Skyfall September: Reflections of 9/11

As the nation remembers the 20-year anniversary of 9/11, I add my contribution to the cacophony of voices in the resounding echo of our dedication. I was forever changed.

I was an appointee of Mayor Dennis W. Archer of the City of Detroit at that time. I worked as the Assistant to the Mayor for Public Safety, working with the Police and Fire Departments to solve issues and to find ways to improve service delivery. I also had a few other departments in my portfolio, including Detroit's City Airport.

I loved this job. I woke up everyday with a full plate. At 33 year old, I was a tantamount to a major in the army entrusted with great responsibility and authority. I reported to the Public Safety Director of the city, a man 20 years my senior, a former fire department official who had seen the lean years of the city. He was steady, resolute, and possessed a keen sense of foresight.

When I first started in this role about 2 years prior, he directed me to learn the Emergency Management process. Relatively a new science at that time, he pushed me to take classes offered by FEMA through the Michigan State Police. I completed my courses in January 2001, and was given the title of Professional Emergency Manager.

When I would describe my concerns for Detroit in the context of terrorism and an all-hazards emergency preparedness approach, my peers would chide me about my "Chicken Little" complex. "The sky is falling! The sky is falling!", they said of my postulating of potential coming disasters and calamities. After all, they said, we were trying to rebuild a city challenged with crime, blight, and disinvestment. Who had time to worry about power outages, weapons of mass destruction, and natural disasters?

That morning of September 11th, I voted in Detroit's primary election. Many people forget that was an election day for most cities and towns, including New York City. I am an early morning voter, so I had been to my poll site, voted, and dropped my daughter off to school. I heard about a plane crash in one of the New York trade center towers on the radio just about 9:00 am EST.

I attended a national conference on terrorism and emergency preparedness in Los Angeles in early August 2001, where myself and Detroit's Emergency Manager presented on Detroit's readiness for large scale emergencies. At our table sat our counterparts from New York City, who followed us as presenters. We had a good discussion at the table over lunch, shared best practices, and exchanged business cards. they invited us out for a tour of their facilities.

When the reports came in about the plane crash, I thought of those guys, knowing that they were in full activation mode at the time. They had shared that their Emergency Operations Center was in the basement of the World Trade Center, so I wondered if they had gone to their back up site or if it was still safe to stay where they were.

I also wondered if about Detroit's readiness to fight a large fire that high up in a large tower. Knowing that Detroit's Fire Department had capable firefighters, but not the state-of-the-art equipment other major cities had, I wondered about our own tactics in such an event It was on my mind to ask some questions to see if we could improve our equipment around this.

When the second plane hit the tower, we collectively felt the pull of a trigger from a weapon aimed at America.

We began evacuations of Detroit's taller buildings. Through our airport team were heard that the FAA was grounding all flights, but not all planes had landed. Were there more planes targeting sites near the eastern seaboard? Detroit was close enough to some of the missing planes that we were concerned. Our EOC was activated to collect information and assess the challenges as they minutes rolled on.

The attack on the Pentagon using American Airlines Flight 77, the failed attempt to use, and the subsequent downing of United Flight 93 in Pennsylvania cemented that this was no shot across the bow. Planes were falling from the sky in this new war.

One of Detroit's top police officials was also a 2-star general in the US Army Reserve and was in the Pentagon when it was attacked. We tried to reach him, but it would be several hours before he reported in.

Mayor Archer decided not to stop our election day voting. It was his courageous statement to those who would attack our freedoms and liberties that we will not succumb to terrorism or tyranny.

The next days and weeks would bring the full story to bear- Al-Qaeda, the hijackers, the fallen towers, the brave heroes on the planes, the devastated families, the sacrifices of the New York Police and Fire Departments. The number of FDNY companies lost that day would almost equal the entire Detroit Fire Department.

In Detroit those same weeks would see responses to anthrax attacks, ensuring bridge crossings into Windsor with our Canadian counterparts, and increasing security at City Hall.

The previous barbs from my friends turned into sympathetic and supportive statements as they fully understood the severity of the moment:

The sky was falling in September.

I would grow from this experience, beginning a career in matters of public safety and public affairs. It would carry me into search and rescue operations in Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma, mine safety and rescue operations in the US and abroad, crisis management of record weather events due to climate change, managing civil unrest, and navigating the most recent pandemic.

Each generation has its defining moment where it must rise to meet the challenge of the age. 9/11 is that moment for Generation X, pushing us to find away to keep the sky from falling.

I am grateful for the sacrifices made that day. I am proud to be apart of the millions of people who now work to keep our skies blue...open...and free.

May they ever remain that way.