Point Reyes Light - September 13, 2001
How schools & government responded
By Gregory Foley
The massive explosions that rocked New York and Washington Tuesday morning when terrorists crashed three California-bound jetliners into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon resonated all the way to West Marin within minutes.
While residents agonized over the casualties, the blasts paralyzed almost all county and state business in the area.
News of the event – considered by federal officials to be the most destructive and violent act of terrorism in history – traveled quickly via phone lines, television, radio, and the Internet, reaching many people as they were starting their daily routines.
In the end three of four hijacked passenger planes had been steered into the landmark buildings, killing nearly 300 travelers, thousands of businessmen and women and rescue workers in New York, plus an estimated 800 federal employees in Washington DC.
(One hijacked United Airlines flight headed from Newark to San Francisco crashed in rural Pennsylvania, apparently after heroic passengers stormed the hijackers before they could turn the plane back toward the nation’s capital.)
Fearing the terrorist acts might escalate, public officials acted decisively to protect Marin residents, buildings, and employees. Many workers stayed home, and in towns across West Marin streets were nearly empty as residents stayed close to their television sets.
At county and state buildings from Tomales to Muir Beach to Woodacre, flags were lowered to half-mast to honor the thousands of innocent victims.
Civic Center closed
Civic Center was closed all Tuesday, and all public meetings and court hearings were canceled or postponed. Only a handful of top county officials remained at Civic Center in the county’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC).
The center opens only during large-scale disasters to monitor emergencies and coordinate a response if needed.
An EOC announcement stated: "While there are no known threats to Civic Center, it is being closed as a precautionary measure."
Phil Smith, chief of Marin Environmental Health Services, said Civic Center offices were evacuated and workers sent home just after 9 a.m., although some employees with field appointments stayed on duty. County services away from Civic Center remained open and active.
Supes postpone meeting
Marin supervisors, who were scheduled to discuss a long list of agenda items Tuesday, gathered at 10 a.m. and quickly adjourned until 1:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Liza Crosse, aide to Supervisor Steve Kinsey, on Wednesday said that county employees had returned to work, but "people around here are shaken and sad. There are lots of people walking around wearing little black ribbons."
Governor Gray Davis ordered all state buildings to close, and in an unprecedented action, the Federal Aviation Administration closed all US airports and air traffic Tuesday and then allowed only a small number of flights to travel Wednesday.
Aircraft heard
However, West Marin residents from Stinson Beach to Point Reyes Station to Woodacre reported hearing airplane noise Tuesday night. Brian Geiger, a spokesman for Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey, said the flights were almost exclusively military aircraft patrols over West Marin and the coast.
The noise could have also have come from flights by law enforcement or medical aircraft, which were permitted to fly by the FAA. Indeed, the federal government ordered patrols over 41 major cities and their surrounding airspaces.
The Highway Patrol provided extra security on Bay Area bridges, closed exit ramps to San Francisco International Airport, and placed additional officers at all state buildings. The Coast Guard station at Bodega Bay was placed on heightened security, but remained available to respond to coastal emergencies.
East Marin closures
Two airports and two large shopping malls in East Marin were also closed Tuesday, the EOC reported.
Caltrans found itself immediately one day behind in a scheduled one-month project to repair road damage on Highway 1 between the intersection with Panoramic Highway in the Marin Headlands and Stinson Beach. Bids on the project were scheduled to be opened Tuesday.
Public Schools in Marin and the county Office of Education remained open, although school officials across West Marin were faced with explaining the tragedy to students of all ages.
At schools in Shoreline School District, teachers and administrators discussed the tragedy with students in small groups in classrooms, but no classes were canceled, Supt. Stephen Rosenthal said. He added that some discussions went on for nearly three hours.
Seeking normalcy
"We’re trying to keep things calm and keep a semblance of normalcy," Rosenthal said Tuesday. "We will go on with our day as planned."
At Lagunitas School District, Supt. Mary Buttler instructed teachers to inform students that they were safe at the school and encouraged them to be accurate in describing the events and the impacts of the tragedy.
Buttler asked teachers of older students to explain that "history is being made, and history is not always good news."
At Nicasio School, students were assembled in a large group to hear from their teachers and administrators about the latest on the event. At Bolinas-Stinson School District, Supt. Larry Enos gathered students after a fire drill to address them about the ongoing events on the East Coast.
Internet non-operational for many
With Internet lines jammed and non-operational, many West Marin residents gathered at Café Reyes Tuesday afternoon to watch the news and discuss the gruesome images repeatedly replayed on television.
On Tuesday night, residents gathered for prayer services at St. Columba’s Episcopal Church in Inverness and St. John’s Monastery in Inverness Park. A large group of West Marin residents gathered on Wednesday in downtown Point Reyes Station to hold an evening vigil before moving their ceremony to the Dance Palace.
Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Olema held a special mass Wednesday evening for the victims of the attack.
Bolinas Realtor BG Bates said that she believes the impacts of the attack will continue to be felt by West Marin residents for weeks to come as the identities of the victims are revealed.
"I’m stricken by it. It’s overwhelming," she said, noting that Americans need to try not to be consumed by fear and insecurity. "I have been talking to my son about it, and I told him, ’Don’t worry. The world will be here for you too.’"