The Terrorist Attacks of September 11th

BY USACE OFFICE OF HISTORY

On Sept. 11, 2001, terrorists crashed two hijacked commercial airliners into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York and one into the Pentagon. A fourth crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Nearly 3,000 lost their lives in what is still the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) mobilized in the aftermath of the attack and helped New York City respond, recover, and rebuild. At the Pentagon, active-duty Army engineers helped stabilize the building and search for survivors and victims.

One day following the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers set up an Emergency Response and Recovery Office in New York City.

ANDREW STAMER, USACE

In New York, USACE’s Readiness 2000 framework ensured that the skills of the entire organization were available whenever and wherever they were needed. As a result, planning and response teams and subject matter experts from across the country arrived in the New York District to set up an Emergency Response and Recovery Office. Even though the attacks significantly affected communications and transportation, USACE was able to move people and resources to the disaster site within hours and implement its emergency response plan despite the daunting circumstances. Ultimately, the entire organization contributed to the effort, in one way or another.

A USACE employee from the Emergency Response and Recovery Office in New York City gets an up-close look at the debris caused by the collapse of the World Trade Center, Oct. 10, 2001.

ANDREW STAMER, USACE

When USACE evaluated its response to the September 11 attacks, it found a great deal of which to be proud. First and foremost was the response of the employees of the New York District. Despite being displaced by the attack, they continued to work without access to offices, files, and adequate communications. The Corps of Engineers’ leadership, including Headquarters, the North Atlantic Division, and the New England District, drew upon decades of emergency operations experience in adeptly planning and managing the USACE response. Senior USACE leadership contacted the Federal Emergency Management Agency within hours of the attack, established a 24/7 Operations Center to coordinate the USACE’s response, and executed the USACE Emergency Management disaster response plan. AE

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