attack the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Just before 9 a.m. New York time,
that's 3 in the morning here in Hawaii, American Flight 11 crashed into one of
the twin towers at the World Trade Center. The hijacked Boeing 767 had taken
off from Boston less than an hour earlier on its way to Los Angeles. Then
18 minutes later, captured by network and home video cameras alike, a second
hijacked plane, this one a United Flight, also from Boston to Los Angeles, crashed
into the second tower. There was an enormous fireball, there was fire, debris
falling to the ground, and then just a whole kind of mushroom of smoke that
sort of just billeted up. It was like a blizzard, but a blizzard that wasn't cold, a
blizzard that you know had no wind, it was just hot. The twin towers of the
World Trade Center, symbols of America's economic power, stood wounded in the
morning sky. Then an attack on the symbol of America's military power. A
third plane, hijacked after takeoff from Dulles Airport in Washington DC, crashed
into the Pentagon. It came streaking down and hit and it hit short, just it didn't go
into the top of the Pentagon, it came like in short and then it everything
sprayed up like a fireball sprayed up on the wall. Engulfed in flames and smoke,
part of the Pentagon collapsed and casualties there are expected to be in
the hundreds. Back in New York, an hour after the first attack, thousands watched
from the streets as the South Tower of the World Trade Center collapsed. 20
minutes later, the second tower came down. Some 50,000 people work in those two
towers at any given time. Evacuations began immediately after the first crash
and many were able to get out, but thousands are feared dead. Many of them
police officers and firefighters who were in the towers responding to the
injured and assisting in the evacuation. On the streets of lower Manhattan, it was
mayhem. At local hospitals, the wounded started to pour in. A makeshift morgue
was set up on the Hudson River Pier. Just as the towers were falling, yet another
hijacked plane, a United Airlines flight from Newark to San Francisco, crashed in
Western Pennsylvania. That plane was believed to be on its way to attack Camp
David. Government sources say that on the American flight that crashed in New York,
a flight attendant called the Operations Center saying that two flight attendants
were stabbed and that the assailants had broken into the flight deck. Casualties
at the World Trade Center in the Pentagon are just speculation at this
point in numbers anyway. We do have one firm number and that's a total of 266
passengers and crew killed in the four plane crashes. Now we have some new video
that we want to show you, home video of the first plane crash into the first
tower of the World Trade Center. This just came across from CNN we are told and
there you can see the plane flying right into the middle of the upper part. That's
the first plane into the first tower at the World Trade Center. President Bush
was in Florida at the time of the attacks. He arrived in Washington about
6 p.m. Washington time. Two and a half hours later he addressed the nation
vowing to find those who are responsible for what he called evil despicable acts
of terror. These acts of mass murder were intended to frighten our nation into
chaos and retreat but they have failed. Our country is strong. A great people has
been moved to defend a great nation. Terrorist attacks can shake the
foundations of our biggest buildings but they cannot touch the foundation of
America. The president says the country is intelligent and law enforcement
resources are committed to finding those responsible. Bush said they will not
differentiate between the terrorists who hijacked the planes and those who
harbored them. US Senator Daniel Akaka was whisked off to a safe location today
after the attacks on the World Trade Center in Pentagon. Akaka, his wife Millie
and other members of Congress were offered the option of evacuation by
police after those attacks. Akaka spokesman Paul Carter says the senator
only agreed to be taken to a safe location after he was sure his staff was
safely out of the building. Senator Akaka returned later to participate in the
bipartisan conference on the steps of the Capitol. Congress will be back in
session at 10 o'clock tomorrow morning. Air travel across the nation was
paralyzed today. Here at Honolulu International Airport the State
Transportation Department put its anti-terrorist plan into action.
KITV4 News reporter Daryl Huff standing by at the airport and tells us what
happened there. Daryl. Thank you Paul. Obviously we are as far away from New
York as you can get but Hawaii has been tremendously impacted by this terrorist
attack. You just have to look behind me and see this completely empty airport.
Hawaii's lifelines between the islands and with the mainland have been choked
off. It's obviously an inconvenience, economic problems that no one
begrudges because of the horror of the attack but it is significant nonetheless.
The DOT terrorist plan was in conjunction with the FAA plan to shut
down air travel all across the country. It wasn't clear at first however how
Hawaii would be involved. At first we didn't know whether we were included or
whether it was just the continental US. There was a meeting with the FAA early
this morning which they decided that our airport would be closed as well. But
Honolulu may have been the last airport in America to close down. 19 flights
already on their way across the Pacific could not be turned around or allowed to
continue all the way to the mainland. They would stop here.
