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TURNING POINTS

CHAPTER THREE

RESCUE AND

RECOVERY
THE 9/11 ATTACKS

fter the north tower’s collapse, New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani

ordered the evacuation of Lower Manhattan. People left the city
A on foot, weaving their way through ash-covered streets and

crossing bridges in large crowds. Others were taken by boat, staring back at
the skyline in shock. But rescue workers continued arriving. Firefighters tried

to combat the blazes that cropped up. Together with police, dogs, and other
workers, they searched for survivors in the rubble. At 5:20 p.m., the evacuated

47-story building at 7 WTC collapsed after burning for hours.
The constant media coverage continued. It replaced

regular programming on networks throughout the
country, replaying the crashes and aftermath over

and over. Confusion and rumors sometimes led to
false alarms and inaccurate reports, including one of

a car bombing. Many worried that a second wave
of attacks was coming. Even as facts slowly came in,

though, officials had already zeroed in on al Qaeda
and identified all 19 hijackers. (Bin Laden would not

admit the organization’s involvement until 2004.)
New York first responder

Newspapers in other cities printed extra editions
of their daily papers after the attacks.

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