Episode 24 – 9/11 In Newfoundland

Tuesday will mark the 17th anniversary of the September 11th attacks on the United States. Over 200 planes were diverted from the US to Canada, and over 70 of those planes landed in Newfoundland and Labrador. There was no plan in place for this type of thing. At the time, it just wasn’t something people thought could happen.

At the airport in St. John’s, 27 planes landed, carrying over 4,000 passengers and crew. 38 planes ended up in Gander. Over 6,000 people ended up stranded in the town, which almost doubled its population in one day.

This is the story of how the province reacted.