F-15 fighter jets with the Hawaii Air National Guard were scrambled as the
commercial planes approached Hawaii airspace. The fighters to ensure the
inbound airliners stayed on a safe course. National Guard officers did not
say what its pilots were told to do if the planes veered off their required
overwater approach which avoided Hickam Air Force Base and Pearl Harbor. By 9 40
a.m. all the airliners were safely down and the airport security brought out
bomb sniffing dogs as part of an airport wide sweep. So we can go through and do
and check every area to make sure that there are no bombs or any other devices
that could create havoc here at the airport. Airport managers and security
officials were not made available to the press so no one could explain why the
sweep for bombs on the ground didn't occur until almost six hours after the
terrorists struck New York and Washington. The airport's spokesperson was
just glad the chaos was avoided because the public here acted rationally. We've
been very lucky today that most of the people have been made aware of what
happened and we have not had a lot of people coming to the airport this
morning trying to get on flights. Despite the disruption there were no
complaints from local passengers apparently realizing their
inconvenience was nothing compared to the suffering of the people directly
affected by the terrorist attacks. We lived 25 years of war in Lebanon and
terrorism and we hope we'll see one day peace around the world. Amen to that. In
the meantime the FAA has given the word to airports all across the country to be
ready to be operating by tomorrow noon Eastern time 6 a.m. Hawaii time. Now
there's no guarantee that anybody's going to be operating at that hour. I'm
now standing with Marilyn Collins the State Department of Transportation
spokesperson. Now Marilyn let me start with that issue. What has to happen
before we get the word that we can open flights tomorrow? Well the FAA is going
to be issuing new security guidelines tonight and any before any airport can
open for flights they will each airport will have to be inspected and will have
to meet the new criteria and some of that the airlines were briefed a little
bit about a half hour ago on what they might expect to happen between now and
tomorrow. Let me let me stop you for a second because we're short on time. Tell
us how things will change if they get going tomorrow in terms of security at
the airport. What are your main points for people trying to come to the airport
tomorrow? Okay first of all no one will be allowed beyond the curb unless they
have a ticket. It must be a ticketed passenger. There will be no parking
along the curb. People that park in public parking lots like the parking
structures at the airport may have to go vehicle inspection. They are going to be
looking for knives or other sharp instruments. So do not a knife no matter
how small will not be allowed through. Okay these kinds of things could lead to
delays but you're hoping that we don't have a big crush of passengers trying
to get on planes tomorrow. We're hoping we encourage everyone to confirm their
flight with the airline before they come to the airport. Do not come here trying
to change your flight and hoping to get on to a flight. Most of the airlines do
not expect to begin operation. The overseas aircraft until around noon
Inter Island carriers are hoping to get started earlier but again we won't know
until after 6 a.m. when the FAA gives us their guidance. Okay I'm gonna thank you
very much Marilyn Colley. You've been steadfast all day giving us briefings. We
appreciate it. So the highlights of this are if the airplanes are flying tomorrow
make sure you've got a plane waiting for you before you head to the airport. If
you're gonna come to the airport try and avoid using the parking structure
because you could be searched going in there. No one without a ticket is going
in there so make sure you communicate with passengers you're dropping off or
picking up to make sure you could do it here at the curb. For now that's all we
have from the airport. Reporting live for KITV4 News, Darrell Hunt. Darrell thank you
very much. Tourist attractions were closed today across the country both for
security reasons and as a show of sympathy for the victims of the terrorist
attacks. Disneyland in Anaheim California was closed. Another popular
attraction Knott's Berry Farm in Orange County turned away tourists as well.
Walt Disney World in Florida was evacuated and executives closed all four
Disney theme parks in all. Casinos in Las Vegas remained open but casino owners
increased security. The city of Philadelphia closed two of its most
high-profile tourist attractions the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. Darrell
Huff has already told us about what happened today out at the airport front
but from Hawaii's military bases to the federal building to Ala Moana shopping
center the effects of today's attacks were felt just about everywhere here in
Hawaii. KITV4 News reporter Cedric Yamanaka joins us live from the Honolulu
Police Department with more on that said what did Mayor Jeremy Harris have to say
today? Well I'll tell you what Dan Mayor Harris basically said there is no need
to panic here everything is under control and if you look around security
is heightened everywhere and everyone seems to agree that's a good thing. As
Hawaii's flag stood at half mast in front of the state capital the effects
of today's attack were felt all across the island. As police officers guarded
City Hall Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris offered help to the country's stricken
East Coast and New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani. We don't know if he needs other
assistance emergency personnel engineers but we will offer them should should
they request. Increased security was also provided for public facilities here that
were seen as possible targets these included wastewater treatment plants
like the one at Sand Island and utility companies like Hawaiian Electric.
