An update for anyone who's interested. I live in New York, in Queens. I work in the city, uptown. Arrived at work at 8:45 and have been watching this unfold. My fiance's brother works in the Traveller building for Solomon Smith Barney. He saw it happen. (He's fine, but very very shaken.) The towers stood for about an hour after the attacks... and then completely collapsed. 50,000 people work in the WTC every day, and it usually has about a thousand tourists at any given time. They are now estimating that about 10,000 people are dead. In addition, the towers sit on top of a major subway line which is closed. 154 passengers and crew were aboard the two planes (combined number) that collided with the towers. All bridges and tunnels, and all subways are open only for evacuation purposes. Here's what's been released in the NY media, and over the wires: Timeline of U.S. Attacks in NYC, D.C. .c The Associated Press --Plane crashes into tower of World Trade Center in lower Manhattan, shortly before 9 a-m Eastern. --Second plane crashes into the second tower of the World Trade Center, shortly after 9 a-m Eastern. --President Bush, in Sarasota, Florida, calls the crashes ''an apparent terrorist attack'' and a ''national tragedy.'' --An aircraft crashes near Pentagon, just outside of Washington D-C, in Northern Virginia, about an hour after the attacks in New York. --Government buildings in Washington, including the Capitol and the White House, are evacuated with officials citing a credible threat of a terrorist attack. --The Federal Aviation Administration shuts down all aircraft takeoffs nationwide. --Shortly after 10 a-m Eastern, one World Trade Center tower in New York collapses, about an hour after being hit by plane. --American Airlines says one of the planes that crashed into the Trade Center was American Airlines Flight 11, hijacked after takeoff from Boston en route to Los Angeles. --Senior law enforcement officials say car bomb explodes outside of State Department in Washington, D-C. Federal protective services later denies car bomb attack occurred. --Financial markets suspend trading in the wake of the attacks. --Officials at Somerset County Airport say a large plane crashes in western Pennsylvania, about 80 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, at about 10:00 a-m. --The second tower of the World Trade Center collapses at 10:28 a-m Eastern. --Fourth explosion rocks the collapsed remains of the World Trade Center, at about 10:38 a-m. --Authorities across the country go on alert, tightening security at strategic facilities and evacuating high-profile buildings. U-S monuments and museums in Washington D-C are closed. --Securities and Exchange Commission says all financial markets are closed for the day. AP-NY-09-11-01 1111EDT Updates: D.C. is in state of emergency, mayor says. In NYC, Mayor Guiliani says: ''I have a sense it's a horrendous number of lives lost.'' Apparent Terrorist Attack Hits NYC, D.C. By Alan Elsner Reuters NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Sept. 11) - Three hijacked planes crashed into major U.S. landmarks Tuesday, destroying both of New York's mighty twin towers and plunging the Pentagon in Washington into flames, in an unprecedented assault on key symbols of U.S. military and financial power. Loss of life was expected to be catastrophic from the collapse of the giant towers of the World Trade Center where roughly 40,000 people work. The two 110-story towers collapsed one at a time in a huge cloud of smoke and fire two hours after the initial impacts. Desperate people were seen jumping out of the burning towers before they collapsed. President Bush, facing the first big test of his eight-month presidency, called the deliberate aerial assaults an ''apparent terrorist attack,'' and vowed to hunt down and punish those responsible. Sen. Chuck Hagel, a Nebraska Republican, called the attacks, ''this generation's Pearl Harbor.'' The European Union's External Relations Commissioner said the attacks constituted ''an act of war by madmen.'' The attacks, the worst on the U.S. mainland in modern history, plunged the country into chaos and panic, paralyzing communications, forcing the evacuation of key buildings, closing markets, schools and even theme parks. Sirens screamed as terrified people rushed through the streets seeking safety. BUSH WHISKED TO UNDISCLOSED LOCATION Even America's pastime could not escape. Major League Baseball canceled all 15 of Tuesday's scheduled games. The Walt Disney Co. temporarily shut its U.S. parks and began assessing global operations. Bush cut short a trip to Florida and flew at high altitude to Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana for a brief stop before taking off again for an undisclosed destination. He said he had taken all appropriate security precautions to protect Americans and ensure the functioning of the government. ''Freedom itself was attacked but freedom will be protected,'' he told reporters. The U.S. military was put on the highest alert at home and abroad. Early speculation about the source of the attack centered on Saudi-born guerrilla leader Osama Bin-Laden. Airline officials and other authorities said four planes -- two from American Airlines, two from United Airlines -- had crashed. They said the four were carrying a total of 233 passengers, 25 flight attendants and eight pilots. ''This is total war, I think this is a wake-up call for America. This is a war, a real war,'' said Alabama Republican Sen. Richard Shelby. Vice President Dick Cheney and key congressional leaders, were taken to a secure location, apparently not in Washington. New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani said there had been