(I published this on my first blog, on September 16, 2001. No one knew what was really going on that day, or what was going to happen.)
I hope everyone’s friends and loved ones are all safe and accounted for. This has been a crazy week, and it will be a long time before we can make sense of it all. One of the most frustrating things is the feeling of helplessness. I wanted to give blood but they said stay home, I wanted to make sandwiches but they were inundated with volunteers, I wanted to take blankets but they had too many. It is wonderful that so many people have turned out to help the efforts at the Pentagon. However, unlike the NY rescue efforts, there is no talk here about survivors. It is understood that there are none.
I tuned in Tuesday just as they were starting to figure out that the first plane was no accident, as we watched the second plane hit the second tower. I was talking on AOL with Elizabeth (who works in one of the House office buildings), and with a few other friends at their desks downtown. As the reports started to come in, about fires at the State Department and on the Mall, and about the planes in Pittsburgh and at the Pentagon, I decided to try to leave town. I woke up my roommate (who had been out very late the night before) and told her to turn on the TV and start packing. About that time, my other roommate came bursting through the front door in tears. She also works in one of the House office buildings- they were not being evacuated yet, but it would only be a matter of minutes. We started packing and I told Elizabeth we were leaving. She pointed out that we would not be able to get out over any of the southbound bridges, and recommended that we head to Delaware. I asked if she wanted us to come get her but I got no response, and I didn’t hear from her for several hours after that.
We saw that traffic was backed up all the way into my quiet residential neighborhood (at least a mile from the closest highway access). I should tell you that I live about 8 blocks southwest of the Capitol, and 4 blocks from the National Mall where a fire had been reported. That rumor turned out to be false, but it didn’t seem smart to venture out into all of the chaos. We unpacked our duffels, but threw a change of clothes and few necessities into backpacks, just in case we needed to set out on foot.
At this point there was no phone service, but I was able to Instant Message my brother in Alabama so he could let everyone know I was all right and was not planning to evacuate just yet. He informed me that my sister-in-law was in Manhattan, but staying in the theater district, far north of the financial district. She ended up stuck there until yesterday, when they were finally able to get a train out of town.
I used AOL most of the day to get in touch with people and report to other friends that everyone here was ok. It is amazing how technology has changed the way we communicate- it certainly made it easier to keep in touch with several people at once during this crisis. I had several friends stranded at their offices downtown, and I prepared for an onslaught of displaced Virginia friends coming to camp out with me. A friend in Philly wrote that his wife was stranded in Eerie, Pennsylvania and couldn’t get a hotel room. I didn’t have the heart to tell him about the plane crash in that area- he would hear about it soon enough. I heard from another friend in Colorado with a list of friends who may have been at the Pentagon. Thankfully we managed to locate all of them. Then I heard from Will, Elizabeth’s fiancé, that he couldn’t find her so he was coming to Washington. It was so sweet I almost cried, but I tried to convince him that she was fine. He insisted on coming, so I helped him plan the best route into the city around the roadblocks. For the most part, I think we all just needed to do something, to talk to someone, to take action instead of standing by helplessly.
By the afternoon, the devastation was total and the rescue efforts were underway. As I mentioned, DC was on almost total lockdown, and we were told not to leave the house unless there was an emergency. I decided to defer giving blood until the streets were safe.
This week has been one that will change all of our lives. There is a tension, an uneasiness, in our world that will not dissipate until we are given the opportunity for closure, and everyone finds closure in different ways. I went to a party last night- the first time I have left my house except to go to the grocery store. The party was an annual charity event sponsored by the DC alumni associations of all the SEC schools to mark the beginning of football season. Two of the schools backed out, saying it was inappropriate to celebrate at time like this. I think that is unfortunate, but it has been interesting to observe that the different reactions people have had to the tragedy. One of my roommates has been out every night, and the other was appalled that I would even invite her to the “pep rally” three days later. I respect both of them and their right to grieve as they see fit. I hate it, though, that some people cannot understand that others may have a need to get out, to congregate and share in this time of national mourning. Whether it is a candlelight vigil, or a football party, people need each other right now. I am staying in tonight, but I am glad I went last night. Tomorrow there is a huge Red Cross fundraiser with Burnt Sienna and a few other bands, and I am planning to go and spend the day there. If you are in the area, I hope you can make it out.
My friend and former coworker Terry Lynch is listed as missing, presumed dead. I will always remember him as a doting father and a gentle man who showed me kindness on many occasions. He was a national security expert who died serving his country. He was loved by many and he will be missed.
For those of you who have been personally affected by this tragedy, all of our hearts go out to you. But remember, you don’t need to apologize for the way you choose to cope.
Some thoughts…
We should all be thankful that the towers held long enough to evacuate so many people. We lost far too many, but it could have been much worse.
We should all be thankful that the courageous passengers on Flight 93 overpowered the hijackers and grounded the plane. They saved countless lives, including many friends of mine who live and work near the US Capitol. We may never know exactly what happened, but we know they died heroes and their place in history is assured.
We should all be thankful that the FAA took the unprecedented action of grounding all planes nationwide.
We should all be thankful the that none of the four hijacked planes were full. I’ve heard of a phenomenon that “full planes don’t crash,” that there is a vestigial sixth sense that stops people from boarding doomed flights. I don’t know the logic behind it, but all of these aircraft could hold close to 200 passengers, and none of them had even half that many.
Now for some outrages:
I heard that Hertz was charging upwards of $800 for rental cars to stranded passengers at airports across the country. This is illegal price gouging and those bastards should be punished to the full extent of the law. Some companies have taken the high road, and donated money, supplies, office space for displaced workers, and then some assholes try to profit from it. I never rent from Hertz anyway- I have been on a personal boycott ever since I learned that they hired OJ Simpson as a spokesman in spite of the fact that he was a convicted abuser.
There are already reports of innocent citizens being harassed because they are of Middle Eastern descent. We should all keep in mind that we cannot judge people that way. All Islamic people are not at fault here. Anecdotes abound of harassment and even violence against people of color. These actions do not promote healing, and I pray that this problem does not worsen in the weeks to come. We need only to look to the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II to realize the travesty this action could bring about.
There have been over a hundred bomb threats in DC and New York in the past few days. What kind of sick twisted mind terrorizes citizens whose lives are already in turmoil and whose nerves are strained to the edge of sanity? Who would want to further tax the resources of two cities who are already fighting to save what lives they can?
The worst was CNN’s announcement today that people are scamming the families of those who are missing, asking for the victims’ social security numbers under the guise of assisting the rescue effort.
There are no words.
(Originally posted at www.greatcarnicky.com)
