Cities and towns between New York and Washington found themselves in various states of emergency yesterday after news of the unprecedented terrorist attacks quickly spread.
In Philadelphia, Mayor John Street swiftly put the city into emergency mode. Federal buildings were evacuated, as were Center City businesses -- particularly those located in Philadelphia's tallest buildings, Liberty One and Liberty Two.
Throughout the rest of the state, similar precautions were taken. The state house in Harrisburg was closed, as were all courts and most offices throughout Pennsylvania.
A little after 10 a.m., about an hour after the initial crashes in New York, United Airlines Flight 93 -- believed to be one of four planes hijacked yesterday -- crashed in Somerset County, near Pittsburgh.
According to Pam Ickes, spokeswoman for the emergency management center set up in Somerset County, the plane crashed in a field about 10 miles northeast of the western Pennsylvania town of Shenksville.
"We have not had any verified survivors, and all indications are that no one survived this crash. There were no casualties on the ground," Ickes said. "There is debris... and there's a large crater where the plane came down. I believe there are eyewitnesses."
"Federal authorities are at the scene, and it's my understanding that the FBI and [the National Transportation Safety Board] are going to be involved in this," she added. "They have secured the scene and that area has been evacuated of all non-federal and law enforcement personnel."
New Jersey was highly affected by the events that unfolded in New York yesterday morning, causing acting Gov. Donald DiFrancesco to declare a state of emergency.
DiFrancesco cited several reasons for his decisions, including the closure of bridges and tunnels between New Jersey and New York, standstill traffic throughout the northern part of the state, casualties from New York being transported to New Jersey and the evacuation of numerous buildings statewide.
"Dealing with this situation will remain our top priority for the remainder of the week and possibly beyond. I ask the people of New Jersey to remain calm and exercise good judgement. We should all be vigilant, but we should all be calm. These are going to be trying times. Now is the time for us all to be good neighbors, to lend assistance as you are able," DiFrancesco said in a statement to the people of New Jersey.
Despite the state of emergency, DiFrancesco requested that all state offices besides those in Newark remain open, and he left the closing of schools up to the discretion of local district officials.
Waterways between New Jersey and Philadelphia were closed by the U.S. Coast Guard to all nonessential vessel movement. According to Joe Diemer, a spokesman for the Delaware River Port Authority, nonessential vessels included the ferry between Philadelphia and the Camden waterfront, which the DRPA was forced to shut down at 11 a.m.
In Delaware, state officials were not concerned enough to call a state of emergency, but Gov. Ruth Ann Minner nonetheless took steps to ensure residents' safety.
"Though there has not been a threat to Delaware and there is no reason for panic, I want to take every precaution," Minner said in a statement. "Every individual should be very aware of their surroundings at work, as they leave work if they do so, and at home."
By 11 a.m., Minner had released all schools and nonessential state employees, and she recommended that businesses close early as well. In compliance with FAA regulations, all county airports in the state were closed, as was Dover Air Force Base, which also went into a heightened state of emergency. All of Delaware's public transportation remained in service.
Minner's spokeswoman, Michelle Reardon, said that the governor just "wanted to take every precaution that during this time Delawarians be home with their children and the Delawarians be together."
Daily Pennsylvanian reporter Joshua Runyan contributed to this story.