a ''tremendous number of lives lost'' in the assault on his city. But five hours after the attack, the full dimensions of the tragedy were still far from clear. One TV station reported that 200 firefighters were missing in the World Trade Center. Experts said it could be days before the full death toll was established. As international flights were diverted to Canada, the Federal Aviation Administration shut down all flights in the United States. Part of the land border between the United States and Mexico was closed. HOSPITALS OVERWHELMED Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and gunmen at refugee camps in Lebanon fired into the air to celebrate news of the attacks. Hospitals in New York were overwhelmed with patients as a massive cloud billowed into the blue skies over Manhattan where the city skyline had been dramatically and permanently altered. ''Hundreds of people are burned from head to toe,'' said Dr. Steven Stern at St. Vincent's Hospital in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of lower Manhattan. ''The whole of lower Manhattan is coated in half an inch of dust,'' Reuters reporter Daniel Sternoff said. The attacks forced the evacuation of all government buildings in Washington, including the White House and other tall buildings across the country, cut cell phone communications on the East Coast and grounded all commercial planes in the United States. World leaders expressed shock and horror and foreign financial markets fell sharply on news of the attacks. The London FTSE index plummeted 5.7 percent, while oil prices spiked up. U.S. markets were closed. Early reports said all three planes used in the attacks were hijacked, one of them from Boston and one from Washington. It was not immediately known who flew the planes and what happened to them. The day of horror began just before 9 a.m. in New York when the first plane plowed into the south tower of New York's World Trade Center, as thousands of workers were streaming into the building to begin their day. HUGE HOLE IN TWIN TOWER It opened a huge hole near the top of the building. Two hours later, the whole building in which thousands of people work, collapsed on itself in a huge cloud of smoke and fire. TV stations caught the second plane plowing into the second of the twin towers, exploding in a fire ball a few minutes after the first impact. That building caved in about an hour after the first. Shortly afterward, a third plane crashed into or near the Pentagon in Washington, throwing people off their feet inside the building and setting off a massive fire. Amid confusion, news organizations reported another explosion at the State Department, but that was later denied. Other reports spoke of another hijacked plane heading toward the capital. All government buildings including the White House and the Capitol and the CIA were evacuated. The FAA grounded all planes in the United States, an unprecedented step. ''It's clear that this is terrorist-related, we're not sure who is responsible,'' one official said of the Pentagon attack. ''We have not seen an attack like this, certainly not since Pearl Harbor,'' said Adm. Robert Natter, commander of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet, which was dispatching ships and aircraft for air defense, along with amphibious troops, to Washington and possibly New York. The attacks took place near the anniversary of the 1978 Camp David accords that led to peace between Israel and Egypt. Bin Laden, a Saudi millionaire and Islamic militant, believed to be in exile in Afghanistan, was blamed for the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in which 224 people died. An Arab journalist with access to bin Laden told Reuters in London the renegade Saudi had warned three weeks ago of an ''unprecedented attack'' on U.S. interests. Washington has offered a $5-million reward for his capture. George Tenet, director of the CIA, said this week the tall, thin Saudi was the most immediate and serious threat to U.S. security. Beside the embassy bombings, U.S. officials link bin Laden to last year's bombing of a U.S. Navy ship in Yemen and with foiled plots in the United States and Jordan at the turn of the millennium. ''Since 1998, bin Laden has declared all U.S. citizens legitimate targets of attack,'' he said. The previous worst act of terrorism in the United States was the 1995 bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City in which 168 people died. Timothy McVeigh was executed for that attack earlier this year A previous bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993 resulted in six deaths and hundreds of injuries. Reuters 13:28 09-11-01 Copyright 2001 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL. Reactions Of States to Attacks .c The Associated Press Precautions taken in various U.S. states and New York City in the wake of the terrorist attacks: The Federal Aviation Administration shut down airports nationwide. ALABAMA: Security increased at military bases including Redstone Arsenal, site of the Army missile command and NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. CALIFORNIA: Airports closed, as are other landmarks, including Knott's Berry Farm in Orange County, the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles and the city's 74-story Library Tower, at 1,700 feet the tallest building west of the Mississippi River. State on high alert. State's Emergency Council convened as Gov. Gray Davis requested heightened security at all state buildings. COLORADO: City and state officials stepped up security around government buildings. City opened an emergency preparedness office in the basement of City Hall, where representatives of police, fire and