The Federal and State governments were reeling yesterday after a series of terrorist attacks on New York City and the Pentagon.
It all started in Boston yesterday morning, as American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175 left Logan Airport.
American Airlines Flight 11 left Boston for Los Angeles with 81 passengers, nine flight attendants and two pilots, according to a statement released by the airline. United Airlines 175, a Boeing 767 aircraft, departed from Boston at 7:58 a.m., bound for Los Angeles, with 56 passengers on board, two pilots and seven flight attendants, according to a statement by Chief Executive Officer Jim Goodwin.
“We are horrified by these tragic events,” said Donald J. Carty, chairman and CEO of American Airlines. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of all involved.”
At 8:45 and 9:03 a.m. the planes slammed into World Trade Center One and World Trade Center Two, respectively.
At 9:25 a.m. the Federal Aviation Administration ordered a National Ground Stop.
“This is the first time that National Ground Stop has been ordered by the FAA. No civilian flights are allowed to leave the ground,” the Office of Public Affairs for the FAA said. “This does not affect military or law enforcement aircraft. Civilian flights in the air can continue onto their destination or land at the first suitable airport. This is a decision made by the captain and the airline.”
Twenty minutes later an American Airlines flight from Dulles bound for San Francisco crashed into the E Ring of the Pentagon outside of Washington, DC.
At around 10 a.m. Central Plaza, the building that houses the Boston field office of the FBI, was evacuated. Eyewitnesses report that the John F. Kennedy Federal building was “cordoned off,” and that police with dogs were being sent into Central Plaza.
The FBI was back in the building later in the day though, and expects to be there Wednesday as well. The Pentagon and other government offices are also scheduled to be open.
At 11 a.m. Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, citing City Hall’s “proximity to federal and historic buildings in downtown,” sent home all non-essential city personnel. City Hall Plaza is located adjacent to the Federal Building, across from the Central Plaza buildings. He emphasized “that all City departments would remain open as needed with senior officials staffing.”
Boston Public Schools remained open. The financial district, located near Federal buildings and historic sites also closed down. That decision, the Mayor’s Press Office stressed, was made by the individual building owners.
According to a Massachusetts National Guard spokesperson, they had not been asked to activate as of this afternoon, but, she said, “We are ready, if we are needed.”
At 12:50 p.m. the FAA said there were 40-50 aircraft still in the air but that they should be down by 1:00 p.m., and that New York City and Washington DC airports were closed.
The FAA has announced that they will not let any airport open or any civilian aircraft take off until noon on Wednesday. It further stated that there were 22 international flights that were being allowed to land. Other international flights to the United States were diverted to Canada or other foreign airports.
“Logan was shut down around 11 a.m.,” a Logan Airport employee, who did not wish to be identified, said. There was nothing out of the ordinary, nothing that raised alarm.
Logan Airport personnel were moved to the Harborside Hyatt Hotel, where a Command Center was set up.
Closer to home, the University of Massachusetts closed its campuses.
The Amherst Campus closed at 1 p.m.
“This is a time of extreme national and personal distress for the campus community,” Chancellor Marcellette Williams said in a campus-wide email. “Housing Cluster and Area Residence Directors offices have been designated communication and help centers for students who live on campus. The Dean of Students Office has been designated an assistance center for commuter students. Faculty and staff should contact the Faculty and Staff Assistance Program at 545-0350 for additional support.”
Kay Scanlan of the University News Office explained the decision.
“The feeling here is we have thousands of students from New York and New Jersey and they can’t concentrate on studying geology or math while they are wondering about their families,” said Scanlan.
The Department of Defense, located in the Pentagon, issued several statements throughout the day. A part of the outer ring of the Pentagon was destroyed, however, it is not yet known the extent of the damage.
“They are still assessing the damage right now. We’re still in an emergency mode,” a spokesperson for the Department of Defense said, “Things have calmed down a bit but its still pretty – we’re still in an emergency mode.”
Those injured in the Pentagon were taken to various area hospitals.
“The Navy has activated the hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) this morning,” a Navy press release stated. “The Commander in Chief, U.S. Atlantic Fleet, has dispatched the aircraft carriers USS John F. Kennedy (CV 67) and USS George Washington (CVN 73) to New York City where the World Trade Center was also attacked and very heavily damaged.”
The USNS Comfort, based in Baltimore, Maryland will leave port today, according to Marge Holtz of the Military Sealift Command.
“We normally have 1,000 beds, but we will only have 500 because we’re coming off an inactive period. We have 935 Naval medical personnel, some ours, some from Bethesda or other small hospitals,” Holtz said. “She [the Comfort] needs to stop somewhere and pick up some supplies. We’re not sure where though; we’re talking about that now.
“We’re not sure where we are going to be either,” Holtz added. “We may be at anchorage, we may be pier side or we may be at Staten Island.”
The Comfort is equipped with twelve operating rooms, radiology services, medical laboratories, a pharmacy, a cat scan and two oxygen-producing plants. The Comfort also has its own blood bank and a helicopter pad. In addition, both aircraft carriers can be used as medical and operational centers for emergency personnel.
In addition, several destroyers, cruisers and two other aircraft carriers were dispatched from Norfolk Naval Base into the Atlantic.
Currently, the USS Enterprise is on station in the Arabian Gulf. There are 14 ships and approximately 8,220 sailors and marines with the 5th Fleet in that area of operations.
The USS Carl Vinson is on station in the Indian Ocean with the 7th Fleet in the Indian Ocean. In the Pacific Ocean is the USS Kitty Hawk. Combined, there are 42 ships and over 25,000 sailors and marines in that area of operations.
President George W. Bush said that the United States would find those responsible for apparent terrorist attacks against the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon.
“Make no mistake, the United States will hunt down and punish those responsible for these cowardly acts,” President Bush said. “I’ve been in regular contact with the Vice President, Secretary of Defense, the national security team and my Cabinet. We have taken all appropriate security precautions to protect the American people. Our military at home and around the world is on high alert status and we’ve taken the necessary security precautions to continue the functions of your government.”
