RECOVERY

September 11, 2001

The Attack

        At 8:46 A.M. on September 11, 2001, American Airlines Flight 11 slammed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan. At 9:02 A.M., United Airlines Flight 175 crashed into the South Tower. By 10:28 A.M., both towers collapsed, killing 2,746 people and destroying the entire complex. More than 25,000 people were evacuated in the 102 minutes between the time the planes hit and the buildings collapsed.

        The terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center were conducted by al-Qaeda, a radical Islamic group calling for a global Jihad (holy war) against enemies of the Islamic faith. The leader of al-Qaeda and the orchestrator of the attacks, Osama bin Laden, succesfully went into hiding. As a result of the events on September 11, the United States entered a national state of emergency. This marked the first foreign attack on mainland America in the last two hundred years of American history.


"Rescue, Recovery, Response"


        The three phases of action immediately following the attacks on the World Trade Center were "Rescue, Recovery, and Response." In the "Rescue" stage, New York City firefighters, police, and paramedics attempted to save the lives of those trapped in the Twin Towers. A total of 343 firefighters and medics were killed, as well as 23 NYPD officers (more statistics can be found by clicking here.)
These brave men and women sacrificed their lives to save their fellow Americans during a time of crisis.

        Over the hours and days after September 11, activity at Ground Zero quickly turned from a rescue effort to recovering the remains of the deceased and crime scene evidence. The "Recovery" operation was underway at the Fresh Kills facility on Staten Island.  In December 2001, up to 17 barges a day delivered debris from the Twin Towers to Fresh Kills. At the facility, the debris was searched by the FBI and NYPD for human remains and criminal evidence. It was at this facility, where teams worked long tedious hours at a disheartening task, that a major, but largely untold, part of the story of September 11 happened.
        The "Response" phase was filled with reactions from the devastated American people. Memorials were established in St. Paul's Chapel and in Liberty Plaza. Built in 1766, St. Paul’s Chapel is one of the oldest churches in New York City and it miraculously survived the World Trade Center collapse. The iron fence surrounding the chapel became one large memorial. Americans expressed their grief following the terrorist attacks by placing teddy bears, poems, personal tributes, flowers, and various tokens of affection on the iron fences. In Liberty Plaza, located in Lower Manhattan near Ground Zero, memorial areas were formed in the weeks following September 11. Demonstrations of grief and sorrow, as well as personal messages, appeared on or near the fence on Broadway. This fencing is currently on display at the New York State Museum. 

       Workers at Ground Zero and the Fresh Kills Recovery Operation spent long, tedious hours to recover human remains and criminal evidence from the debris. In an effort to alleviate the workers, numerous places of refuge appeared near Ground Zero and at the Fresh Kills facility. Near Ground Zero, restaurants opened their doors, charitable organizations offered places to rest, and people donated clean clothes and blankets. Much was done to ease workers' exhaustion and need for food. St. Paul's Chapel was converted to assist with the recovery efforts. It became a safe haven for police, firefighters, and clean up workers. Open around the clock, St. Paul’s served hot food and offered a place to rest.

       The Vendome family’s restaurant, Nino's, was located on Canal Street, just a short walk from the World Trade Center. Antonio "Nino" Vendome immediately converted it into a place of refuge for police, firefighters and the many other rescue workers. Over the next few months, more than a half million meals were provided free of charge. More importantly, Nino’s Restaurant became a safe haven from the troubling sights and sounds of Ground Zero.

Click here to read more about "Rescue, Recovery, Response"


The United States Today

        In the spring of 2006, work began on the official National September 11 Memorial Museum. This complex, consisting of the Memorial and the Memorial Museum, has been built on Ground Zero and will be open to the public on September 12, 2011. The Memorial is dedicated to the 2,982 people killed in the terror attacks of February 26, 1993 and September 11, 2001 at the World Trade Center site and at the Pentagon. It boasts reflecting pools that are nearly an acre in size and the largest manmade waterfalls in North America. The names of every person who died in the 1993 and 2001 attacks are inscribed in bronze panels along the edge of the Memorial pools. 

        The Memorial Museum has been built to display the artifacts associated with the 9/11 attacks. It will  honor the memory of the nearly 3,000 killed in the terrorist attacks and educate people about the horrors inflicted by terrorism. As said by the Director of the Memorial Museum, Alice M. Greenwald, "The Museum will be about each of us, about what it means to be a human being, and what it means to live in a complex, global community at the start of the 21st century. It will, we hope, be a place for understanding ourselves and the world in which we live, a place for promising the kind of world we want to bequeath of our children and grandchildren."

Click here to learn more about the 9/11 Memorial and Museum.

        On April 30, 2011, President Barack Obama announced the death of al-Qaeda leader and 9/11 orchestrator Osama bin Laden. A small team of American troops had infiltrated bin Laden's mansion in Pakistan, killing the wanted terrorist. After nearly ten long years, the main perpetrator of the World Trade Center terrorist attacks was finally neutralized, much to the joy of the American nation. However, the effects of the bin Laden's attacks have been felt by all Americans. During the past decade, the United States have fought two wars in the Middle East, against Iraq and Afghanistan. By counting the expenses of these wars, the disruptions to the domestic economy, and the increase in national security, it is estimated that the 9/11 attacks cost the United States a whopping $3 trillion. The American economy has experienced a recession in the past few years and continues to limp from the disasters that occurred on September 11.
        
        Has the United States recovered from 9/11?
 There are New Yorkers today that are still suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. The family members of those that were lost are burdened with tragedies that they must carry for the rest of their lives. The United States economy has declined steadily since the terrorist attacks, and the future of the nation is still uncertain. Although the killing of Osama bin Laden has eased the cry for revenge among the Americans, the recovery process of the nation has only just begun. Only time will tell how drastically the United States has been affected by the Septemeber 11 terrorist attacks.
 

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