From The Bee’s archives: Recounting the 9/11 attacks’ effects in Sacramento and California

This is a republication of The Bee’s story following the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001. A version of this story appeared an extra edition of The Sacramento Bee that day and again in the Sept. 12, 2001, edition. Subscribers can find more stories from the archive in Sept. 11’s digital edition.

The state Capitol, public buildings and schools across California shut down Tuesday in the wake of the terror attacks on America’s other coast.

Public gathering places such as Disneyland, shopping malls and ballparks closed up tight as the state grappled with the enormity of the national crisis.

But even as the most intensive security precautions in years were put into place statewide, officials were preparing to resume normal operations, saying they had received no signs that California had been targeted.

“We have no verified threats,” Sacramento Sheriff Lou Blanas said, adding, “I have met with the governor personally, and we are on the highest alert.”

As a clear sign of the effort to return to normalcy, all airports were expected to begin handling flights by 9 a.m. today, just a little more than 24 hours after the Federal Aviation Administration grounded all planes.

Gov. Gray Davis denounced the attacks as “an act of unspeakable evil” and ordered all flags flown at half-staff. It was the first time in recorded history that an act of terrorism forced California’s governor from the Capitol and state workers were sent home.

However, the state planned to be back in business today and the Legislature planned to resume its work this morning, rushing to meet the Friday deadline for passing this year’s legislation.

Federal buildings also closed Tuesday, although officials hoped to reopen those today with security precautions in place.

And all across Sacramento, individuals dealt with the tragedy in different ways.

At the Sacramento Blood Center on Stockton Boulevard, calls began pouring in just moments after the first news of the attacks, said spokeswoman Leslie Botos. By noon, a line of people snaked out into the parking lot.

At the U.S. Navy recruiting office on Madison Avenue, 18-year-old Phillip Wilson came in to discuss enlisting after waking up to news of the attacks.

“I’ve always wanted to join — for the direction, discipline and money,” Wilson said. “This made me want to join even more.”

And at Fire Station No. 9 on Florin-Perkins Road, Linda Schroeder fought back tears as she watched her husband, Don, and other members of the elite Urban Search and Rescue team prepare to leave for New York to search the rubble of the World Trade Center for survivors.

“I’m looking at them and thinking, ‘What are they going to see?’ “ Schroeder said.

The team, one of three from California sent to help, has the experience for the job. It was deployed to the Northridge earthquake, a giant Yosemite rock slide, the bomb explosion during the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and the bombing of the Oklahoma City federal building.

“I imagine it’s going to be worse than Oklahoma City,” said Sacramento city fire Capt. Jay Coon. “This is a heart-wrenching deal, but we’ve been training for this for a long time.”

Sacramento Mayor Heather Fargo said federal officials had classified the city as a “low threat” area for a terror attack and that, within reason, the city planned to conduct business as usual Tuesday and beyond.

Police and sheriff’s units were sent out to provide security at synagogues, mosques and other areas that might be targeted.

Businesses that shut down Tuesday — including malls such as the Downtown Plaza, Arden Fair and some stores in Roseville’s Galleria — were expected to be back in business today. On Tuesday afternoon, the corner of 19th and J streets, usually a busy gathering place, was quiet after Starbucks, Jamba Juice and Una Mas closed, blaming only “circumstances.”

Sacramento Superior Court stayed open Tuesday, although about 200 jurors were excused after complaining they wanted to be home with their families.

Most Sacramento schools remained open Tuesday with psychologists sent to help students deal with their worries about the crisis. The few schools and day-care centers that were closed generally planned to resume operation today, although parents were encouraged to call ahead.

At the college level, California State University, Sacramento, canceled its sessions, as did all other CSU campuses.

UC Davis has not started its fall classes, but two students were among 20 holding federal internships through the University of California’s Washington Center. That led to some frantic work by college administrators attempting to confirm that the students were safe.

Quickly frustrated with the sporadic phone service, the administrators turned to e-mail. Finally the calls and messages flowed in: The students were all fine.

“It was quite an introduction to Washington,” said Carole Blair, the program’s director.

While the city of Sacramento operated mostly as usual, San Francisco took more dramatic measures amid concerns that some of its landmarks could be targets.

Tight security was placed on the Golden Gate and Bay bridges. Landmarks such as the Transamerica pyramid and Bank of America building were closed for the day, leaving the financial district eerily quiet. City Hall also closed after the mayor called a limited state of emergency, which was to be lifted today.

San Francisco city schools and main public library also were closed Tuesday.

“Based on what happened in New York City, I don’t think there is a city that is completely safe,” said Mayor Willie Brown.

Military jets accompanied late-arriving international flights as they flew in over the San Francisco Bay, and U.S. Coast Guard ships patrolled the city’s waterfront, escorting ships into port.

Officials at San Francisco International Airport set up a grief room for relatives of passengers from United Airlines Flight 93 from Newark, N.J., one of four airliners hijacked Tuesday.

That plane crashed 80 miles southeast of Pittsburgh with 45 people on board. According to some news reports, the hijacker might have been planning an attack on Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland.

A similar grief room was set up at Los Angeles International Airport, where the three other doomed flights had been headed.

At least one flight was diverted to Sacramento International Airport after the Federal Aviation Administration ordered all planes to land at the nearest airport.

That United Airlines flight from San Francisco to Denver was over Panaca, Nev., when it was told to land in Sacramento.

Passengers listening to air traffic controllers on the plane’s audio system heard the order, and moments later the captain came on the intercom to say the flight had to land because of a “national emergency.”

Other disruptions following the attack:

• Baseball games and other entertainment events were canceled or postponed, including the Sunday night broadcast of the Emmy awards and the Latin Grammy awards, scheduled for Tuesday night.
• Planes and helicopters battling California wildfires were temporarily grounded, but within hours state officials obtained an exemption from the FAA order.
• Caltrans suspended construction on highways and bridges, focusing its resources on inspecting bridges and tunnels statewide.
• State park visitor centers were closed, although most parks remained open. Folsom Dam Road and all access points to the lake were expected to remain closed through Friday, with no boating allowed today.

This story was originally published September 11, 2020 at 12:19 PM.