Federal buildings all over the country were closed downtown Honolulu was no
exception Hawaii's military bases were placed at the highest state of alert. The
line of traffic waiting to get into military installations like Pearl Harbor
was indeed tremendous but for the most part those waiting in cars and trucks
said the extra security was welcome. I think it's very good that they stepped
up security posture here at Pearl Harbor to make sure that the active members
here are safe from any other terrorist attacks. Popular tourist attractions were
also affected by today's attacks the Arizona Memorial was closed as was
Ala Moana shopping center. Most tourists while disappointed seemed to understand.
I came down here this morning expecting to see it open and it's closed but you
can't with in respect to all the people and the loss of lives that's obviously on
I haven't heard a lot about it but it I think that it's the right thing to do. Oh
I think it's a great gesture that they have closed here it certainly is a
tragedy for all of America and the world whole world. A tragedy indeed now Ala
Moana shopping center says it will be open for business tomorrow if you're
visiting a military base expect delays. Dan Paula back to you.
Senator Kamenaka at HPD headquarters thank you. Now at this point in time
officials are only able to estimate that thousands were killed in today's
attacks about 50,000 people work at the World Trade Center while thousands are
dead more than 1,400 were admitted to area hospitals and thousands are still
missing tonight more than 250 firefighters are believed to be dead the
New York Fire Department says entire fire companies are missing after the
buildings collapsed while they were trying to evacuate survivors. Close to
100 New York police officers are also believed dead another 100 people are
believed to be killed or injured at the Pentagon and the four hijacked planes
were carrying 266 passengers and crew members all are dead. United and American
Airlines has set up phone lines for relatives looking for more information
both are toll-free United Airlines can be reached at 1-800-932-8555
and to reach American Airlines call 1-800-245-0999. Here in Hawaii family and
friends of people at ground zero of the terror attacks watched the events in
horror today on television and they worried about their loved ones who were
thousands of miles away and very often unable to communicate with them by phone
or email. KITV4 news reporter Keoki Kerr joins us now with more. Keoki? Well Paula
it's been a harrowing day for people with relatives and friends who live and
work at or near the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Nathan Lee spent much
of the day watching television coverage of the terrorism attacks at his home in
Kapahulu. His 23 year old daughter Selena works across the street from the World
Trade Center building in lower Manhattan. It's a feeling of helplessness
because there's nothing you can do. We're six hours away it feels like I'm in
another dimension but at the same time you're watching this on television and
it's sort of surreal. His daughter was eventually able to call and say she was
alright but she was just coming off the subway arriving for work when she saw
the first tower on fire and emergency crews told her and hundreds of others to
evacuate. In Kailua Ron Artis got a crack of dawn call from his father Norman who
works in the Pentagon. He told him he was okay. And that was the beginning of this
state beginning of I guess a nightmare that won't go away for a long time. Artis
says his father heard what he thought were bombs going off but he was in a
different part of the Pentagon complex from where the plane crashed and he was
unheard. Artis received a follow-up call from his father when we were
interviewing him. So everything's okay there? Artis began setting up for what he
calls a non-stop peace concert outside Boston's North End Pizza in Kailua a
time he says for healing. In both cities transplanted Islanders try to explain
the enormity of the tragedy to their families. People like recording artist
Scott Allen originally from IEA who's been in New York for 12 years.
Like I was telling my mom it's like they blew up Diamond Head. Allen says he
knows more than 100 people who work at the World Trade Center complex. This is
the worst thing I've ever experienced in my life and this is the worst
experience I ever had since I left Hawaii and moved here in New York and
it's very upsetting. I'm distraught but more than anything I'm more concerned
about my friends that were in the building that work in the building.
Relatives here say it was really difficult to reach their loved ones with
the phone circuits busy or phone lines down and cell phone service patchy at
best. Several people said their adult children in New York used payphones to
get in contact with them here so Paula the old standby the payphone which is
quickly becoming obsolete in this case in an emergency coming in very handy to
get in touch with loved ones. Back to you.
Teoki thank you for that report. Now coming up a little later Hawaii employees
of a national brokerage firm await word on the safety of their New York
colleagues. If there is anything positive to find in this horrible tragedy it is
the outpouring of aloha at the blood bank of Hawaii today. More donors than
they could handle. KITB4's Dick Augier reports the blood bank may need help
from the military to get that blood to the mainland. Blood donors began arriving
in droves early this morning at the blood bank of Hawaii. They packed into
waiting rooms and to an overflow area set up outside the main office. Some had
to wait more than three and a half hours to give blood. I came here about 830 this
morning so I guess about three and a half hours four hours are waited and I
saw this news on CNN this morning so I just felt bad for the people of New York
and I come every eight weeks anyway so I just think it's a good thing to do. It
wasn't that bad a wait. Think about all the other suffering that's going on so my
little part to help out. As they waited grim-faced donors watched the horrifying
images on television. I turned on the TV and I saw what was going on. I was upset and hurt for the people who suffered. And when they said to give blood that they needed blood I came straight from Waikiki.
