9_11_World_Issues

September 11, 2001 It’s unforgettable – almost even unimaginable. It’s a story that everyone knows of, that everyone has heard; the young and the old from nation to nation. It has changed our world, and at the time flipped it upside down. It happened on a sunny Tuesday morning on September 11, 2001, otherwise known as the incident of 9 – 11. Four commercial passenger jet airlines were hijacked and taken over by multiple suicidal terrorists known as the al-Qaeda. At 8:46am, American Airlines flight 11 was flown into the north tower of the World Trade Center located in New York. This was only the beginning of these vicious attacks. Only minutes passed as witnesses couldn’t believe what they’ve just seen until a second plane, United Airlines Flight 175, was flown into the second tower at 9:02am. These first two attacks established that America was under attack without any warning. American Airlines Flight 77 headed toward Washington, DC was flown into the Pentagon at 9:37am, the headquarters of America’s military operations. United Airlines Flight 93, the final plane to be hijacked, crashed into a field in Pennsylvania at 10:03am. The passengers on this flight regained control of the plane and died as heroes. It is still unknown where the plane was originally headed. In the time span of 102 minutes, US Airspace was closed down completely. Within two hours after the crash of the Twin Towers, both completely collapsed. Nearly 3,000 victims and the 19 hijackers died in the attacks, along with 184 people killed in the attacks on the Pentagon. Citizens from more than 90 countries were lost in the attacks on the World Trade center, making this a world-wide event affecting almost everyone. There were 343 firefighters and 60 police officers from New York who died while performing rescue operations. Along with the two Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, a number of buildings at and around the site were damaged or completely destroyed. Most buildings have since then been restored. Losses from the September 11 attack exceed over $100 billion dollars. The loss of four commercial airplanes was valued at $385 million, the destruction of major buildings of the World Trade Center including replacement costs valued at $4.5 billion, damage done to the Pentagon costs up to $1 billion, and cleanup costs at $1.3 billion. About 2,000 construction workers are on the site of where the Twin Towers use to stand, working day in and day out including weekends to rebuild what is referred to as Ground Zero. According to city and state officials, construction is expected to be finished by 2014. An outdoor landscape memorial featuring a walkway through a grove of trees will be completed by the site in time for the tenth anniversary on September 11, 2011, and The National September 11 Memorial & Museum will be completed in 2012. Nearly two million square feet of office space was damaged from the 9 – 11 attack on the Pentagon. Rebuilding efforts began almost immediately, despite all the devastation in Washington, DC and in New York. The Phoenix Project was added to the reconstruction on the Pentagon. The logo, being a phoenix, is a mythical bird that represents rebirth and immortality, and their motto, “Let’s Roll,” which echoes the last words of Todd Beamer who was one of the heroes from Flight 93, is the quote that hangs above. These attacks lead to the destruction of three historic buildings; The Twin Towers located in New York City, along with the Pentagon located in Washington, DC. They say this day has changed the world forever, but who really noticed a difference since 9 – 11 were travellers. Since the devastating attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, the security in the world of travelling has changed forever. Airport security has dramatically changed by making major improvements to make flying a safe way to travel. Rules such as removing your shoes while crossing walk-through metal detectors must be enforced. Locations to meet family and friends coming off a flight have also been changed, and an overall increase of security in terms of guards checking baggage has been established. New technology has been created to detect anything hidden under clothing or any explosive residue, and more aggressive pat-downs are being giving. More limitations were placed on specific items that can and cannot be with passengers. New measures are still being adopted today, and soon more and more improvements will be made to ensure the safety of all passengers. It is very clear to state that the attacks of 9 – 11 have changed the security of travel into a much safer place. Airport security has been forced to make major improvements since the terrorist attacks of 9 – 11 in order to ensure the safety of all passengers. Because there have been threats in the past of shoes bombs, all passengers are now required to remove their shoes while going through security. Swabbing for explosives is also another thing you will see while going through security. These cotton swabs swipe not only your carry-on luggage and checked bags, but also your hands. These swabs are then placed in portable detection machines to check for explosive residue. When travelling with a laptop, airport security requires that you remove it from its case while going through security. It must be placed in a box, separate with any other objects you are carrying with you. When greeting family or friends who are coming off a flight, a new location has been placed. Family members and friends must now wait until the person they are waiting for is passed the gate and through security; they are no longer able to greet them right at their gate. This allows there to be less commotion and chaos that airport security simply cannot handle. By having a controlled and steady meeting area, travelers are able to meet their family without putting themselves in danger. Security is able to control the scene without the hassle of too many people arriving home at once. There has also been an increase in security in terms of the amount of people checking bags and going through security. A different security guard is maintaining their own section. There are different security guards for screening your luggage, walk-through metal detectors, controlling full body scans and swabbing your bag. Having a different security guard at each section can become