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September 11, 2021 – Originally published September 12, 2001, in the Siuslaw News
The scene in Florence, Oregon yesterday morning was expected to resemble other small town scenes taking place across the country, as news of hijacked passenger planes crashing into shopping and government malls has started to spread.
Workers on Maple Street were loading planks into a truck. One of them said he visited New York two months ago, where he saw the World Trade Center.
“You can’t believe how tall he is,” he said.
In a Bay Street bar, four patrons and the bartender were facing the television on the back wall. Rumors of other missing planes, one of them being followed by fighter jets, circulated around the bar.
On the wall, the newscaster began to interview an expert. After a few seconds, the expert rolled over in his chair and harassed a group behind him about a noisy television screen, which prevented him from hearing the questions.
The sight of the TV expert losing his grip hit everyone in the bar as comedic, and we laughed, too hard for the situation. Then the bar fell silent again, except for the television.
Outside in the street, a familiar dog lay in an empty parking space next to the sidewalk. An employee of a landscaping company cut old blooms from flowers in planters outside a row of stores. A couple jogged in T-shirts and shorts.
In a cafe down the street, the bench outside was filled with early bird patrons, who were smoking, drinking coffee, and all talking about the same thing.
“Now you know how people felt after Pearl Harbor,” someone said.
One man speculated, with some satisfaction, that this would free the government’s hand to carry out covert activities. In the next breath, he worried aloud, as his son is part of an Army Ranger team trained in covert military operations.
Another man took an apocalyptic attitude. He said he was going to hol up, drink and party, and wait until the end. He said UFOs and alien intervention were the only hope for the world. The others listened quietly.
While the group was talking, a pickup truck pulled up near the sidewalk and a man got out and opened the lid of the truck bed.
A friend helped him unload a small television and took it to the cafe. Soon, a semicircle of customers inside had gathered around her, looking at footage of the Pentagon fire.
The main seating area of a downtown restaurant was empty of customers. A pair of waiters stood around. They said business was slow.
“They all watch TV,” he said. He nodded towards the bar. “We had customers, but they wanted to eat inside where the television is. “
In one of the schools, a school secretary said they were walking calmly on their regular schedule.
“The superintendent called and said we should play it down,” she said. “A few kids asked me about it, and I said, ‘I’m sure the west coast won’t be affected.'”
At the post office, acquaintances greeted each other as they stood in the usual line in front of the counter. Two were talking business. Another was asking a friend about the results of her medical tests.
A dispatcher from the police station said very few unusual things had happened there.
“I only had one call from a woman, panicked,” said the dispatcher. “She said, ‘I’m in my yard screaming, kill the (terrorists)!’ So I linked it to mental health.
A hospital emergency room assistant said all nurses were busy and doctors were in a meeting. She could imagine what medical staff in New York and elsewhere were facing.
“Something horrible,” she said. “It’s kind of a state of shock.”
At the airport, a group of men in the office were watching the television news.
One of them said the FAA had just called, closing the runway. All of the country’s airports have been closed, someone else said, and borders sealed.
They watched another replay of the plane crashing into the World Trade Center. They listened to the experts and the politicians.
“They know as much as we do,” someone said.
Editor’s Note: Siuslaw News’ the production day for its Wednesday editions is Tuesday. Twenty years ago that meant a majority of staff were abandoning their planned assignments to respond to the national tragedy. Editorial staff spoke with community members and collected data on the American Red Cross, Foreign War Veterans, the Oregon National Guard, local ministers planning a prayer service, and the Governor of Oregon Kitzhaber.
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