The blood bank brought in extra staff members to handle the overload. Officials
say this blood will go to help the injured. What we're doing is we're part
of America's Blood Centers which is an organization of blood banks and so
they've asked us to start developing a surplus and so what we're doing is
collecting and processing all the blood and waiting for further instruction from
the mainland from our mainland affiliate to find out how we can help. As the pints
of blood piled up at the blood bank and no flights leaving Hawaii, officials
started making contingency plans to get the blood to the mainland. Normally we
send our blood to Washington State for testing before it can be released into
our for use and that has been totally disrupted and this is why I have been
working with our Department of Defense as well as with Syncpac to make sure
that we have planes that are ready to take our blood to be tested. They're
hoping air travel will resume tomorrow morning. If it doesn't, officials will ask
the military to help deliver the life-giving cargo. Officials stress that
the need for blood will last for the next several weeks and they're asking
for more donors in the coming days. The blood bank on Dillingham will be open
until 7 p.m. all this week. Dick Allgaier, KITV4 News. Now churches across Hawaii
are holding memorial services right now for those killed in this morning's
attacks. KITV4 News reporter Tasha Gubashi-Gala joins us live from one of
the churches to explain. Tasha? Paula, we're at Kawaii Ha'o Church across from City Hall.
This is where prayer services will begin at about 7 o'clock. This is just one of
about a dozen other churches who are holding special prayer services for
those affected by the bombings today. Earlier this afternoon more than 30
people gathered together at the Harris United Methodist Church on Vineyard for
prayer service. Messages of comfort and healing were read as were a chance for
people to come together and share their thoughts on today's tragic bombings.
Songs were sung to memorialize those killed today and as you can see there a
dedication wall was set up for people to jot down any emotions or feelings on
their mind and stick it up there on the wall. We talked to a couple of people who
attended the services and here's what they had to say. Today people are looking
for a place that has a sense of sanctuary and a sense of gathering and
there's also a sense that something really powerful and deep has happened
and so to be in touch with our sacred resources, our traditions of our family,
religions is really important today for all of us. I think that just the fact
that we're meeting together and that there's a group of people together in
prayer and in prayer for the people who did this as well as for the people that
whose families are so disrupted. If you're interested in attending any prayer
service tonight you still have a chance to do that. Here are a few possibilities.
At seven o'clock Moanalua Gardens Missionary Church and the Trinity
United Methodist Church on Komomoai Drive will have services. Then in about an hour
from now 730 two other services one at First United Methodist on South
Baratania and another at Christ United Methodist on Keaumoku Street. As we
mentioned earlier there are services not just here on Oahu but statewide not only
today but also tomorrow and on Thursday. We have all the locations and the times
for you on our website at the Hawaii Channel dot com. Paula? Thank You Tasha.
The firm Morgan Stanley Dean Witter is the largest tenant in the World Trade
Center in New York City. Its offices occupy 50 floors of that building. KITP4
News reporter Catherine Cruz checked in on the local offices here in Honolulu
where workers waited to hear about the fate of their New York colleagues.
Catherine? Well then you may recall that the previous bombing of the Trade Center
was like eight years ago. The financial firm took a hit back then and learned from it.
The downtown Honolulu offices of Morgan Stanley Dean Witter remain
open for business today. It did however close early when the stock exchange
shut down. Paul Lu has been with the company for 42 years and his many
friends in the New York office. I was very concerned about people on the 74th
floor. That's about as high as we go and I was very pleased to hear just about two
hours ago that the whole gang on the 74th floor and three departments were
all able to get out and that was very encouraging. It's not clear how many
other workers may not have been so lucky. In the 1993 blast a bomb in the basement
knocked out use of the building's elevators. Many people had to walk down
several flights of stairs to safety. Today's blast brought back memories for
a former Kamehameha graduate who was in that building in 1993. The toll of the
dead and injured in today's collapse of the Twin Towers is still unknown and
it's possible some employees of the financial firm are among the casualties.