intimidating and therefore scare a potential terrorist. There are also now behaviour detection officers who “walk the line” to start conversations with passengers. These officers are trained to spot facial expressions, body language and appearance to determine if a passenger fears detection of going through security. These officers have under a minute to determine if the passenger should be pulled out of the line and given more screening than required. New technology has been created in airports to maintain a higher level of security. Other than the portable detectors used to detect traces of explosives, full body scanners have now been created to see everything about the travellers body. These large machines scan your entire body for concealed weapons, bomb-making material, and drugs. These scanners use radiation technology that is able to see through clothing, and are very similar to the medical x-ray machines. Weapons that have passed through metal detectors such as liquid bombs, drugs, or knives made from different materials are able to be shown through these x-rays. This will catch any passenger who is trying to conceal anything that can harm the safety of all crew members and passengers. More aggressive pat-downs have also been changed, patting down any passenger who looks suspicious, or by picking passengers at random. These aggressive pat-downs are to hopefully prevent passengers from having to use the full body screening system. More and more limitations are being placed on what passengers are permitted and not permitted to bring with them on their carry-on bag. A limit of 3 oz bottles or less are allowed on your carry-on luggage, however must be placed in a zip-loc bag. Travellers are also not allowed to bring anything on the plane that was not purchased from the airport. Liquids or food will be taken away from passengers before going through security. Once passed security gates, passengers are then allowed to purchase beverages and snacks where they will be able to bring with them on their flight. Even though there are many new improvements to ensure the safety of all travellers, new measures are still being adopted such as fortified cockpit doors, armed pilots on some flights and the placing of armed undercover officers on passenger flights. To have cockpit doors strengthened, this will prevent any chance against attack. The terrorists will have no chance of getting in the cockpit and taking over control of the aircraft. Armed pilots will also give a better chance of defeating any terrorist that tries to enter the cockpit. Defending pilots will take appropriate measures to ensure the safety of the passengers and make way for a clear landing. Arming passengers such as undercover officers will also ensure safety during the flight. As of today, only officers that are “on official business that requires us to be armed aboard the aircraft or in the terminals,” are allowed to carry their gun. Allowing officers to carry their guns even on non-official business trips can come in handy for the next terrorist who decides to attack. Now that all these improvements have been operating for years, there are still many concerns and questions among the real word leading to the development of these new security measures. The concern of more aggressive pat-downs of passengers at checkpoints is believed to be inappropriate, and full-body scanners are dangerous and intrusive. This raises a privacy concern for many travellers. This aspect of security can be further discussed, and should consider only those who set off the walk-through metal detectors to be required for a pat-down and/or full body scan. The hassle of a two to three hour delay in an airport caused by searching baggage and taking off shoes has also become a burden for many passengers. Minimizing the number of passengers who must be patted down at checkpoints can reduce time, and lifting the ban on the amount of liquids allowed on a carry-on baggage and having passengers remove their shoes will reduce time. This will lead to a faster and more efficient way of travelling and make more travellers happy. More improvements should also be made with checked baggage and the surroundings of the airport. One hundred percent of passengers’ carry-on luggage is required to be screened for explosives, however only a small portion of air-cargo is inspected carefully. Further research should be applied to checking all luggage as if were carry-on items, requiring it to be screened in the same way. Too much money went to the security inside the airport, and not enough went into its surroundings. Blocking off all major areas surrounding the runways should be cleared and rooftops of buildings should also be blocked off in order to ensure no one comes close enough to harm the plane or any of the passengers. After the terrorist attacks of 9 – 11, many travellers still believed that other acts of terrorism were likely to happen, even after all the new improvements in security. This group of people have since then been shrinking. The Simon Frasier University reported a 40 percent drop in terrorist violence since 2001, including a major drop in the past 5 years. Countries such as Canada and the U.S. have not been attacked because of these major changes in security. Traveller’s today show that 63 percent of travellers agree that airport security is not too much of a hassle, and agree that by taking these new precautions is the safest way to fly. Thousands of additional people began taking to the roads rather than the skies following the September 11 attack, which has lead to an increase in the amount of car accidents. New technology was invented, and new technology is still yet to come. With growing technological breakthroughs, passengers will soon find that airport security guarantees the safety of all its passengers. Together with all the improvements in airport security, it is only an understatement to say that the security of air travel has changed. -------------------------------------------- [ 1 ]. “WORLD HISTORY: 9/11 ATTACK.” WORLD HISTORY. N.p., n.d. Web. Thursday, December 23, 2010. [ 2 ]. “The Cost of September 11.” Energy and Security Research. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 May 2011 [ 3 ]. BAGLI, CHARLES V. “9/11 Reconstruction News – The New York Times.” Times Topic. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 September 2010.