14 Historical Disasters in the U.S.

September 11, 2001

Throughout American history, there have been disasters of varying magnitudes and types. The terrorist attack of September 11, 2001, stands out for many. The attacks were strategically planned by the Islamic terrorist group, al Qaeda, for years leading up to the disaster. At 8:45 a.m. on the day of the events, American Airlines Boeing 767 struck the North tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. Evacuation measures were taken immediately, but at 9:03 a.m. just eighteen minutes after the first plane hit, United Airlines Flight 175 flew into the South tower. Both planes were targeted because of the high amount of jet fuel on board. They were set to fly to California and were carrying 20,000 gallons of fuel for the long journey from Boston, Massachusetts. Upon impact, a colossal explosion occurred polluting the air with copious amounts of debris and smoke. As the events unfolded in New York, American Airlines Flight 77 made impact at 9:45 to military headquarters, The Pentagon. Shortly after the Pentagon was hit, the South tower in New York collapsed under tremendous stress and heat produced by the burning jet fuel. At 10:30 a.m. the North building collapsed. A fourth plane, United Flight 93, had been delayed taking off from New Jersey, and passengers learned about the events unfolding on the ground. After their plane had been hijacked, passengers planned an insurrection to take down the hijackers. At 10:10 a.m. Flight 93 crashed in a field in western Pennsylvania killing everyone on board. Although its target is unknown, there is no doubt that the brave passengers saved countless lives that day. The attacks killed a total of 2,996 people, 2,763 of those were victims of the World Trade Center. Among the deceased were firefighters, paramedics, police officers, airline passengers and crew, civilians, and the 19 terrorist hijackers. Later that day, President George W. Bush delivered a message from the Oval Office making a very powerful declaration that, “Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve.” (September 11 Attacks: Facts, Background & Impact) (SM)

The rise of security concerns in America prompted the creation of the Department of Homeland Security in 2002. Shortly after, the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States was formed. This became known as the “9/11 Commission” and was responsible for the investigation of events leading up to the attacks. The 9/11 Commission Report is a 585-page document that was released on July 22, 2004, describes the event in detail and names the accused architect behind the 9/11 attacks. (The 911 Commission Report) Countless lives were lost in the attacks of September 11, 2001, and a permanent hole was burned in the history of the United States of America. (SM)

9/11 Personal Account: Peter Teahen

Peter Teahen is President of Teahen Funeral Home in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He is an active member and volunteer for the Red Cross with nearly 30 years of experience. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Eastern Iowa Chapter of the Red Cross where he works to raise funds and organize blood donations. In the last 30 years, he has been deployed 75 times by the Red Cross and has gone international with other organizations. His work with the Red Cross started in 1995 through the aftermath of the Oklahoma City bombing where he helped with death notifications in his role as a funeral director. He coordinated with the Red Cross to allow families to be brought to the site and pay respects, it was after this experience that he decided to become a volunteer. Peter has personally experienced the firsthand impacts that response can have on volunteers stating, “The most important things are the affected, the workers and their families. When you lose focus on those, then you can’t have a successful outcome.” (NEIA Red Cross) (SM)

Following the September 11 attacks, Peter was called to serve in New York. In a speech given in Goodlettsville, Tennessee on the 2014 anniversary of the attacks, He recounts his experience as a responder. Peter describes how the personal stories of those involved provide insight and depth into the change that occurred that day. He uses Lewis Carroll’s novel, “Alice in Wonderland” as a metaphor for waking up knowing who you are but changing several times since then. He recounts what he describes as, “The most frightening five weeks of my entire life.” Peter focuses on three main parts of a disaster including physical, emotional, and spiritual. (Teahen, Peter) His whole speech can be found at this link: Remembering 9/11: A Personal Reflection By Peter Teahen | Resources/Videos | Teahen Funeral Home (SM)

Hurricane Katrina 2005

Hurricane Katrina is among the five deadliest hurricanes in United States history. Its disastrous impact caused significant destruction and loss of life. On August 25, 2005, Tropical Storm Katrina made landfall on the coast of southeast Florida as a Category 1 hurricane.