Paul Lu says one lesson it learned from the 93 blast is that it had to diversify
its company's operations. As a result its customer accounts, computer services, and
administrative offices are spread out from Florida to Texas. We learned from
that experience that this could happen again and by gosh it did. Now Lu says some
Morgan Stanley Dean Witter workers from Honolulu were in New York at the Trade
Center for training but they have returned safely. Catherine thank you very
much. I wanted to let you know they're coming up a little later in this
newscast. Mary's in Axe will be talking to some American Airlines pilots about
their feelings about the hijacked planes today. We do at this point however want
to take a moment to go through the timeline of today's event. It all began
just before nine o'clock Eastern time. Many workers in the World Trade Center
had just arrived when American Flight 11 crashed into one of the Twin Towers. The
Boeing 767 had been hijacked shortly after it took off from Boston less than
an hour earlier. About 20 minutes after the crash into the first tower, a second
hijacked plane, a United flight also from Boston, crashed into the second tower. As
New York was reeling, the terrorist attack spread to our nation's capital. A
third plane hijacked after takeoff from Dulles Airport in Washington DC crashed
into the Pentagon. As 20,000 workers scrambled for safety, part of the
Pentagon collapsed and casualties there are expected to be in the hundreds. Back
in New York just after 10 o'clock an hour after the first attack, the South
Tower of the World Trade Center collapsed. 20 minutes later the second
tower came down. Evacuations began immediately after the first crash and
many were able to get out but thousands are feared dead there. Many of them,
police officers and firefighters who were in the towers trying to help others
get out of the building. Just as the Twin Towers were falling, yet another hijacked
plane, a United Airlines flight from Newark to San Francisco, crashed in
Western Pennsylvania. That plane was believed to be on its way to attack Camp
David. Now as we mentioned earlier, President Bush was not in Washington
when the attacks happened. He was in Florida reading to some school children.
The president was flown to Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana for safety. He
finally arrived this evening in Washington DC where he addressed the
nation. The pictures of airplanes flying into buildings, fires burning, huge
structures collapsing, have filled us with disbelief, terrible sadness and a
quiet, unyielding anger. The search is underway for those who are behind these
evil acts. I've directed the full resources of our intelligence and law
enforcement communities to find those responsible and to bring them to justice.
The president said they will not differentiate between the terrorists who
hijacked those planes and the countries who harbored them. I want to show you a
different view now of the devastation in New York. This is how the aftermath of
the crumbling World Trade Center looked on Doppler radar of all things, the
weather radar system designed to pick up moisture in the air but it also easily
detected the huge cloud of soot and debris caused by the fire and the
collapse of those twin towers. Investigators piecing together today's
events may get some help from cell phone calls made by doomed passengers aboard
the hijacked planes. The caller said hijackers armed with knives had taken
control of the jet. A man aboard the plane that hit one of the World Trade
Center buildings called his father and said a flight attendant had been stabbed.
A flight attendant aboard the jet that hit the other tower told emergency
officials her co-workers had been stabbed. Author and commentator Barbara
Olson was on the plane that crashed into the Pentagon. She called her husband to
say armed hijackers had forced passengers to the rear of the jet before
it crashed. Her husband is Ted Olson. He's a US Solicitor General. He argued before
the US Supreme Court for Rice in the case Rice versus Cayetano. Seven airline
flights were diverted to Hawaii following the attack and passengers on
those flights were understanding about having to land here.
KITV4 News reporter Mary Zanakis talked to some of them. She joins us now from
the airport. Mary? Paula, the passengers were quite content to be safe on the
ground. They said they had no problem at all staying over a day or two. About
1,500 passengers were diverted to Honolulu. Most were en route to Los
Angeles. Some passengers learned of the attack one to two hours before landing
in Honolulu, while others say they knew nothing until the plane touched down. The
captain notified us and many thoughts were going through my mind. Mainly the
concern for family and friends. When we landed we realized we weren't in LA and
they told us once we were safely on the ground what was going on. It was kind of
scary, shocked, definitely, definitely shocked. When they were told of the
terrorist attack many of the passengers say it was hard to believe. Well it was
pretty incredible. The first thing that happened was the person next to me said
no this is gonna be a joke and then the next thing that happens is the flight
attendant keeps giving all these details which were details which were surreal
especially when you're waking up after having slept for four or five hours on a
plane. The passengers we talked with said they were told that all of their
accommodations would be taken care of. Various tour companies were called in to
assist the visitors in getting to their hotels. They were up to the task. Not too
bad. We do it every day so just back to business for us. We realize a lot of
people are stressed out so we're doing our best to accommodate them. We also
talked to several airline pilots. All were of the opinion that terrorist
pilots must have taken over the controls. All were adamant saying they would plow
their plane into the ground before crashing into a building.
Now I also asked the pilots if the fear of being hijacked by terrorists is often
in the backs of their minds. They all said no that they didn't want to become
paranoid in their job. Thank you. 1500 visitors unplanned visitors all of
those extra tourists needing a place to stay. Well hotels and airlines began
working on those accommodations early this morning. At first word that they
were on their way. And Botticelli joins us now. Is there anyone out there without
shelter tonight? Apparently not Dan. As Mary said and you said roughly 1500
people were diverted to Oahu. Tourism officials say 2,000 passengers arrived
from Asia on scheduled flights. Add to that the visitors who did not check out
as expected but were told there are enough hotel rooms to accommodate
everyone. It doesn't it doesn't take that much frankly. A hectic morning at the
Honolulu Airport Hotel and its sister property the nearby Best Western
diverted or delayed passengers kept the registration clerks busy. They were
prepared. The staff is being real helpful. Walked up to the counter and they
just said we're extending your stay. How hard was it to find accommodations?
