On Sept. 11, 2001, Tom Von Essen, the fire commissioner for New York, was one of the first people on the scene at the World Trade Center: “We never needed help before in New York, but at the Trade Center, we needed it. FEMA brought in the incident management teams and all of the experts that we didn’t have, to help all the firefighters and police officers and FEMA folks that were trying so hard, for months, to find people.”

“I'll tell you what stood out. It's two things; a, the humanity of the people that were involved in the moment. I don't care who they were, where they were from. I mean, I even had cab drivers that were smiling and waving ask, ‘Can I help you?’” said Fargione. “And then the other side of that is the resiliency of this city and of this state. It is absolutely remarkable.”

“Just like everybody in the nation, our thoughts were reeling, but maybe differently than other folks, many other folks, is that we had something constructive that we could do with those emotions,” said Sterling.  “We had a task to do and so it allowed us to kind of focus those emotions and energies toward something that we thought was extremely important and extremely productive as we went about setting up that center for the FBI.”

“We had to really think outside of traditional media,” said Gref, noting the challenges of navigating messaging following the attacks.

To best reach those impacted, she designed posters that were displayed in New York City subway carts and coordinated an agreement to display the FEMA registration number on the NASDAQ building.

After Sept. 11, 2001, native New Yorker Patrick Cornbill was working in FEMA’s community relations program, helping to provide housing assistance to those affected by the closures in lower Manhattan. “At that time, New York was renowned for being impersonal and even rude; but after 9/11, everyone was hugging each other in the streets and really came together. I think that was a sea change in the culture of New York, and I think that was true across the country for quite a long time.”

“Those images we shared with the teams allows those team members to tell their stories, and to help relate what it really felt like to be there,” said FEMA Photographer Michael Rieger.

“The first couple days I did logistics, we were coordinating the movement of resources to ground zero We coordinate the movement of cranes, rescue personnel (and) other assets,” said Tierney.

“I carry 9/11 with me every day. I think about my coworkers at New York City Emergency Management often… and the people who died in 9/11, I like to think that I carry them with me every day, and think about them to keep their memories alive.”

“During that period, you saw the best in people. During terrible times, ordinary people do extraordinary things,” said Lai Sun. “They are able to have a direct impact on people and were saving lives.”

Her experience on 9/11 served as a catalyst for Lai Sun, who pivoted from her work as an attorney toward pursuing a career in emergency management.

“It was constant problem solving,” said Donovan, recounting that morning and his work to coordinate response efforts.  “Which is really at the heart of what emergency managers and FEMA does.”

On Sept. 14, 2001, Berl D. Jones Jr. volunteered at ground zero in New York to help with search and rescue efforts. “That day, the firefighting was probably the easiest part. I think the toughest part was the emotional impact… “

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell describes the shock she felt when she heard the news on 9/11: “I was a lieutenant on the Aurora Fire Department assigned at our training academy… the impacts of that event reached far beyond a single day. Members of our military quickly deployed, myself included, in support of operations designed to bring those responsible to justice, protect our values and combat terrorism.”

As the lead for the FEMA Public Assistance program, Alejandro supported all levels of government in their response and recovery operations: urban search and rescue, debris removal and repairs to critical infrastructure.

“It has been a unique event that has marked my FEMA career and also my life, because we realize how things can change so quick in a matter of seconds,” said Alejandro.