The cover of the New York Times on Sept. 12, 2001.
8:45 a.m.: The first of two airplanes struck the World Trade Center.
9:03 a.m.: The second plane crashes, devastating New York City.
9:43 a.m.: The Pentagon is bombarded.
10:48 a.m.: It is confirmed that a jet has fallen into a field in Western Pennsylvania.
Death total reaches 2,792.
On Sept. 11, 2001 thousands of lives were lost due to the terrorist attacks.
Even though not everyone was directly affected by this disaster, a lot of people every where watched as the country was under attack.
Oddly enough, many people remember specific things from this day, even 10 years later.
“I was teaching a class in the old FC building and the teacher next to me told me planes had hit in New York City and then I turned on the TV and watched it,” said world history teacher Louie Stevens.
Junior Ted Hartog shares his memories. “I was in the first grade and they told us we needed to go home; Open House was also canceled that night.”
Besides the loss of lives and damage done to American property, a long-term war broke out.
“9/11 set the stage of a whole new era. We’ve been at war for the past 10 years and 9/11 is the root of that,” said Stevens.
Freshman Hudson Barlow agreed with Stevens in the aspect that 9/11 brought forth a war.
“I think 9/11 scared a lot of people and started a war.”
Looking back on this event now, people remember this in different ways.
“I think some people sort of got over it, but most people still remember and are sad about it,” said middle school student Cassie Thomerson.
On the other hand, Stevens feels it is fading.
“It’s diminishing because now there are movies about it. It is definitely slipping into history, not feeling the emotion of it.”
However, the 9/11 memorial, now known as National September 11 Memorial & Museum located where the World Trade Center once stood, keeps it relevant and a stunning reminder of that Sept. 11 day.
Hartog expresses his opinion on the memorial.
“The memorial is an appropriate response to 9/11, and it helps that we have our national security under control.”
Record breaking winds snap trees in half like toothpicks, houses are waterlogged and families are forced onto rooftops for their only chance at survival.
Unfortunately, this nightmare was the reality for many people on August, 23, 2005 because of Hurricane Katrina.
For junior Chelsea Donnelly, who was living in New Orleans at the time, this event was not just a segment on the news, but a real life experience.
“I was really scared because I knew all my family was getting hit by the storm. It was really devastating and really sad knowing my family was going through that.”
Donnelly’s home was spared while her grandmother, grandfather, aunts and uncles lost their homes to the hurricane.
“We had 10 family members who had to live with us for a month without electricity. Our house was ran off of a generator.”
Although this experience was close to home for Donnelly, most FC students did not take away the extremity of this storm.
“I wasn’t affected by Hurricane Katrina. I do however remember seeing all the destruction on the news and hearing about all the families that were affected. I also remember my dad actually going down there to help rebuild. He was able to see the destruction first hand and saw how devastating it was,” said senior Jordan Marcum.
As tragic as this event was, many people believe that if the necessary precautions were taken many lives would of been saved.
“I think people forget how devastating it was because they had enough warnings, which would of saved lives,” said 66-year-old Judy Youngs.
However, the devastation of this day has lead to an understanding of the importance of taking warnings seriously.
“I think that our generation can take away the knowledge of how to better prepare for storms,”said Marcum.
Official news source for Floyd Central High School