Um wasn't hard. I just came get their room and we'll be sold out tonight.
General manager Gunther Hott says first thing this morning United Airlines
reserved blocks of rooms at each hotel for diverted passengers. Some said they
were directed to the hotels. Some found them on their own. All of them said they
landed in Honolulu without explanation. Given the circumstances there was no
rancor. You found yourself in Honolulu and you didn't know why. Right. That's
right. Did you know that you were not going on to Los Angeles? No not at all.
No. I just landed in Honolulu and then immigration officer told me you know
what has been going on. That's about it. So we didn't know anything. When we are
close to land in San Francisco they told us there are lots of congestion in the
airport of San Francisco and we are going to go to Honolulu. We didn't know
anything. They should have told me something but I understood the situation.
Well you know if you want to go home as soon as the airports are open that's
another option that you have. In Waikiki travel agency owner Suzanne Misenzal
accommodated 80 people who couldn't fly out this morning. The hotels have been
incredibly cooperative. Outriggers Outrigger hotels issued a statement
before just about eight o'clock this morning that they're just checking
everybody in for another night and and they're giving special rates and that's
pretty much been standard across the industry. Several big hotel chains
offered breaks of some kind to stranded passengers from discounted room rates to
waived cancellation fees. Misenzal says at this point passengers are paying the
bills but she's advising them to keep receipts. And at the Hawaii Visitors and
Convention Bureau airline hotel and tourism executives worked the phones to
match stranded passengers with vacant rooms. By 1 p.m. with all incoming flights
accounted for they declared their mission accomplished. It seems that all the people
coming into Oahu will be accommodated on Oahu and the two flights that went into
Kona earlier today were already accommodated in two different properties
there on the Big Island. Those industry officials say some airlines have paid
the hotel tab for diverted or delayed passengers others may pay the tab so it
is a good idea to keep receipts. Stan back to you. All right Ann Botticelli thank
you for that report. A local spokesperson for the Federal Aviation
Administration says the airport should be ready to open nationwide at 6 a.m.
Hawaii time tomorrow. Tweet Coleman also says there will be talks throughout the
night on whether the airlines will fly tomorrow. Actually they're going to come
to some consensus tonight in the early hours the air carriers the FAA and the
airport so they'll have one combined answer that will be mutually agreed with
everybody. According to Coleman that decision on whether planes will fly
should be made about 3 o'clock in the morning Hawaii time. Coleman also says
the FAA is considering several increased security measures. He says he was not at
liberty to discuss what those measures would be but Coleman says they
will add at least another half hour to your check-in time. Now as those airports
reopen you're gonna need to call your airline to find out what flight you're
on when you should be there and those sort of things you can find a complete
listing of reservations numbers for the airlines on our website and that's at
the hawaiichannel.com. Hawaiian and Aloha Airlines say they are gearing up for
resuming services tomorrow but they warn travelers to check with their air carrier
before leaving for the airport and to leave early because extra security
delays can be expected. Hawaiian Air says more than 11,000 of its passengers were
grounded today. The airline says it expects to accommodate those customers
and new ones tomorrow. Aloha had no numbers on how many passengers could not
fly today. The Hawaii chapter of the American Red Cross has activated all
trained and registered volunteers and has put them on standby. There was
heightened security at the Red Cross headquarters on Diamond Head Road today.
Extra volunteers were brought in to answer the phone.
American Red Cross is Ashley speaking. How may I help you? We've activated our
volunteers statewide to be on standby at headquarters here. We're managing
response if there should be any call out from the mainland for help.
It heightened security here and being aware of the situation. In case the
terrifying images are too much and you feel you need some help coping with the
tragedy, here are some ways you can get crisis counseling. The Department of
Health and Red Cross Family Welfare Service is offering counseling. Call 734-2101.
Queens Medical Center will have staff on hand at the emergency room for people
suffering from stress and Kapi'olani Counseling Center is providing
information, guidelines, and resources to help you talk to children about the
terrorist attack. As you might imagine, it has been an agonizing wait for those
wondering if their loved ones have been killed or injured in the attacks today.
KITV4 News reporter Kathryn Cruz talked with several Hawaii residents who
have families and friends in New York. Kathryn? Well it has been an exhausting
and emotional day. Many of these families have been up since three or four this
morning waiting for word and it's been a frustrating wait. For hours Johnny
Cadiz was glued to the television set in his van but the strain of not knowing if
his parents and brother were safe finally got to him.
I was worried when I looked at the building.
