Cincinnatians woke today to a world changed by terrorism.

        Airline flights canceled. Government officials on high alert. Any sense of security and insulation from distant conflicts shattered.

        On Tuesday, Greater Cincinnati shut down following the worst terrorist attacks in U.S. history. Some of the closings were ordered out of fear of incidents here; others so people could go home to their families.

        While most of the city closed down, some events went on.

A policeman directs a pedestrian away from the area around the Peck Federal Building Tuesday. (Michael Snyder photo) | ZOOM |

        The city's mayoral election continued as scheduled, and essential public employees remained on the job.

        Others went to work to help rescue efforts in New York City and Washington, D.C.

        “As the world's only superpower, we have grown to believe America is invincible,” Ohio Gov. Bob Taft said Tuesday. “Yet the events of today prove otherwise.”

        Most in Greater Cincinnati watched in stunned silence as those events played out on live television.

        Although a sense of helplessness quickly spread across the Tristate, reaction to the attacks was swift:

        • All government buildings were evacuated and closed. As people filed out of their offices, security personnel with bomb-sniffing dogs scoured the buildings as a precaution.

        • The Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport shut down after federal authorities canceled all domestic flights.

        • Several Cincinnati companies, including Procter & Gamble, sent employees home and closed their Washington, D.C., offices. Malls and many smaller businesses closed in Cincinnati.

        • National Guard units were placed on alert, and medical as well as Red Cross personnel were sent to New York and Washington to aid the rescue efforts.

Traveler Philip Pierce of Tennessee was on his way to Detroit when he unexpectedly found himself stuck in Northern Kentucky. (Tony Jones photo) | ZOOM |

        • Motorists throughout Greater Cincinnati began lining up at gas stations late Tuesday to buy gas before an expected increase in prices.

        • Schools and colleges canceled events, and many churches scheduled prayer vigils.

        • Reflecting the Mideast tensions that many believe were behind the attack, Hebrew Union College was closed and police provided extra security at synagogues and the Islamic Center in West Chester.

        “Cincinnati shares grief with all Americans,” Mayor Charlie Luken said.

        He ordered heightened security at all city-owned buildings, including City Hall and water facilities.
       

Airplanes grounded

        The most immediate impact was felt at the airport, where authorities moved quickly to ground all domestic airliners.

        Some of the planes were on the runway, ready to depart. Others arrived after being ordered to land at the nearest possible airport.

        “I expect to be here all night,” said John Eckel, who was heading to New York City from Los Angeles when his flight was grounded. “This is absolutely frightening and showcases how vulnerable we are.”

        Another man at the airport, Dallas Daniel of Colerain Township, echoed the sentiments of many Tristate residents. “I think this is the beginning of something big,” he said. “In my mind, this is like Pearl Harbor.”

        As news of the attacks spread throughout the morning, many residents spent hours huddled in classrooms, offices and churches watching television, talking and praying together.

        At the College of Mount St. Joseph in Delhi Township, classes continued, but a prayer service was called for noon in the chapel. No additional security was called for and counselors are walking the campus so students can seek them out.

        Miami University maintained normal classes and security, spokeswoman Claire Wagner said. But students gathered around TV sets or tried to catch the latest between classes.

        In one classroom, professor Kathleen German turned the events into a lesson in her media and society class.

        But for some students, the images on TV hit too close to home. One student left suddenly after learning the Pentagon had been hit by a plane. The student said his father worked at the Pentagon.

        Another student, whose father works near the World Trade Center, sat in silence as the buildings collapsed.

        Cameron Riahi, a freshman at Miami, said his sister is visiting Washington this week. He was talking to her on the phone Tuesday morning when the Pentagon was hit.

        “Oh my God,” she told him. “I've got to go.”

        Kentucky U.S. Rep. Ken Lucas, a Boone County Democrat, was talking on the phone in his office in the Longworth House Office Building in Washington when it was evacuated “because of a loud boom out.”

        “There was something outside and they are telling us to get out, to evacuate,” Mr. Lucas said shortly after 10 a.m.

        “We gotta get out of here.”

        University of Cincinnati Police Chief Eugene Ferrara said he was more concerned about “scapegoating and rumors” than terrorism. He said UC has many international students, and he asked officers to be alert to any potential trouble.
       

Finding friends, relatives

        Many residents spent the morning trying desperately to track down relatives in New York and Washington.

        Northlich, a communications and brand consulting agency in Cincinnati, had a team of four executives in New York on Tuesday morning to participate in an event on behalf of a client.

        There were frantic moments at the agency until the executives could be contacted.

        “We weren't able to get them on the wireless. They were staying at the Marriott at the World Trade Center and were very close to the debris,” said Julia Arosteguy, spokeswoman for the agency.

        “We were all very concerned. The hotel was evacuated and they were not able to get their belongings out of their rooms.”

        Brad Balfour, a former Cincinnatian who lives in New York, was on the phone with a friend when a hijacked airliner slammed into the World Trade Center. His friend was standing outside the center.

        “He is probably dead at this point,” Mr. Balfour said. “He was telling me he saw the explosion and then felt a wave of pressure. He said it was beyond imagination.

        “It's got to be thousands of people killed. I can't even imagine what the street must look like.”

        The American Red Cross in Cincinnati set up a telephone bank manned by mental health specialists. The goal is to help those grieving over the attacks.

        Others turned to prayer for strength and hope.

        The Cincinnati Baptist Ministers Conference opened and closed its regular weekly meeting Tuesday morning with a prayer for the victims of the attacks.

        “We are hoping President Bush will call for a national day of prayer,” said conference president the Rev. Aaron Greenlea. “We have to listen to God. That is the only thing that will help us.”

        Enquirer reporters Patrick Crowley, Ben L. Kaufman, John Johnston, Jim Hannah, Michael D. Clark, Kevin Aldridge, Richelle Thompson, Kristina Goetz, Allen Howard, Ken Alltucker, Gregory Korte, Rebecca Billman and James Pilcher contributed.
       

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