Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Sep 12/01) - The bells of Trinity Anglican Church tolled nine times at 11:45 a.m. in a city-wide call to prayer as Yellowknife residents tried to go about their daily routine after the news of a wide-scale terrorist attack on the United States hit them with their morning coffee.

The North Reacts "Due to extraorordinary circumstances (and) due to closures of U.S. airports and airspace, all national traffic will be recovered in Canada. This action will be reviewed at 1600Z (4 p.m. local time)." - Fax posted at Yellowknife Airport. "The hospital is on alert. We're prepared." - Stanton Regional Health Board operations director Donna Zaozirny "The extent of the tragedy that we are observing is incomprehensible. The emotional and physical repercussions will be felt around the world. My thoughts and prayers are with the many people whose lives and families have been forever altered by this catastrophic act of violence." - NWT Premier Stephen Kakfwi. "We wanted to spread a message of peace and we spent time saying a prayer for the victims." - John Bowden, principal of St. Patrick high school on a morning service for the school's 540 students

Some heard it over the radio. Some heard it over the television. Others heard it over telephone phone calls from friends and relatives down south. And most reacted with shock and horror.

"It's catastrophic," said Jocelyn Labrie over an early morning beer at the Right Spot. "I have no words."

Behind him a row of television screens flashed images of the New York City skyline enveloped in smoke, distraught eyewitness with tears in their eyes and a sombre President George W. Bush speaking to the nation from Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana.

Everyday working people were affected by yesterday's attack, including newlywed Nelson Gilroy, who arrived at a Yellowknife logistics company hangar with a bouquet of flowers for his wife Jessica. He always does that on his way to the Diavik mine, where they both work.

Gilroy, a truck driver due to start work today with 40 others, was disappointed after learning his flight was cancelled. He hadn't seen Jessica for two weeks.

"It's sad. It's unbelievable ... it could start a war."

The couple married in January, and look forward to the three days they get to spend together when their shifts intersect. Yellowknifer reached Jessica was at the mine site Tuesday, where she works in accounts payable for Lac De Gras Excavating.

"I feel like shit. Nobody can believe this. I can't believe how this affects us all the way up here."

At Great Slave Helicopters, employee Kevin Laing has a sister in New York City, but he appeared angry and didn't want to say too much Tuesday.

He said there is a toll-free number he's supposed to call to find out if she's all right, but didn't try it.

"You can only imagine the telecommunications traffic from 20 million people in New York that would be generated. It's hard to fathom. The infrastructure can't handle it."

Airport quiet

"This has put everyone in a mode where we kick back to absorb what happened and so we can see just how fragile everything is," said Laing.

"I've never seen the airport so quiet in my life."

McBryan landed at Yellowknife this morning just under the wire. In flight from Hay River, he knew something was wrong by the tone of air traffic controllers over the airwaves.

"The normal chatter was not there. They were very crisp and clear with no nonsense."

Mayor Gord Van Tighem said in the glow of the explosions the world suddenly isn't so big, even for those sitting at the top of it.

"There is a general disbelief here," said Van Tighem. "But the reality is there could be an impact here."

Rev. Don Flumerfelt, minister at the Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Yellowknife, said prayer was created for days like this. "Is this another movie?" said Flumerfelt. "Or is this the real thing? It's unbelievable how much one life can cause so much evil and inversely how one life can cause so much good," he added as he walked to ring the bells again.