The storm moved west as it intensified reaching a status of Category 5 with wind speeds as high as 175mph. As it made its way northwest, status weakened to Category 3 just before hitting the northern Gulf Coast. Southeast Louisianna was struck first, followed by the Mississippi Gulf Coast. On August 29, nearly four days after making landfall, Katrina weakened over east central Mississippi. Following the devastation of the hurricane, New Orleans, Louisiana was hit with severe flooding as a result of breaks in the levees separating the city from Lake Pontchartrain. By August 31, flood waters took over more than 80% of the city of New Orleans. Homes and businesses were engulfed in water with some being completely washed away. 1,833 lives were lost to Katrina and it cost the United States nearly $108 billion dollars in damages. (US Department of Commerce NOAA) Cities are still recovering from the impact of the natural disaster, Hurricane Katrina. (SM)

COVID-19 Pandemic 2020

On March 13, 2020, an emergency declaration was made by the President for the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic (Covid-19 Emergency Declaration). COVID-19 is a respiratory disease that mimics symptoms of common colds, flus, or pneumonia, but can have a much bigger impact on the body. Most people experience mild symptoms, but some people have developed conditions after recovery called Long COVID. The virus is spread through droplets from an infected individual that are then breathed in by others. The virus can be spread even if people are asymptomatic. Some individuals are at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19 including the older population, immunocompromised, and those with underlying health conditions. The emergence of new variants also aided this virus reaching pandemic status. Variants have different characteristics and are constantly changing, making it difficult to know how to protect individuals from contracting them. (About Covid-19) The virus originated in China as reports were made to the World Health Organization about numerous cases of pneumonia with unknown origin. The virus then began to spread, first to Thailand, Japan, and the Republic of Korea before unleashing on the United States and the rest of the world. The Centers for Disease control ordered a fourteen-day federal quarantine to 195 individuals that had traveled to Wuhan, China on January 29 of 2020. Public health measures began to be put in place as the virus was primarily spreading through travel at that point. Numbers and rates of COVID-19 were tracked through a surveillance network developed by the CDC. Rates began to rise in the United States and on March 13, 2020, the Trump Administration declared a nationwide emergency. The nation began to shut down as guidelines suggested quarantine and social distancing practices. Schools, restaurants, and businesses began to close. The declaration brought disaster assistance through federal support. (CDC Museum Covid-19 Timeline) On May 11, 2023, the federal Public Health Emergency ended. The COVID-19 Pandemic had long lasting impacts on various aspects of daily life including mental health, the economy, and trust in our nation’s leaders. Some impacts can still be felt today. (End of the Federal COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) Declaration) (SM)

References:

Cross, NEIA Red. “Volunteer Travels to the Ends of the Earth to Tell the Stories of Those Impacted by Disasters.” American Red Cross, 7 Mar. 2024, www.ourredstories.com/post/volunteer-travels-to-the-ends-of-the-earth-to-tell-the-stories-of-those-impacted-by-disasters. Accessed 05 May 2025.

“The 911 Commission Report.” National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, 22 July 2004.

Townsend, Frances F. “The Federal Response to Hurricane Katrina: Lessons Learned.” National Archives and Records Administration, 23 Feb. 2006, georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/reports/katrina-lessons-learned/chapter1.html. Accessed 05 May 2025.

“Covid-19 Emergency Declaration.” FEMA.Gov, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, 14 Mar. 2020, www.fema.gov/press-release/20250121/covid-19-emergency-declaration. Accessed 05 May 2025.

“About Covid-19.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 13 June 2024, www.cdc.gov/covid/about/index.html. Accessed 05 May 2025.

“CDC Museum Covid-19 Timeline.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 8 July 2024, www.cdc.gov/museum/timeline/covid19.html. Accessed 05 May 2025.

“End of the Federal COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) Declaration.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 12 Sept. 2023, archive.cdc.gov/www_cdc_gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/end-of-phe.html. Accessed 05 May 2025.

US Department of Commerce, NOAA. “Hurricane Katrina – August 2005.” National Weather Service, NOAA’s National Weather Service, Sept. 2022, www.weather.gov/mob/katrina. Accessed 05 May 2025.

Teahen, Peter. “Remembering 9/11: A Personal Reflection by Peter Teahen: Resources/Videos.” Teahen Funeral Home, Batesville, www.teahenfuneralhome.com/extra. Accessed 05 May 2025.

“September 11 Attacks: Facts, Background & Impact.” History.Com, A&E Television Networks, 28 Feb. 2025, www.history.com/articles/9-11-attacks. Accessed 05 May 2025.