Stunned nation awakes to a very different world... (UPDATED)
By
Mike Tomkins
(Wednesday, September 12, 2001 - 17:02 EDT)
The events of the last 24 hours have been very traumatic for the United States and for the world. As the full magnitude of yesterday's terrorist attacks came to light, people of all nationalities watched TV coverage in stunned disbelief, and many wept. This disaster has affected those both inside our nation and beyond, with airports and public buildings in other countries closing down and stock markets plunging as they opened to a very different world. The attacks could hardly have targeted a more international icon, either - the World Trade Center housed some 430 businesses from 26 countries.
As the nation and the world mourns those lost, we must begin to continue with our lives and work - if only to show those responsible for these despicable and cowardly actions that we cannot be cowed, that terrorism only unites us and makes us stronger. We've read many messages from people around the world offering condolences, and have seen leaders around the world uniting and pledging their support both to search for survivors and to ensure those responsible will answer for their actions.
After first hearing of the attacks yesterday, we did not feel it was appropriate to continue our news coverage. We're now resuming work, but of course with thoughts for those affected by the disaster remaining foremost in our minds.
We encourage readers to offer help in two ways:
Give BloodDonate Money- Contribute to the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund - Amazon.com has set up a credit card payment service with donations from $1 to $100 possible. The Red Cross also has a web form for donating money to the Disaster Relief Fund, or you can call 1-800-HELP-NOW.
- The National Organization for Victim Assistance is seeking financial support for its Crisis Response Teams and its 24-hour crisis line in support of the victims, families, and citizens of New York, Washington, DC, Virginia, and Pennsylvania.
- Catholic Charities USA are accepting donations to cover the cost of mobilizing to help victims and their families recover from the devastation in New York, Washington, DC, and Pennsylvania.
- Donations to the Salvation Army can be made by calling 1-800-SAL-ARMY.
- The United Way has set up a September Eleventh Fund to help the victims of the attacks and their families and provide immediate support to established emergency assistance agencies. Call 212-251-4035 to donate.
We also applaud the many companies which are organising employee blood drives and collections to support the disaster relief efforts.
As my own tribute, following is a photo taken last November in the lobby of the World Trade Center showing the flags of many nations on display. An enduring memory of a brief visit with my wife and brother, those many flags symbolise to me the many nations which are now uniting against terrorism.
Our prayers are with those who have been killed and injured, and their friends and families.
UPDATED 2001-09-12 21:18ET: Added links to more places to donate money or give blood... At last count, Amazon.com had just surpassed the $1.5 million mark, from just shy of 50,000 collected donations - the Red Cross will likely need every cent of that and much more by the time this is all over. Keep the donations coming!
UPDATED 2001-09-13 10:38ET: Generous donations are continuing to come in to Amazon's Red Cross fund - as of a few minutes ago, the fund had passed $2.25 million from almost 70,000 donations. We'd like to thank any of our readers who've taken the time to donate money or blood to help those affected by the disaster...
UPDATED 2001-09-14 10:59ET: We would like to alert readers to a statement that was recently made by New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. We were concerned to hear that a telemarketing agency is making phone calls, in particular targetting senior citizens, soliciting donations in the wake of the disaster. Mayor Giuliani advised that if you receive such a call, you should contact your local police department to let them know. There are apparently no official efforts to solicit funds by telemarketing, and you should not give money to anybody who phones you. If you want to offer a donation, we would suggest donating directly to your intended recipient (such as the Red Cross, etc.) or using a reliable, trusted third party such as Amazon.com's service for donating to the Red Cross listed above.
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