Maggie Russell ’24
EE Staff Writer
It has been 22 years since the terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001. On the night of September 10th, 246 passengers went to sleep for their early morning flights, and 2,606 workers prepared for their morning commute to work. As well as 343 firefighters, 60 police officers, and 8 paramedics went to sleep for their morning shift. Tragically, none of them saw past 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, September 11th, 2001.
On a beautiful clear morning, the hijacked Flight 11 crashed into floors 93-99 of the North Tower at 8:46 a.m. Later on, at 9:03 a.m., the hijacked Flight 175 crashed into floors 77-85 of the South Tower. After the second plane hit the second tower, the people of New York City knew this was no longer an accident. Firefighters from all over the city rushed to the World Trade Center to help save the people inside the towers.
Meanwhile in Arlington, Virginia, at 9:37 a.m., the hijacked Flight 77 crashes into the Pentagon. Back in NYC, at 9:59 a.m., the South Tower collapses. At 10:02 a.m. the hijacked Flight 93 crashed into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania after the passengers began to find out the flight was hijacked and tried to stop the terrorists in the cockpit. Almost half an hour later in NYC, the North Tower collapses.
After the towers collapsed, the cleanup took 10 months and involved employees from dozens of City, state, and federal agencies and the incredible efforts of responders, laborers, contractors, volunteers, and community organizations. The final cost of cleanup and restoration of the World Trade Center site is expected to be about $1.5 billion. Now, there is a new World Trade Center called the One World Trade Center and it honors the World Trade Center’s past as well as a standing symbol of hope for the future. Not too far from the One World Trade Center are the 9/11 reflecting pools. On the upper sides of the pools are all the names of everyone who died on 9/11.
Every year on the anniversary of September 11th, 2001, family members of victims read aloud the names of those killed in the attacks and in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. We will never forget the civilians and the fallen heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice to save others. We will always honor and remember.