AP) -- As the death toll at the World Trade Center rose again Monday, state and city officials said it would soon be much easier for families to get death certificates for loved ones still missing in the rubble.
Mayor Rudolph Giuliani said the number of confirmed dead had increased by 15 people to 276. There were 6,453 people listed as missing.
In Albany, Gov. George Pataki signed an executive order he said will allow families to obtain death certificates within days instead of years. The order is intended to help families file insurance claims, disburse estates and access assets of the victims.
Giuliani also said lawyers will be available at a Manhattan center by Wednesday to provide free assistance to those seeking death certificates.
``The family center will be organized so that it can do that for large numbers of people,'' he said.
Meanwhile, search crews kept up their nonstop search for victims and the flight recorders from the two hijacked airliners. Rescue workers have not found a survivor since the day after the attacks.
``It's still a nightmare down there,'' Chris Durso, 23, said as he laid telephone lines. ``It's definitely worse in person than on TV.''
Search crews Sunday found a major part of one of the planes that hit the towers Sept. 11. A 10-foot piece of fuselage was loaded onto a golf cart and taken away by federal investigators.
The possibility that Giuliani, who is barred by term limits from seeking a third term this fall, may try to extend his stay in office was cheered by some of the weary searchers.
``He should just stay for another term, period,'' said Del Mossobir, 26, a volunteer from Queens. ``He knows how to handle situations very well.''
The mayor said Monday that he hasn't decided on his political future.
The work went on as Wall Street employees and others arrived at work in the financial district. Lawyer Jonathan Rapport arrived from Staten Island in a pair of shorts. His office is without air conditioning.
``Well, you gotta get on, right?'' said Rapport, 28.
The mayor said he confident the city's economy is recovering.
``It's not going to happen by magic, and it's not gonna happen all at once,'' he said. Still, he said, several Broadway shows saw increased attendance over the weekend and commuter service around the city was largely back to normal.
More residents of lower Manhattan were allowed to return home Sunday and relief agencies encouraged them to ask for government help. More than 8,000 people have applied for aid, said Mike Byrne of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Hunter Carter lives in one of the apartment buildings in Battery Park City that is still closed due to a lack of electricity. He said he used to adore his apartment, the view of Ellis Island and walking along the Hudson River.
But now there are police officers and military personnel everywhere, and he wants to break his lease and move to a new place.
``This is nothing like the neighborhood I loved,'' Carter said. ``It is just so sad around here.''
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