Ripples are felt across Valley

Some area parents removed their children from schools, and a 911 center was flooded with calls from area residents wanting to know what security measures were being taken locally.
VINDICATOR STAFF REPORT
YOUNGSTOWN -- Area residents and officials were horror-struck this morning as news spread of apparent terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C., and government facilities, even locally, went on alert or closed.
The Youngstown Air Reserve Station in Vienna Township, home of the 910th Airlift Wing, increased its security measures in the wake of the disasters at the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.
"We're at our highest level of security now," said Master Sgt. Bryan Ripple, a station spokesman. "It means that now all of the nonessential personnel, nonmilitary, are being sent home. All the buildings are secured with entry limited to a single point in each building. People are staying put. We will be maintaining Delta until Air Force Command Center determines it's safe ... however long that takes."
Delta is the highest threat condition and is normally reserved for such hot spots as the Middle East, said Lt. Brent Davis, another station spokesman.
"We have a good training program as far as security measures go here in the wing, and everyone feels safe," Ripple said. "No one is acting panicky. You have to feel safe or you can't do your job. We got a big eye-opener today."
The air base was initially put on Alpha alert about 9:30 a.m., after planes first crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City.
The air base, which has 500 employees there today, is at normal threat condition most days.
Standing by: State Rep. John Boccieri of New Middletown, an Air Force reservist who served during the Persian Gulf War, said he was called by the base to be on standby.
"They asked me if I was available to fly, and I'm heading over there now," Boccieri said this afternoon. "They didn't want to discuss it. They didn't want to talk about it."
This strike is something that people of this generation will remember forever, Boccieri, D-57th, said.
"When I heard about it, I got that sick feeling like, where were you when Pearl Harbor was bombed," he said. "This is extremely significant. Am I concerned this will have a collateral or cascading effect? Absolutely. It's one thing to target the United States military. It's entirely another thing to target innocent women and children."
The Ohio Legislature canceled its sessions for the rest of the week. Boccieri arrived about 10:25 a.m. today in Columbus for House sessions through the week. He turned around for the Mahoning Valley about 30 minutes later, when the legislative sessions were canceled.
Davis said the mood at the air base is near shock.
"It's incredible," he said. "Everyone's glued to the news. We're doing what we're told."
Preventive measures: The terrorist attack has heightened awareness of vulnerability and may provide the catalyst to create a Homeland Defense Agency, an idea that has been tossed around for some time, said Walter M. Duzzny, executive director of the Mahoning County Emergency Management Agency.
"If you look at that cloud in lower Manhattan, you know it takes money to support the type of training needed to deal with that kind of disaster," Duzzny said. "We'll now start to see the money flow for training and equipment." Duzzny said local targets of terrorists would be the U.S. District Court in Youngstown, the water source at Meander Reservoir, schools and power companies.
"I hope it doesn't, but this will generate the wannabes, the ones who can say, 'This is what you can do to get attention,' " Duzzny said. "We've got to take these people to task."
Keeping watch: At a Trumbull County government building on North Park Avenue in Warren, employees were clustering around a big-screen TV to watch news of the disaster. There was an atmosphere of shock and disbelief among the 14 people.
"It is unbelievable," said Mark Zigmont, a planner with the Trumbull County planning commission, who had just come out of a routine meeting about 9:30 a.m.
"It makes what we just did seem kind of trivial, doesn't it?" he said.
Upon hearing news of the Pentagon bombing, a secretary, Mitzi Sabella, immediately jumped on the phone to try to get news of her brother, who lives in Virginia and works at the Pentagon. Phone lines were jammed and she was unable to get through.
She was close to tears.
"It's a big, humongous place. I hope it will be all right," she said.
Similar reactions were occurring at the county courthouse and other county offices.
"It's devastating," said Judge W. Wyatt McKay, who along with several attorneys and courthouse personnel spent most of the morning glued to a television set.
"It is very scary," said Miriam Fife, a victim-witness advocate with the Trumbull County prosecutor's office. "With all the security the United States has, I don't understand how this happened."
Downtown Youngstown: The atmosphere at the U.S. Courthouse in downtown Youngstown was similar, said Anthony Traficanti, regional director for U.S. Rep. James A. Traficant Jr. of Poland, D-17th, whose main regional office is located there.
"I'm sitting here stunned in amazement," he said. "It's terrible. I can't believe I'm seeing this on TV. Our country is not prepared for this. We have never had this happen on our shores. We are not prepared to handle an internal disaster such as this. We're going to have to change our policies."
Delores Sheck cried, tears streaking down her cheeks, and held her hands to her face.
"My God," whispered Sheck, 20, a senior political science major at Youngstown State University. "My God. My God."
That was the general reaction on campus as the news spread this morning.
YSU trustees were discussing building a new student recreation center when a staff member interrupted the meeting to break the news. The discussions continued momentarily, then trustees agreed to postpone the meeting.
"This is an enormous national tragedy, and I find it difficult to think on these matters before us," Larry Esterly, a YSU trustee, said.
YSU and Kent State University's Trumbull Campus closed at noon but planned to reopen Wednesday morning.
"Incredible," said YSU junior Randy Mott, 20, of Colorado. "I thought it was a joke when I first heard it. My God. I can't believe it."
Linda McDonald, a YSU student who has three small children at home, said she was terrified.
"The first thing I did was call home," she said outside YSU's student center this morning. "I wanted to make sure my kids are all right. I know that sounds kind of silly, but it's just terrifying."
Islamic Society: Mustansir Mir, a spokesman for the Islamic Society of Greater Youngstown, said, "I urge people to openly condemn this. There can't be two opinions about this. This is not subject to argument."
Mir said the actions would appear to have a Middle East connection.
"This is tragic. I don't have the words to describe this," Mir said. "The people who have done it have hurt their own cause. Taking the lives of human beings, and flying people into the structure of the World Trade Center? This is abominable. There are no words that can describe the appalling nature of this. This should be condemned roundly by all people in the world. I don't think [the people responsible] will find any sympathy, as they shouldn't. There's no excuse for it, really. I don't think it can be justified."
Fielding questions: Tim Gladis, director of Trumbull County 911, said the center has received "about 100 calls" this morning from residents asking if there have been any evacuations and what type of security measures they should be taking.
Gladis also said he was told that all federal buildings in Akron and Cleveland are being closed for the day.
GM: The General Motors' Lordstown Assembly Plant was on a "security alert" today but still operating, said Tom Mock, a plant spokesman.
He said all trucks entering the plant grounds and all packages are being checked closely.
Ann Cornell, a spokeswoman for Delphi Packard Electric Systems, said the maker of wiring products is confirming the location of its executives who are traveling.
Operations at area plants are continuing as normal, she said.
All library branches in the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County system closed at noon.
Pupils: At schools throughout the region, pupils huddled around television sets to watch the tragedy.
"Everyone is absolutely shocked," said Kathleen Good, principal of Mary Haddow Elementary School in Youngstown.
Marilyn Mastronarde, principal of Volney Rogers Junior High School on Youngstown's West Side, said she made a general announcement to pupils about the situation.
The parents of one pupil came to the school this morning to remove their child. Mastronarde said the family has a relative who works in the World Trade Center.
"They're terrified," she said. "They haven't been able to reach him."
At Lakeview High School in Cortland, the atmosphere among teachers and pupils was anger and disbelief, said Matthew Chojnacki, schools superintendent.
He likened the attack to Pearl Harbor.