The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland

by

Jim DeFede

There are not many people who don't know what happened in New York City on September 11, 2001. There are not many people who do know what happened in Gander, Newfoundland, after the terrorist attack. DeFede heard about Gander, though, and started interviews. In 2002 he published this heartwarming saga of friendship and neighborliness in the midst of adversity.

Gander, Newfoundland, has a large airport that is left over from World War II. After the larger jets were able to cross further points of the Atlantic, Gander's airport became less used. The size did not shrink, though. When the United States closed its airspace on September 11, Gander was one of the Canadian airports that became strategically important. Thirty-eight aircraft landed in Gander, not sure where or when they could go next.

It was quickly obvious to the local people that the area was now in a state of emergency. They made a town proclamation to that effect so they could use emergency measures to contain the potential problems. There were almost 6,600 people on those planes. The township and area only has about 10,000 inhabitants. The people would not be able to stay on the planes for long. If the U.S. airspace stayed closed for any length of time, the people would need to come off the planes.

That is exactly what happened. By late afternoon crews and passengers started deplaning. The Newfoundlanders processed them through Red Cross to new created shelters as quickly as they could. Even so, many people were on their plane for over 24 hours before being allowed to step off.

Then the people of Gander and the surrounding area began to shine. They befriended the temporary refugees, offering them the use of home showers, automobiles, toothbrushes, access to prescription drugs, cots, blankets, clean clothes, and whatever else was needed to care for so many unexpected guests. And they succeeded.