State gives its blood, sweat and tears

Associated Press

SEATTLE — Washington state volunteered blood, prayers and an urban rescue crew Tuesday to aid victims of the worst attacks on U.S. soil since Pearl Harbor.

"This is a national tragedy beyond comprehension," Seattle Mayor Paul Schell said, asking citizens to donate blood for victims of air attacks in New York, Washington, D.C., and western Pennsylvania.

Blood centers around the state reported brisk business.

"Our lobby has been full since we opened the door," said Judi Young of the Inland Northwest Blood Center in Spokane.

The center, which typically has 40 donors a day, had drawn 238 by late afternoon.

Donors at Puget Sound Blood Center’s main branch in Seattle, where there normally is no wait, were waiting an average of about three hours to donate on Tuesday afternoon, spokesman A.J. Pasquarelli said.

"It’s a great response. We’re trying to get people to stagger their appointments," he said, noting that victims of attacks on both towers of New York’s World Trade Center may need blood for several weeks.

Meanwhile, a joint Pierce and King county urban search and rescue team was flying from McChord Air Force Base near Tacoma to help with rescue operations in New York. The 65 members of the team were expected to be deployed for about a week, Seattle Fire Chief Gary Morris said.

Three ships were deployed around Puget Sound from Naval Station Everett: the USS Ford, USS Fife, and in Seattle’s Elliott Bay, the USS Rodney M. Davis.

Fairchild Air Force Base near Spokane deployed two KC-135 air tankers on missions to refuel military jets in the sky, said Col. Erv Lessel, commander of the 92nd Air Refueling Wing.

Airports, military bases and public buildings throughout Washington state were on heightened alert. Traffic was backed up at the gates of McChord and Fort Lewis, as well as at border crossings from Canada, as all vehicles and individual identifications were inspected.

More than 100 outgoing flights were canceled at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, and another 80 at Spokane International Airport, as part of a national stand-down of air traffic after passenger jets crashed into the New York towers and the Pentagon Tuesday morning.

"I’m lucky, maybe," said Dr. Mukund Sargur, 50, of Redmond, whose 8:45 a.m. flight to Los Angeles was canceled.

"I can’t believe it, what’s happened," he added. "Obviously, these planes must have been full of people. My wife told me this affected her more than the Kennedy assassination."

A total of 33 international flights scheduled to land on the West Coast were diverted to Vancouver, British Columbia, where no regularly scheduled flights were departing because of the extra traffic.

Across the state, people expressed outrage and sorrow over the attacks, for which no group had claimed responsibility.

"I just hope this doesn’t bring us to war," said Sean Lord-Danielson, a store clerk in Cheney, near Spokane.

An estimated 1,200 people attended a noon Mass at St. James Cathedral in downtown Seattle, said cathedral administrator Larry Brouse.

"Normally on a weekday, there would be less than 100," he said.

More than 100 people gathered in Spokane’s Riverfront Park for a noon prayer meeting. It began with a singing of "Amazing Grace" at the park’s landmark clock tower.

Another 100 people showed up Tuesday evening at Seattle’s Westlake Park to sing peace anthems.

"I’m hoping that there isn’t some retaliatory strike that winds up in the senseless deaths of more innocent people," said Carol Kane, 28, of Seattle. Demonstrators carried signs saying "No War" and "Have No Enemies, Find Common Ground."

At Galloping Gertie’s restaurant, a 50-year-old institution outside Fort Lewis, business was down and faces were solemn as customers and waitresses stared at the TV news.

"All the soldiers look real grim. They’re all somber," said owner Sue Rothwell. "The waitresses are all uptight. You can just feel it; everyone’s tense."

Her husband, Rod Mason, said they were giving free coffee to all soldiers in uniform.

"I don’t know what else we can do," he said. "I think we feel like the rest of America, just helpless."

"You feel so safe here in the United States, but this makes you realize things can happen," Barbara Newton of East Wenatchee told The Wenatchee World.

Spokane Mayor John Powers said the tragedy will "unite everyone from small town to big city."

No threats or incidents of violence were reported in the state.

Gov. Gary Locke ordered flags flown at half-staff on state buildings. In Seattle, the federal courthouse was closed, as were the Space Needle, the nearby Experience Music Project and the 76-story Bank of America Tower.

In Spokane, the Thomas S. Foley U.S. Courthouse was closed and employees were sent home.

Locke closed the state Capitol to the public Tuesday morning, but reopened it by early afternoon. He refused to evacuate the building.

"We are not going to shut down the government," he told a news conference. "The last thing we want to do is give the terrorists any satisfaction."

The state emergency management center was activated and security was tightened at bridges, tunnels and dams around the state.

Ferries stopped carrying vehicles for several hours on some routes across Puget Sound because of the risk of car bombs. Foot passengers were allowed on.

Nonessential federal and contractor workers were sent home for the day from the Hanford nuclear reservation, and security was increased, Department of Energy spokesman Mike Talbot said.

Washington State Patrol troopers were checking abandoned vehicles and the state’s bridges, spokeswoman Monica Hunter said. The U.S. Border Patrol, responsible for border lands away from road checkpoints, likewise boosted its security.

All federal dams and powerhouses in the Pacific Northwest and their visitor centers were closed, but they continued to generate electricity, spokesmen said Tuesday. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers likewise locked down all 54 dams in the Northwest Division from St. Louis to Seattle and visitor access was being limited, spokesman Paul Johnston said from Omaha, Neb.