This article was definitely one of my favorites so far this semester. Since I was a kid when the World Trade Centers crashed, I don’t remember much of the recovery and planning of the city rebound. The authors opinion was fascinating to me, because it gave an almost completely opposite picture of what I thought the recovery process was like. When I think of the moments after 9/11, I think to the times of people helping each other out with nothing to ask for in return, of financial aid and outside resources flooding in. Although this did happen to some extent, apparently it did not happen to the extreme that it should have to help those whose lives were destroyed from the attacks. “Emergency food service lines exploded, with agencies turning away the hungry in record numbers as supplies ran out. Homelessness jumped to 29,000… a variety of commentators have come to believe we need a more long term response, one that diversifies our overall structure and adds redundancy by strengthening other components.”
This statement was something I had never really given much thought to before this reading. It made me think to our emergency response resources and to the major times I can remember where New York City has needed aid. The most recent time is the Hurricane Sandy, where thousands of people were displaced and without electricity and hot water for days. During the hurricane, my family went without power for 13 days before LIPA came and it took weeks for them to cut down the tree that was lodged on my roof. Many people in my town complained that there was not enough resources and that the government did very little to help. Perhaps this was the case for 9/11 as well. I agree that the government should come up with a better long term plan for atrocities, such as hurricanes or terrorist attacks. I don’t know a lot about different methods of prevention for these circumstances, but I do know that we should learn from our mistakes and prepare for the future. Maybe instead (or in addition to) hardening rules on airplane flights and security checks, we should also set up or put away funds that deal with crises such as the ones mentioned above. Think of it as “back up plan” fund, that way when something bad does happen (and lets be realistic, it will eventually), we will be prepared to spend extra money wherever necessary. That way not only people affected from the atrocities will be accommodated better, but the economy won’t stoop so low every time a bad event occurs. People we be able to get back on the feet quicker, therefore allowing the cities to regain their strength and normalize faster.
