Staff of Life: Portraits from Ground Zero

Cops, firefighters, doctors: They are the pillars of America’s civic dreamlife, and in times like these, one remembers why. What passed for humdrum routine in New York blew up last Tuesday, and on the following days, the individuals who make that routine possible — joined by local kids and visitors offering aid — thronged West, Greenwich, and Washington streets, in the rescue effort’s staging area, looking for ways to help. For the medical personnel, the horror would lie in how few there were to save. For those responsible for restoring the basic infrastructure of daily life, the task would be monumental.

Photographs by Robin Holland