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9/11 Communication Essay

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September 11, 2001, marked a key date in U.S. history, the most deadly terror attack in the world. The 9/11 terror attacks presented many issues with the communication of first responders and citizens. The likelihood of surviving the World Trade Center attacks was dramatically reduced due to the lack of communication during the response. Jim Dwyer and Kevin Flynn, in their book 102 Minutes, provides evidence of how the response groups and people working in the Twin Towers had not prepared for communication problems if something tragic were to happen. Analyzing multiple sources of communication, Jim Dwyer and Kevin Flynn, Joel Roberts, and Brendan Sasso all agree that communication during emergency response and preparedness aids in a more successful …show more content…

In an interview, Skot McDonald talked about his experience on the streets a few blocks from the twin towers, “We started backing away and then had to run from a tidal wave of collapsing debris rushing down the street at us as the north tower collapsed,” (Liddy). McDonald and his friend were photographers and were staying very close to the twin towers. They woke up on September 11 like a normal day. Skot’s parents called him to tell him about the attacks. On 9/11, emergency groups in Manhattan needed to evacuate an area a certain distance around towers to maintain safety for inhabitants and tourists watching in horror. Liddy is not the only one that agrees that communication to the bystanders was important on 9/11. Emily Goldberg interviewed Ken Goldberg about what he saw on the streets that horrific day, “Was there a general sense of panic?” she asked, “People were definitely worried…,” (Goldberg). This interview shows the chaos on the streets because little was known about the attack at that point and how to react. Through this evidence, communication to those on the streets is crucial to maintaining a calm and collected city that knows what to do in the face of danger. The emergency response groups needed to evacuate the city so they could do their jobs without worrying about others and so the civilians were

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