New York City, 2001: Reaction and Response

Abstract

Soon after reports that firefighters and police officers were entering the buildings, Tower Two, then Tower One, collapsed. We heard reports that the Pentagon had been attacked, and then a number of other “fog-of-war” rumors, including the presence of a car bomb at the Mall in Washington, DC, and, perhaps more alarming for New Yorkers, that another four planes had been hijacked and remained unaccounted. We saw images we never imagined. Workers, some holding hands, jumped from over 100 stories; soot and debris covered workers streaming north like refugees; and an eerie, gradual, all-enveloping stillness blanketed the city as it seemed that all life in the city ground to a halt. The remainder of the day brought more experiences—long walks home amid crowds of office employees carrying briefcases; an uneasy, silent sky devoid of commercial aircraft; and a growing uncertainty about those responsible for the attack, their motivation, and America’s potential response. For many residents of New York City, these fears were coupled with uncertainty about the fate of family, friends, and acquaintances who had not been heard from since the event. In the days that followed the WTC attack, life in New York City proceeded at a surreally detached pace; many missed work, ongoing bomb threats evacuated landmark skyscrapers repeatedly, and the city’s perpetual movement just stopped. Few cars were on the roads, and no cars at all were allowed in areas below 14th Street; subways were erratic and empty. The toll of dead and missing climbed above 5,000, with at least that many more injured in the attack. Latest reports suggest about 3,000 people died in the attacks. Residents of lower Manhattan were evacuated and have, only very slowly, returned to their homes. Some remain displaced, even now months after the attack. Companies with offices in the WTC complex worked out of employees’ homes or quickly leased space further uptown in Manhattan or across the Hudson in New Jersey. The event continues to dominate life in New York City. Telephone and Internet