Aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks
2001
November
Thursday, November 1, 2001
- Afternoon: Deputy Mayor Anthony P. Coles meets with the two firefighter union leaders, Fire Capt. Peter L. Gorman, president of the Uniformed Fire Officers Association and Kevin E. Gallagher, president of the Rudy Giuliani calls from Yankee Stadium at the World Series to Fire Commissioner Thomas Von Essen about talk of a protest.
Friday, November 2, 2001
- Approx. 10:30 a.m. EST Emotions spill over into violence at a two-hour protest by several hundred to a thousand firefighters near City Hall, beginning at West and Chambers Streets, to protest Giuliani's October 31st ruling to reduce the number of firefighters permitted at the World Trade Center site from 64 to 25. After firefighter Mike Heffernan, brother of John Heffernan, retired fire captain Bill Butler, father of Tommy Butler, and Kevin E. Gallagher, the president of the November 12 2001
December
December 19, 2001
- The World Trade Center fire was finally extinguished after burning for three months
2002
March
Monday, March 11, 2002
- On the six-month anniversary of the attack, numerous ceremonies of remembrance take place.
- Huffman Aviation receives a letter from the Immigration and Naturalization Service saying that Mohammed Atta and Marwan al-Shehhi had been approved for student visas to study there.
Tuesday, March 12, 2002
- The remains of at least 11 firefighters and several civilians are found when recovery workers reach the site of what had been the south tower lobby.
May
Tuesday, May 28, 2002
- The last steel beam standing at the World Trade Center site is cut down and placed on a flatbed truck in a quiet ceremony.
August
Monday, August 19, 2002
- The New York City medical examiner releases an updated list of World Trade Center casualties. There were 2819 killed or missing, 4 less than the Police Department list which had been the best official tally publicly released. One name removed was that of a woman who had been listed under both her maiden and married names. The other three were of people reported missing once by people who had since not been in contact with New York City officials.
Tuesday, August 20, 2002
- Police determine that Albert John Vaughan, 45, and George V. Sims, 46, missing and presumed dead, are alive. Vaughan has been a patient at the Rockland Psychiatric Center in Orangeburg, N.Y. Sims is a patient with amnesia and schizophrenia at a Manhattan hospital.
August 27, 2002
- The Newark Star-Ledger reports that George V. Sims is alive. By this point at least 7 people on the August 19 list have been found; there are now 2812 killed or presumed dead.
September
September 7, 2002
- The New York City medical examiner releases a new list of World Trade Center deaths. The new list is 22 less than the previous one. The death toll now stands at 2801, including the dead on the airplanes but not the 10 hijackers.
September 10, 2002
- USA goes on high security alert as anniversary approaches. Other countries such as the UK go on similar alert status.
- Al-Jazeera releases videotapes of four of the September 11 hijackers - Ahmed al-Nami, Hamza Alghamdi, Ahmed Alghamdi and Wail Alshehri. All four are seen talking to the camera.
September 11, 2002
First anniversary memorials and services
- Remembrance services are held throughout the USA.
- The ceremony at New York, broadcast throughout the world, falls an hour behind schedule, but is well attended. The ceremony included the reading out of the names of all the persons who died there (on both the planes and the World Trade Centre) and the recitals of American historical speeches such as the Gettysburg Address. Moments of silence are observed at 8:46 AM and 9:03 AM, the moments when the two planes struck the two towers, and church bells ring at 9:59 AM and 10:29 AM, the moment at which the South and North towers respectively collapsed.
- The private ceremony at The Pentagon is also well-attended, and included the President amongst its participants. A prayer is said at the end that referred to Todd Beamer's "Let's Roll" remark.
- The public ceremony at Shanksville also had a large turnout. It included two flybys and a release of doves. President George W. Bush attends a private followup service for the families of Flight 93's victims in the afternoon.
- In Karachi, wanted terrorist Ramzi Binalshibh (a.k.a. Ramzi Omar) is among five alleged terrorists captured by Pakistani authorities at a Defence Housing Authority estate. Binalshibh is wanted by US authorities in relation to the September 11 attacks. His capture does not become public knowledge for two days, but photographs featuring him being led away blindfolded are published on the day.
September 26, 2002
September 27, 2002
- The New York Department of Environmental Conservation announces that construction equipment at the World Trade Center site will have to use ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel.
November 14, 2002
2003
February 26, 2003
- Daniel Libeskind's design is announced as the winner and future occupant of the former World Trade Center site. The design includes an office building and a Wedge of Light which will honor the victims of the terrorist attacks by shutting down its lights between 8:46AM and 10:28AM EST every September 11. It will also use the WTC's foundations.
