Gander

I heard a different type of 9/11 story the other day.  As soon as it became apparent that we were under attack that day, there was no way of knowing how extensive it was, and if there were more planes up there intent on killing people.  The authorities ordered all the planes flying to land immediately.  This sounds simple, but like a juggler who keeps a number of balls in the air, finding somewhere to put them when he stops is not all that easy.

The airport at Gander, Newfoundland was built in the late 40's to handle stopovers for planes that couldn't get across the Atlantic in one go.  Since the 60's its traffic has been cut drastically but the two miles long runway is still intact.  Therefore 38 planes were ordered to land there and await instructions.

The population of Gander is 10,000 and on that day an additional 6,000 people came to visit.  The sheriff and other public servants roused the town to help, and they offloaded all the passengers and catered to them in a local gymnasium and also within peoples houses.  Strong freindships were formed and last to this day.  One lady was so impressed with the way the Canadians handled this business that she created a trust to assist young people looking to go to university.  Today the trust is worth $1.5 million and has helped 350 students.