Geoscience Reference
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City Bombing in April 1995 (domestic terrorism), and then the terrorist attack of
September 11, 2001.
On September 11, 2001, 19 members of the militant Islamic group Al-Qaeda
hijacked four American jetliners and flew two of them into the two towers of the
World Trade Center in Manhattan, New York City, New York. The third plane was
flown into the United States Department of Defense headquarters, the Pentagon,
in Arlington, Virginia. The fourth plane crashed in a field near Shanksville,
Pennsylvania, after passengers fought with the hijackers of the plane. In total, more
than 2600 people died at the World Trade Center, 125 died at the Pentagon, and
256 died on the four planes. The death toll surpassed that of Pearl Harbor on
December 7, 1941 (Figure 5.11).
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Consequences of Terrorism
Terrorism can cause cascading effects that can have global effects socially and eco-
nomically. As the term alludes, terrorism is designed to evoke fear in its victims.
This can lead to psychological as well as sociological effects, such as suspicion and
exclusion of certain religious or ethnic groups, even though they may have no asso-
ciation with the terrorist or terrorist organization. The overall immediate effect
of terrorism is largely based on the type of weapon or tactic used by the terror-
ist. An assassination or kidnapping can be very localized and be primarily a law
enforcement investigative process. However, detonation of a biological weapon or
a chemical weapon can cause mass fatalities and widespread health problems, as
well as mass decontamination issues for areas that are exposed. Terrorist acts can
also disrupt critical infrastructure such as communications, utilities (i.e., power,
gas, water, and sewer), social services, public safety services, and other government
services. Terrorism can also affect businesses by either physically disrupting them,
or by disrupting the supply chain required for the business to function.
Figure 5.11 New York, September 21, 2001: These FEMA rescue workers are
dwarfed by the pile of rubble at the site of the World Trade Center. (Photo cour-
tesy of Michael Rieger, FEMA News Photo.)