He was tortured that the phones were useless. He couldn't call them, they
didn't call him, and he couldn't help but think the worst. I called their number,
two number, it doesn't work, something wrong. Just blocks away on Kapi'olani
Boulevard, Nancy Sinclair had some good news. Her daughter Summer had just gotten
off the subway on her way to work across from the World Trade Center but she
managed to get out of harm's way. All the fire trucks and ambulances and police
cars were going and she turned around to see what was going on and the trade
towers were on fire and she saw them collapse and the dust come up and she
just started running. Across town a Foster Village family spent an
emotional morning on the phone. Their daughter Jennifer and a niece and
nephew all worked in the World Trade Center. Jennifer Ablon is a writer for
Barron's. She was finally able to get through to her family to let them know
she overslept and didn't make it into work on time. She said I'm alright but
just with crying crying you know she's safe but still she feels so bad also
for the rest of the you know. The Ablons were still waiting to hear about a
niece, Monette Ablon, who worked as an accountant for Dow Jones.
But the Ablons were also relieved to learn that their nephew Joe
Cananendez, like their daughter, had overslept and was out of the building at
the time of the crash. My Lord what a coincidence and I consider this
another miracle for my daughter. In East Honolulu some good news for Roy's
restaurant. The company's New York franchise is located across from the
Trade Center. Late today Roy Yamaguchi got word the restaurant's morning coup of
about two dozen were all evacuated safely. Yamaguchi is still a little
worried about a second shift of workers. They were expected to arrive at work
around the time the building collapsed. Now back to you Dan. Catherine thank you.
All of this relief effort is going to cost some money. Donations are being
accepted for victims of today's attacks. You can make your checkout to Disaster
Relief Fund Terrorist Attack Care of the American Red Cross. The address there
4155 Diamondhead Road, Honolulu, Hawaii 96816. There is also a September 11th
fund and contributions for that are being accepted at branches of most local
banks. The Council on American Islamic Relations is cautioning traditionally
dressed Muslims in America to stay out of public areas. Here at home Muslims are
equally concerned about rising anti-Islamic sentiments. Here's KITV4's
Pamela Young. Hakeem Juan Sefi's been on the phone all morning trying to get in
touch with his brother who works a block away from the World Trade Center. His
concern is not only for his brother but the thousands of dead and wounded and the
backlash that almost always results when terrorism hits American shores. We jump
into conclusions I think. In this world there is more non-Muslim terrorists than
there are Muslims but again we don't know. We don't know. Same thing we didn't
know when the Oklahoma building was bombed until later on and the person
happened to be non-Muslim. Some individuals they will associate an act of
a person or a group consisting of ten people and take that and are associated
with the quarter of the population that happened to be a Muslim, the two billion
plus. There is fear that scenes of destruction and Palestinian
celebration will inflame Americans to vent their anger on all Arabs. There are
more than 3,000 Muslims in Hawaii many from Asia and many non-Arab. Hakeem asked
that we not show the location of the Muslims at her mosque for the safety of
worshipers. Unfortunately there is a lot of misinformation out there that tend to
portray the Muslims in a different manner which is opposite of what the
teachings of Islam are all about. Will there be special prayers offered for the
victims and survivors? Indeed as Muslims we do pray five times a day and we have
been since this morning offering prayers to the Muslims and non-Muslims alike. The
meaning of Islam as you know is two meanings number one submission to God and
the second is peace. Hakeem urges all Muslims to donate blood, money and
supplies for the rescue and recovery effort in New York and Washington. Pamela
Young, KITV4 News. Visitors stranded in Hawaii as well as some of those who work
in the travel industry expressed concern today about getting back on the plane.
KITV4 News reporter Caroline Fleider spoke to some of those people today.
Caroline, how are they feeling? Paula, naturally many are feeling nervous about
flying again but there also seems to be a sense that security will be tight once
airports are reopened and that it may be safe. Very nervous, very concerned. I'm
afraid, I have some fear about it. Boarding a plane may be the last thing
many people want to do after watching today's devastation but visitors on
vacation here have little choice. At least we're on US soil here. I was in
Europe earlier this summer so I'm glad that trips over but yeah we're all
concerned. I don't think I'll be changing my travel plans in the future but it
does cause some some anxiety about traveling. A group from England says
Americans should not let terrorism change their daily lives. This man says
the attack won't affect his travels and he feels US planes are safe. It's a sad
thing that it happens. It is a terrible thing and I feel for the American people
but no it I don't think if you ask the majority of English people and tourists
that come to your island that it won't affect them one iota. The pilots union had
a meeting here at the Alamona Hotel today and while pilots did not want to
go on camera they do say that hijacking is something they worry about every day.
