Aftermath of the September 11 attacks
Critics point out that the Afghan conflict has contributed to the destabilization of neighbouring Pakistan[1] and Afghanistan has undergone a long war, culminating in the return of the Taliban in 2021.
More than 1,500 first responders, ironworkers, engineers, heavy equipment operators, and other workers worked at Ground Zero to attempt to find survivors and clean up the wreckage.
[5] In the immediate aftermath of the attacks, only 20 survivors were pulled alive from the rubble,[6] although there were several human remains and belongings that were removed from the site.
The day after the attack, then-mayor Rudy Giuliani told reporters that they were receiving mobile phone calls from people trapped in the debris.
People began rallying around the popularized phrase, "United We Stand," in hopes of being resilient and keeping the American spirit alive in the face of a devastating attack.
The majority of the US population rallied behind President Bush and the federal government in widespread support to the recovery and the expectant reaction to the attacks.
Some criticized this particular reaction, noting that not everyone who died was from New York City (for example, some of the passengers on the planes) and that the Arlington County, Virginia community also suffered in the attacks.
Balbir Singh Sodhi, a Sikh man, was one of the first victims of this backlash; he was shot dead on September 15 at the gas station he owned in Mesa, Arizona.
Mark Anthony Stroman, a white supremacist, killed two men and injured a third in a shooting spree beginning September 15 in Dallas, Texas.
[12] In New York City itself, the only death possibly related to post-9/11 hate violence officially recorded as a homicide was Henryk Siwiak, a Polish immigrant shot in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn on September 11.
His family theorized he may have been the victim of a hate crime in the wake of the attacks, since he was wearing camouflage clothing, had dark hair and spoke imperfect, heavily accented English.
In Sarasota, Florida, Emma E. Booker Elementary School became a part of history, as President George W. Bush was reading to a classroom of children there when the attacks happened.
[27] For children who lost a parent in the attack, psychologists noticed that while some coped well initially, they would at times succumb to bouts of depression and self-harm later in life, or become reluctant to discuss their family history.
[38] Because of the long latency period between exposure and development of asbestos-related diseases, exposed Manhattan residents, especially rescue-and-recovery workers, can suffer future adverse health effects.
[40] On June 29, 2019, former New York Police Department detective Luis G. Alvarez died from colorectal cancer, with which he was diagnosed in 2016 and is believed to be caused from his three months spent at Ground Zero after 9/11.
Christine Todd Whitman, administrator of the EPA in the aftermath of the attacks, was heavily criticized by a U.S. District Judge for incorrectly saying that the area was environmentally safe.
All the money and claims that were being put out to help aid the victims of the attack, as well as different security and laws to protect the U.S, caused several layoffs and unemployment.
[50] Federal grant aid assisted states, communities, and local organizations in their efforts to stay safe and remain readily prepared.
[50] For that to happen the program law enforcement training and technical assistance grant was created hoping to stop or better compose for a terrorist attack.
The September 11th Victim Compensation fund (VCF) was established to provide financial assistance to those that experienced the disaster directly or those who lost family members from the attack.
[51] The fund has provided reimbursements for medical treatments for various conditions affecting victims, including PTSD and health effects from being exposed to toxic air.
Better known as a Federal flight deck officer, these pilots undergo training to prevent terrorist attacks or other potential dangers on an airplane.
Many other countries introduced tough anti-terrorism legislation and took action to cut off terrorist finances, including the freezing of bank accounts suspected of being used to fund terrorism.
[65] In France, calls to the United States Embassy were placed by locals who offered rooms within their homes to stranded passengers and observed the official day of mourning with three minutes of silence and stillness.
[66] The attack prompted numerous memorials and services all over the world with many countries, along with the United States, declaring a national day of mourning.
[citation needed] The French newspaper of record, Le Monde, ran a front-page headline reading "Nous sommes Tous Américains", or "We are all Americans".
To mark the Queen's Golden Jubilee, New York City lit the Empire State Building in purple and gold, to say "thank you" for this action.
In the latter's case, a study conducted in Sydney and Melbourne revealed an overwhelming majority of Muslim residents who experienced racism or racist violence since the attack.
[71] The most severe example was seen in Peterborough, where teenager Ross Parker was murdered by a gang of up to ten Muslims of Pakistani background who had sought a white male to attack.
