1. Government Response to the Destruction of the World Trade Center
Case Study:
Government Response to the Destruction of the World Trade Center

2. September 11, 2001 American Airlines Flight 11(8:46 a.m., One
World Trade Center) and United Airlines Flight 175 (9:03 a.m., Two World Trade Center).
Mayor Rudolph Giuliani.

3. Richard Sheirer, Director, New York City Office of Emergency Services.
Activated Emergency Operations Center, 7 World Trade Center.
Closed all roads below Canal Street and all tunnels and bridges.

4. September 11, 2001
Destruction of Emergency Operations Center by second crash.
Sheirer closes New York Harbor and ask Pentagon to close New York air space.

5. Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik spearheaded movement of personnel to “hot zone”.
NYPD Emergency Service Units and FDNY arrived four minutes after first plane crash.
Began task of evacuating 25,000 people.
500 firefighters and 200 Port Authority Police.
FDNY Commissioner Thomas Von Essen.

6. Government Response after 9/11
FEMA.
National Guard.
NYPD.
FEMA alerts on aid.
Hilary Clinton $20 billion aid package.

7. Analysis
Skill and intensity of government’s response to the emergency.
Planning for emergencies was clearly present and helped mitigate the tasks.
Daily, high-level coordination meeting proved beneficial.
Emergency workers should possess most modern communications equipment.

8. Analysis
Firefighter should reexamine their own standard operating procedures.
Decentralization of administration worked in the city’s favor.
City demonstrated depth of leadership.
Wartime mobilization temporarily eliminated political differences.

9. Lessons Learned Emergency response planning is essential.
Communications systems must be made more redundant.
Emergency response procedures must assume communications breakdowns and allow for decentralized decision-making.