Although few people are aware of it, the largest maritime evacuation in history took place on September 11, 2001, in Manhattan. It happened spontaneously, without the slightest preparation or planning, because a group of completely ordinary Americans put the well-being of thousands of total strangers ahead of their own safety, convenience, and comfort. Half a million people were rescued in the space of nine hours, and miraculously, not one person was injured in the process. If you have lost your faith in humanity, then you need to watch this one.
Here’s another story of heroism in an unlikely place: Gander, a little village (pop. 10,000) in Newfoundland, where thirty-eight airliners containing almost seven thousand people were diverted after American airspace was closed on September 11. The citizens of Gander opened their homes and hearts to the stranded travelers for five days — another example of the worst disasters bringing out the best in ordinary human beings.
(If you’d like to read more about this extraordinary story, I highly recommend the book The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland, by Jim DeFede.)
bluebird of bitterness 
Thanks for this sweetie ❤
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I will be forever grateful to those who conducted the maritime evacuation. My daughter, who was working in a building next to WTC at the time the airplanes hit, was able to walk out of her building and onto a waiting ferry. She made it safely across the Hudson to Hoboken, where she lived at the time.
September 11, 2001: Never forget, never forgive, never relent.
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I have known about the New Founders opening their homes, but not about the evac. Thx. Very cool.
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A great tribute, 🙂
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