9/11 in Gander

When the attacks of 9/11 happened, airspace over the US was closed to air traffic, and airplanes from Europe were diverted to a small town, Gander, Newfoundland.

For the better part of a week, everyone in Gander and surrounding towns (10,000 people) placed their lives on hold, opened their communities, homes, and hearts for almost 7,000 stranded strangers and asked for nothing in return.

This little town, with open hearts, affirmed the basic goodness of humankind at a time when it was doubtful such humanity still existed.

Gander Video Narrated by Tom Brokaw  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUmCgQp5iNg

Gander’s Ripple Effect

The account of this town’s unconditional welcoming of strangers, was written about and then became a Broadway show, “Come From Away.” In 2017, the musical was nominated for seven Tony awards, winning Best Direction of a Musical.

Now, Gander’s message is spreading around the world.

One of the stranded passengers became the architect for the 9-11 Ground Zero Museum Building  38:27 on this video:

Gander’s Ripple Effect: Full Documentary

Jim DeFede’s book –9/11 the day the world came to town. A touching account of the personal experiences and interactions of those stranded and the townspeople. (on Amazon)