- Author
- Rubin, C. B. | Renda-Tanali, I.
- Title
- Terrorist Attacks on September 11, 2001: Immediate Impacts and Their Ramifications for Federal Emergency Management.
- Coporate
- Claire B. Rubin and Associates, Arlington, VA George Washington Univ., Washington, DC
- Report
- Quick Response Report 140, 2001, 20 p.
- Distribution
- FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: (download copy) Website: http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/qr/qr140/qr140.html
- Keywords
- terrorists | terrorism | disasters | emergency plans | planning | management systems | information dissemintion | economic factors | World Trade Center
- Identifiers
- World Trade Center (110-story-high) Towers, Manhattan, New York, September 11, 2001; unprecedented role of the public sector; role of CNN and other media; general background information; outcomes
- Abstract
- The recent terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon are horrific events, of a scale and type never before seen in the U.S. or in the world. To our knowledge, no past terrorist disaster in the U.S. has resulted in both recovery and military actions to seek redress for the incident. The unique range and complexity of the aftermath are illustrated by the CNN website (www.cnn.com), which has reported daily on various activities connected with a) the investigation of the terrorist incidents, b) retaliation, and c) recovery. Given the timing, nature, and magnitude of the attacks, plus the immediate extensive media coverage, the topics of terrorism and emergency management are receiving an unprecedented amount of attention not only in the U.S. but worldwide. Aspects of terrorism usually reserved to a small group of behind-the-scenes operational personnel suddenly are of interest and concern to citizens throughout the nation. In researching and documenting the outcomes of the events in New York City and the Pentagon, we chose to focus primarily on emergency management at the federal level. Even with this limited focus, the effects of the September 11 events on the federal government involves a huge array of impacts and outcomes. This report will briefly describe the events and their effects, giving more time and space to some of the early impacts and ramifications. The report deals generally with emergency management issues and actions during the first 30 days after September 11. It does not cover the many problems and issues connected with the public management of health and environmental issues that began to emerge about four weeks after the attacks took place. Finally, our research relied mainly on secondary sources, because it was not possible to gain access to key actors for personal interviews in the first few weeks after the massive events.