Covering 9/11 took severe emotional toll

 It started as a day like any other.

I was busy in the kitchen, making breakfast and packing a brown-bag lunch for my daughter, a sophomore at Whitefish High at the time. Casey, a neighbor girl, had come over for a ride to school.

The “Today” show droned on in the living room as I hurried through the morning chores. Then came the report that a plane had hit the north tower of the World Trade Center. It caught my attention, but still not enough for me to sit down and watch.

Within minutes, though, we were riveted to the TV. We watched in horror as the deadly scenario played out. Most of the television coverage initially was focused on the twin towers. Then we learned the Pentagon had been hit, and that a Boeing 757 had gone down over western Pennsylvania following a struggle between the passengers and terrorists.

I remember immediately wondering if the entire country was under attack. Our older daughter was an exchange student in Venezuela at the time, so I had to get in touch with her and assure that we were OK. I wanted to gather my family in my arms, and she seemed so far away.

It was difficult to process the implications of what had just happened, so I went through the motions. I dropped the kids off at school and headed to work for what I knew would be a very long day.

The Inter Lake editors quickly doled out assignments to find out what effects the terrorist attacks would have on the Flathead Valley. How were people coping? Were there any locals among the casualties? Would the ban on air travel affect supply chains?

I headed out to a prayer service at the Salvation Army church in Kalispell. They’d quickly put together two services, with time for intercessory prayers that let participants pray aloud for the victims and their families.

“It’s important, when chaos is hitting all around us, to take time to pray,” Capt. Monte Jones, a pastor at the Salvation Army, said at the time. The service had a patriotic tone at times. One man, kneeled in prayer, said, “Lord, we are one nation under God. Let us come together as one nation.”

Next I was off to Kalispell Regional Medical Center to find out how the hospital was dealing with the aftermath. The ALERT helicopter was grounded for a few hours before it could fly again, and administrators were preparing for expected supply interruptions. The staff was tending to patients’ emotional and physical needs.

A clinical educator told me: “We’ve put all mundane things on hold and are taking care of patients. I made the rounds and there was one lady who had lived through Pearl Harbor, and there she was all alone.”

Many paramedics and nurses stood ready to volunteer in any capacity with the crisis.

Local gas stations were drained nearly dry by reactionary customers as rumors of spiraling gas prices and shortages spread.

The Red Cross set up special blood donation sessions to alleviate a critical need for blood on the East Coast. Local organizations and churches quickly started fund drives.

Everyone wanted to help and everyone felt helpless.

I wrote feverishly, story after story. We extended our deadline that day to adequately cover the enormity of what had happened.

And by the end of the day I was utterly and completely emotionally spent. In the aftershock of 9/11 I felt vulnerable and sad. I crawled into bed around midnight, I guess, knowing that tomorrow would be just as busy, and that America would never be the same again.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by email at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.