Communities Mark 9/11 Anniversary Nationwide

As the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks approaches, communities and survivors are preserving personal memories of the nearly 3,000 people killed and the thousands more affected by toxic exposure in the years since. New Jersey residents recalled the clear morning, the shock of watching the second plane strike the World Trade Center and the enduring bonds formed in the aftermath. Former New York emergency-management officials described the immediate confusion and mobilization as they watched the attacks unfold and rushed to coordinate the state’s response. In Michigan, an annual ceremony will honor victims, first responders, veterans and community resilience at a memorial built around a steel beam recovered from the North Tower. Deacon Paul Carris, a Port Authority engineer who helped a disabled co-worker descend 71 floors from the North Tower, said the trauma contributed to PTSD but ultimately led him toward therapy, faith and ordination.