Locals respond to tragedy in NYC
By: Mark Moffa and Scott Morgan, Staff Writers, Messenger Press, September 12, 2001
Firefighters, rescue personnel assist in efforts to restore calm after attacks.
Local rescue workers were among those called to the New York City area
Tuesday after two hijacked commercial airliners plunged into the World Trade
Center towers in Manhattan.
Six Washington Township firefighters were called to assist
emergency personnel in treating victims of the disaster, which resulted in the
collapse of the towers and thousands of suspected fatalities.
The event was just one of three attacks Tuesday, as a commercial
jet flew into the Pentagon building in Washington, D.C., and another crashed in
southwestern Pennsylvania. As of The Messenger Press' Tuesday evening deadline,
the only confirmed deaths were those of the 266 people on the four hijacked
planes.
Two Washington firefighters — Lt. Kevin Brink and Firefighter
Jason Palmer — are members of the New Jersey Urban Search and Rescue Task
Force. They were called to New York City to assist in rescue efforts, Lt. Dennis
Symons Jr. said.
Washington Fire Capt. David Horsnall and Firefighters Dan Schaffner,
Simon Hernandez and Ed Haemmerle responded to North Jersey to treat victims from
the incident who were transported to New Jersey via ferry. Victims reportedly
were being treated at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford.
"The entire Washington Township Fire Department is deeply
saddened by today's tragic and shocking events," Lt. Symons said. "As
members of the nation's fire service, we stand ready to offer our full support
to the fire departments of New York, Washington, D.C., Virginia and Pennsylvania
in response to today's tragic and shocking events."
Allentown First Aid Squad reported its two ambulances were sent to
a location in Monmouth County to stand by if needed.
Officials at the Millstone First Aid Squad said two ambulances and
one fire truck were sent to Atlantic Highlands near Sandy Hook earlier Tuesday
to help ease transportation efforts to area hospitals. Victims from New York
City were being taken to Hoboken, then ferried to the Atlantic Highlands.
Area schools, businesses and churches also responded to reports of
the attacks Tuesday.
Allentown canceled its Borough Council meeting scheduled for
Tuesday night.
Many local businesses could be seen lowering flags to half staff
and churches held special services Tuesday evening to pray for the victims and
their families.
In Plumsted, due to the township's location near two military
bases, the school district canceled after-school activities for Tuesday.
Superintendent Gerald Woehr said the school district was following
the same emergency procedures used during hurricanes. Parents who wished to pick
up their children were allowed, but schools themselves did not close.
He said given that many township residents are or are related to
local military personnel who might have been called to duty, that township
elementary school students were not sent home unless an adult was known to be
present.
"If there is no adult present, we will keep the children in
school and make arrangements to have them picked up later," he said
Tuesday.
Dr. Woehr said the district's major concerns centered on both the
township's proximity to Maguire Air Force Base and Fort Dix, and its proximity
to the Oyster Creek Nuclear Facility in Forked River, which is approximately 20
miles southeast of Plumsted.
Dr. Woehr said the school district was planning to meet after
school Tuesday to set up a telephone tree and to arrange counseling services for
students who may have known victims of the attack.
In all districts, parents were able to pick up their children
early.
In Upper Freehold, Superintendent Robert Connelly said an e-mail
was sent to all staff members Tuesday morning instructing them how to inform
students of the incident.
Teachers in grades 5 through 12 were asked to convey the news to
students. Administrators met with teachers in kindergarten through fourth grade
to assist them in notifying their students.
In addition, teachers were instructed to watch for reactions from
students. Some students who were visibly upset were referred to the child study
team and guidance offices.
The principals and vice principals searched files to identify
students with parents who work in New York City. Dr. Connelly said 16 to 20
students at the high school and about a dozen at the elementary/middle school
had parents or close relatives working in the city, but not necessarily at the
World Trade Center.
"The number who actually work at the World Trade Center is
fewer," he said. "This is very upsetting to everyone."
After-school activities were canceled in Upper Freehold.
In Washington, school board President Michele Siekerka said
teachers boarded all buses to make sure no children were dropped off at homes
where they would be unsupervised.
She said a PTA phone chain was mobilized to make sure all students'
parents were accounted for, and that Sharon School was prepared to stay open as
late as possible if children could not go home due to parents detained in New
York.
After-school activities were not canceled in Washington.
As of Tuesday evening, all school districts were planning to open
Wednesday, barring directives to do otherwise from state or federal officials.
According to press reports, two of the planes hijacked were
American Airlines jets and two belonged to United airlines.
The four planes reportedly were carrying a total of 266 people.
An American Airlines Boeing 767 Boston-Los Angeles flight and a
United Airlines Boeing 767 hit the World Trade Center towers around 9 a.m.
Tuesday.
An American Airlines Boeing 757 Washington-Los Angeles flight hit
the Pentagon building Tuesday as well.
A United Airlines Boeing 757 Newark-San Francisco flight crashed
southeast of Pittsburgh on Tuesday.
In an unprecedented move, all air traffic was suspended nationwide
Tuesday, as the United States sealed itself off from the rest of the world.
Regionally, all access to New York City was prohibited, and the New
Jersey Turnpike was closed north of Exit 11. Many local avenues of mass transit,
including New Jersey Transit, SEPTA and Amtrak lines were shut down.
New Jersey Acting Gov. Donald DiFrancesco on Tuesday said that the
states of New Jersey and New York have been joined in a mutual aid pact since
1956 that will allow New Jersey to deploy its resources to aid New York.
"I have ordered that the entire state be placed under a state
of emergency. This order will allow us to respond to today's events in a rapid
and effective manner," he said. "The State Police and the National
Guard have been placed on a high state of alert."
Acting Gov. DiFrancesco said school closings were at the discretion
of local district officials.