Washington, DC news
 

For Fodorites expecting visitors from the US, they probably won't be arriving today or maybe tomorrow. ALL air travel in the US has been grounded. DC's Metro subway has suspended all service for now. A fire rages at the Pentagon and there is an unconfirmed fire on The Mall in central Washington, DC. I work on the north edge of Capitol Hill in DC, and we're all--to say the least--a little nervous here. <BR>More later.

Mark, <BR>Are you okay? What is going on there? <BR>I am praying for you.

All international flighted headed to the US have been diverted to Canada.

Canada has now said "no more". Their borders/airports are closed. All international flights, on the way to the US will be turning around.

Thank you all for your concern. I work in a television facility that's in the basement of a Capitol Hill area office building. This place is constructed much like a bank vault: very heavy, very thick steel doors, mutiple layers of concrete block, poured concrete, and industrial drywall, etc. I'm probably in one of the safer places in DC right now. <BR>Getting conflicting reports on whether DC's metro service is running or not. Know for a fact that Union Station (the train station) is closed. More later. <BR>-Mark

The BBC just said that although Canadian airports are closed, they will still be accepting incoming flights that had been diverted from the USA, or for humanitarian reasons. Otherwise, there would be limited options for flights that had already got more than half way across the Atlantic. <BR> <BR>Our thoughts and prayers are with you all in America.

How are you doing, Mark?

I'm a consultant to the Pentagon and luckily was not scheduled to go there today; I work not far and it's a little crazy around here, most people have left although my building was not evacuated, they have closed the doors to the street so no one can enter without card key (they're usu open). Lots of sirens around here although they've died down now. Mark, from what I've heard the metro is indeed running normally except the stops near the Pentagon have been closed off, of course. I know the train station has been closed down in addition to all airports. Highway 395 is closed down near the Pengtagon and some other streets.

We're getting mixed reports about Washington, D.C.: is the mall on fire or not - if so, from what? <BR>Was there a bomb found outside the State Dept. or not?

I'm in Vancouver, BC, right now.USA/Canadian border is still open but slowed to a trickle. In fact unless you are American or on business they're not letting anyone back into USA from the freedom Arch entrance.

My husband works for the Secret Service and was called into work this afternoon. I have no idea where he'll be or what time he'll be home. I am just so thankful I don't work in DC anymore.

DC is basically closed down and anyone thinking of visiting in the next few days should wait until the state of emergency is over. <BR> <BR>The fire still rages at the Pentagon and the Pentagon Metro stop is closed. To my knowledge the rest of the Metro is running. There is a bus bridge (always very inconvenient) around the Pentagon. <BR> <BR>If you want to gawk at the Pentagon fire, you probably will not be allowed anywhere near it. <BR> <BR>Fortunately for me (I work out of my home) I did not need to be in DC until 11:00am. When I got to Metro, I found out about the terrorist hits and went home. <BR> <BR>Emotionally this will take us all a long time to deal with.

As far as I know, there is no fire on the mall nor anywhere in DC. I have not read or heard that anywhere except on here and am checking local news, so I don't think that's happened. The car bomb outside State Dept report was disavowed by Federal protective services a bit after it was reported, so I think that is not true, either. Since I work with people at the Pentagon, that is my main concern but I can't get anyone to answer the phones I'm calling. I've heard there was massive destruction there in the 4th-5th corridors (Army side).

Washington and parts of Virginia are in an official state of emergency. Anyone thinking of touring anything tomorrow is almost surely out of luck. <BR> <BR>Montgomery county schools closed early, and all events were cancelled. People are quite freaked out, and grocery stores and roads were packed this afternoon. Don't know the school situation for tomorrow. <BR> <BR>Good news is that one part of the Pentagon that was struck had been vacated before the attack because they were planning to renovate. Only 30+ people injured so far, so maybe the toll will be lower than first feared at the Pentagon.

Mark, <BR>I have been thinking of you and wondering how you are this morning. My heart is wiht you in DC and all the families who lost loved ones. <BR>Please let us know how you are doing. <BR>God's Blessings, <BR>Gigi

Once again, thanks to all for your concern and for providing up-to-date information for travelers in and around DC. <BR>Everbody I know is pretty much sick with grief. I live in Maryland in the outer DC suburbs, so safety at home isn't an issue. When I left work yesterday at 2:00pm, the only sound over Washington was the roar of U.S. fighter jets providing "air cover" for the city. This is something I never expected to experience. Today I've occasionally heard the fighters fly over my house. <BR>Work will probably reopen tomorrow, but at least I spend most of my time in the basement! If anybody has specific questions about the situation in or near DC, please feel free to email me directly. Peace.