health agencies, public transportation officials, Denver International Airport and utilities were gathering. FLORIDA: Security heightened at federal courts. Walt Disney World evacuated and closed its parks and shopping and entertainment complex. Space shuttle operations halted, 12,000 employees of Kennedy Space Center sent home. Increased surveillance, with helicopter patrols and extra gate checks in place. Skeleton crew remains at launch control center. GEORGIA: All flights at Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport, the nation's busiest, stopped. The CNN Center, world headquarters of Cable News Network, closed to the public, although journalists at CNN and The Associated Press remained. ILLINOIS: Sears Tower shut down, state government buildings in Chicago and Springfield closed. National Guard on state of heightened alert in Illinois. INDIANA: Federal offices on alert. KENTUCKY: Southern Governors' Association canceled annual fall meeting so governors of Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky and West Virginia could head back to their states. LOUISIANA: Upper floors of the 34-floor Capitol building closed. Louisiana Offshore Oil Port, which handles supertankers in the Gulf of Mexico, suspends operations. State's 19 oil refineries on alert. MARYLAND: Officials tightening security throughout the state. Security heightened at Andrews Air Force Base. Baltimore-Washington International Airport taking arrivals not departing flights. MICHIGAN: Tunnel between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, closed to car traffic and security increased along the Canadian border. Internal Revenue Service closes 18 Michigan offices. MINNESOTA: Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport shut down. Evacuation of the 51-story IDS Center, the state's tallest building, located in downtown Minneapolis. The Mall of America, in suburban Bloomington, and World Trade Center in St. Paul closed. NEBRASKA: State employees responding to requests for blood donations. Security was heightened at Offutt Air Force Base near Omaha. Churches in Norfolk and Fremont areas holding or planning prayer services for victims. NEVADA: Security increased at casinos on the Las Vegas Strip, at federal buildings across the state and Nellis Air Force Base near Las Vegas. Flights suspended. NEW JERSEY: Airports and river crossings into New York City closed. Traffic reported snarled on the New Jersey Turnpike. At Newark International Airport, officers with shotguns blocked the road leading to Port Authority offices and the air traffic control tower. NEW YORK: Security clamped down across the state. Security increased at border points. Gov. George Pataki canceled his New York City events. NEW YORK CITY: Elections called off. Airports closed. Trading on Wall Street suspended. United Nations building evacuated. Offices throughout Manhattan closed. Subway lines citywide shut down. Grand Central Station and Penn Station closed, commuter trains running only out of Manhattan to evacuate. Cellular phone service crippled. Regular phone service congested. Evacuations from Wall Street to the United Nations. Lower Manhattan closed to all but emergency vehicles. Bridges and tunnels into Manhattan closed. Rockefeller Center property managers urge tenants to go home. NORTH CAROLINA: Military bases prepared for possible change in status. At Raleigh-Durham International Airport, spokeswoman Mirinda Kossoff said a strategy meeting was planned with the Federal Aviation Administration. OKLAHOMA: Gov. Frank Keating ordered all state office buildings closed. Oklahoma City police created a one-block perimeter around the jail, where bombing conspirator Terry Nichols is housed. PENNSYLVANIA: Philadelphia International Airport closed. National Park Service officials meeting to determine whether the city's high-profile tourist attractions like the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall would be closed. SOUTH DAKOTA: Commercial flights from Sioux Falls, Rapid City, Pierre and other South Dakota cities grounded. TENNESSEE: Department of Energy's nuclear weapons and research complex in Oak Ridge put under heightened security. All flights from Tennessee's major airports grounded. Planes were allowed to land. TEXAS: Some office buildings evacuated. Flights out of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport canceled and Austin-Bergstrom International closed. City Hall in El Paso closed. UTAH: Security tightened at Hill Air Force Base in Ogden. The Deseret Chemical Depot near Tooele is at highest alert. Salt Lake International Airport shut down and some federal employees sent home. VERMONT: Federal buildings in Montpelier and Burlington open. State's lone atomic plant placed on heightened security. VIRGINIA: Navy installations throughout Hampton Roads, home of the world's largest Navy base, placed under an increased security condition. The 192nd Virginia Air National Guard 192nd fighter squadron, an attack unit of fully armed F-16 fighter jets that will patrol the nation's East Coast, were put on alert with orders to down any unauthorized aircraft. WASHINGTON: Airports and military bases throughout the state boosted security. Outgoing flights canceled at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, but planes allowed to land. Federal Court House in downtown Seattle on high alert. WEST VIRGINIA: Chemical plant security heightened. Flights out of Charleston's Yeager Airport, West Virginia's largest, suspended. Capitol Complex evacuated, increased security at other state buildings. Federal courthouses closed. AP-NY-09-11-01 1259EDT Copyright 2001 The Associated Press. 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