One pilot says he doesn't feel safe with the current security system on the
ground or in the air. He says a group of trained terrorists is no match for flight
attendants and the cockpit crew. Flight attendants are also expressing concern
about going back to work. To think that I fly out in New York and that I could
have been on one of those planes. It makes me think twice about going back
again. I talked to a couple of pilots about the difficulty of flying a plane
into a building such as the World Trade Center and both agreed it would be
relatively easy. One pilot said someone could have about after about 10 hours in
a flight simulator could have the skills needed to do what happened today. Now
back to you. Caroline thank you very much. Dozens of churches across the state are
holding special memorial services at this hour to send their prayers to those
killed in the attacks. KITV4 News reporter Tasha Kawashigawa live at one
church to tell us more about that Tasha. Dan in about 15 minutes the church we're
at here at Kauai Ha'ou Church across from City Hall will begin their special
service for tonight and they actually put together a pretty extensive program
for tonight's special service entitled a time of prayer for our country our
leaders and the people of our nation. This is just one church of many who are
holding ceremonies right now not on just Oahu but on other islands as well. We
just came from one earlier this afternoon at Harris United Methodist
Church where they set up a memorial wall to give people a chance to grieve give
people a chance to come together and get all their thoughts out about this
bombing even though we are in Hawaii. Now if you are interested in attending
some services for tonight most of them have started for the evening but there
will be services tomorrow and the next day as well. Here are a couple couple of
possibilities for you. Central Union Church will have a service at 5 in the
evening and St. Teresa's will also have services at 7 tomorrow evening. Those are
just the services for Oahu there will be other islands other services on other
islands as well and we have those for you on our website at the Hawaii Channel
dot-com. Again that will be tomorrow and Thursday special services to help
memorialize and deal with the tragedy of today's bombing. So again we're at Kauai
Ha'ou Church. If you're in the area it'll start at 7 o'clock expected to go for
about an hour. Reporting live Dan back to you. Tasha thank you and we would
encourage the churches throughout the community if you have something planned
to let us know about it and we will put it on our website to let others know
about what you have planned. Security will remain tight at military bases
around the state tomorrow there will be limited gate access to bases. Public
schools located on army installations will be closed. However all public
schools including those on the Marine Corps installations will be open as will
Tripler Medical Center, Schofield Health Clinics and Federal Court will be open
tomorrow as well. We want to remind you that Navy personnel only essential Navy
personnel will be asked to come into work tomorrow so if you are a non
essential Navy worker you are being asked to stay home. We just got word in
of one of the victims who died as a result of today's attack from Hawaii. A
33 year old woman named Christine Snyder she is from Icahi here on the island of
Oahu and she was aboard United Flight 93 when it crashed into the building there
and we will have more for you on Christine and that flight tonight at 10.
We fear that there may be more these flights were headed to Los Angeles and
San Francisco which would be natural stops for people coming back to Hawaii.
They have not released the passenger lists as of yet but we will comb those of
course as soon as they are available and we'll bring that information to you as it
is available to us. Now today's attack sent gasoline prices soaring in some
parts of the mainland that by fears that oil imports will be disrupted but Hawaii
oil company Tesoro says it will freeze prices at its retail outlets throughout
the weekend. Tesoro president Faye Curran is urging customers to maintain their
normal purchasing patterns not to stockpile. Chevron spokesman Albert Chi
says the company has told its dealers that it does not anticipate any
disruptions in its supply. She says many of Chevron's dealers are in the
tenant and they set their own pricing. And that's something that we're seeing
across the nation though we're hearing reports of prices of gasoline going up
to as much as three dollars and ninety nine cents a gallon in some parts of
the United States so we again will have more for that for you tonight at 10 and
we will continue to bring you local updates as necessary throughout the
night and you can always check on to our website the Hawaii channel dot com
for all the latest information. Comprehensive coverage throughout the
day will continue tonight and into tomorrow from ABC Network News. We will
go back to that coverage now we will have local updates as necessary. See you
later. Aloha. It just blew up a big explosion people started running it was just
chaos everywhere. People jumping out people just kept jumping and jumping and
jumping and you could still see they were alive because they were flailing
around.
A huge explosion now raining debris on all of us.
We better get out of the way!
She's not in a large truck.
We're going to have to get out of the way.
We're going to have to get out of the way.
Get out of here!
Get out of here!
You okay, officer?
I was standing next to one World Trade Center and then all of a sudden I heard rumbling and we all started running away from it. The glass like blew out and threw me onto the sidewalk and I couldn't see for like 20 seconds.
We came from the 82nd floor and I don't know what my peers are. I don't know. I hope they got there okay. That's all I can say. I don't know what. We saw a shadow. It looked like a plane. Next thing we know it was boom and the floor started shaking.
We're right behind it.
We're in World War II. We've been attacked. It's like World War II.
Oh my God, this is so terrible.
I can't look at it because all I can see are people. I don't see a building. I see people. People hurt. Children without mothers and fathers tonight.
We're going right left.
1855.
Go.
Go.
Go.
Go.