DEAR Blog
Disaster Experiential Activity and Reflection
Project by Noah Hass-Cohen, Psy.D., Alliant International University School of Professional Psychology
Contributors: Jeremy Arzt, M.A.; Joanna Clyde Findley, M.A.; Anya Kavanaugh, B.F.A;
Alliant International University, Couples and Family Therapy, Crisis and Trauma course students
2001: SEPTEMBER 11 ATTACKS
Life-Threatening Toll: Death and Injury
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Nearly 3,000 died in the attacks.
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Others were injured in the wreckage and rescue attempts.
Immediate Psychological Impact
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Shock, anger, and grief of victims and their families, as well as the nation looking on.
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Live media coverage of the events of September 11 affected the way the entire country experienced the disasters.
Long-term Psychological Impact
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Greater fear and anxiety associated with air travel, especially internationally – also reflected in changes to national security policies, especially in airports, as well as immigration policies for both temporary and permanent residents.
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Racial/intercultural fear/enmity has been associated with these events.
Background
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A series of four coordinated suicide attacks upon the United States in New York City and the Washington, D.C. areas on September 11, 2001.
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On that Tuesday morning, 19 terrorists from the Islamist militant group al-Qaeda hijacked four passenger jets. The hijackers intentionally crashed two planes, American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175 into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City; both towers collapsed within two hours.
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Hijackers crashed American Airlines Flight 77 into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. The fourth jet, United Airlines Flight 93, crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania after passengers attempted to take control before it could reach the hijacker's intended target in Washington, D.C.
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Suspicion quickly fell on al-Qaeda, and in 2004, the group's leader Osama bin Laden, who had initially denied involvement, claimed responsibility for the attacks.
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Al-Qaeda and bin Laden cited U.S. support of Israel, the presence of U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia, and sanctions against Iraq as motives for the attacks.
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The United States responded to the attacks by launching the War on Terror and invading Afghanistan to depose the Taliban, which had harbored al-Qaeda. In May 2011, after years at large, bin Laden was found and killed.
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The destruction of the twin towers caused serious damage to the economy of Lower Manhattan and had a significant impact on global markets. Cleanup of the World Trade Center site was completed in May 2002, and the Pentagon was repaired within a year.
Ground Zero, New York City, on Sept. 17, 2011
Live News coverage from Sept. 11, 2011
* Please be advised that the video in this link contains originally-live footage of the second plane crash into the World Trade Center.