Gander, Newfoundland Welcomed Thousands in the Aftermath of 9/11

On the day of the Sept. 11, 2001 attack, the residents of Gander, Newfoundland opened up their hearts and homes to stranded air passsengers. Megan Frost Photography/Shutterstock

The attacks that struck New York and Washington on Sept. 11, 2001 are now remembered as “The Day America Cried.” For the residents in one small town in Newfoundland, Canada, the day will always be remembered as one when the community dropped what they were doing and came together to help those in need.

The collapse of the World Trade Center towers in New York City on Sept. 11 directly impacted air travel. For the first and only time in history, the U.S. government shut down the airspace across the entire country.

Diverted Flights

Passengers on overseas flights headed to the United States that morning suddenly had their trips interrupted; pilots came over the intercom and told the passengers that there were problems with U.S. air space. Their flights were being diverted. No further details were given to the passengers and flight crews.

Many flights coming into the United States were diverted to Canada. One small town in Newfoundland took the brunt of the impact. In Gander, Newfoundland, a town with a population of less than 10,000, 38 commercial planes carrying 6,579 passengers from 92 different countries were forced to land at Gander International airport.

Sign at Gander International Airport. Gordon Wheaton/Shutterstock

Upon hearing what was happening, officials in Gander and several surrounding towns promptly put their heads together and came up with a plan. First, the town declared a state of emergency. All the town’s hotels were closed and opened only for the flight crews who by law needed a good rest before flying again. Schools were closed, and every public building, community center, and church was shuttered to house the stranded travelers.

Helping the Passengers

When the flights were diverted and landed in Gander, passengers had been on the planes for almost 24 hours. The first issue that had to be tackled was figuring out a way to safely transport all of the passengers from the planes to the town. The most logical option was to load them onto school buses, but at the time the school bus drivers were in the middle of a bitter strike. However, after hearing the news, the bus drivers in the town chose to drop their picket signs; they jumped in their buses and lent a hand.

Once the passengers came to the town, the people of Gander made sure the new arrivals had everything they needed to feel at home. Prescriptions were filled for free, supplies were given out, and telephones were made available. Some residents opened up their homes for people to sleep and shower. Others lent out their personal vehicles; one person gifted a family with a stroller.

Over the next few days, the people of Gander comforted the passengers. Some had family members still missing after being at Ground Zero the day of the attacks. The townspeople entertained and fed their unexpected guests for four days. When the passengers departed, they left thinking that the residents of Gander were the nicest people in the world.

The people of Gander never wanted credit for their hospitality. According to their slogan “lend a hand, do what you can,” their generosity in this disaster seemed like the right thing to do. In fact, the provincial government in St. John’s offered to pay for a huge party for all of the volunteers, but the town refused.

Gander residents said that they were all Americans that day.

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