Midwest hearts have wrapped around the families of East Coast terrorism victims. At the same time, caution has engulfed much of the area. North Dakota National Guard Camp Grafton upped security along with Devils Lake Public Schools yesterday after news of the attack on America spread. Officials are prepared to increase their methods today.
The Devils Lake Municipal Airport closed.
Activities at Camp Grafton escalated to “Threat Con Bravo” yesterday afternoon. The move from precautionary measures to “medium threat” activity is “not just another day at the office,” according to Sergeant First Class Rob Keller.
Camp Grafton initiated gate control and “heightened awareness” on orders from Brigadier General Mike Haugen. “Basically, it involves watching and looking for anything unusual or out of place,” Keller said. “They are inspecting and screening any incoming shipments.”
“Right now we’re just scrambling to get security forces in place and making sure everything is covered,” Colonel Rohich, Camp Grafton Commander said yesterday afternoon. “Our first priority is to secure Camp Grafton … we’re securing the installation and taking care of our people.”
Devils Lake School Superintendent Steve Swiontek took similar measures. All local schools were in a “lock down” situation around 10 a.m., with entrances monitored to ensure student safety.
“We’re concerned about the activity on the East Coast and to ensure safety we are going to these measures,” he said yesterday. “Thus far we have had no panic in students and staff. We don’t want to scare them and we don’t want to put them in a panic situation.” The decision to continue the lock down today is “very likely,” he said.
All outdoor activities had been moved indoors and the girls’ basketball game in Grafton was canceled last night. “Out of respect for the victims of the East Coast attack we thought this time should be a time for us all to be at home and try to understand this attack on America and be with our families,” Swiontek said.
Disbelief and shock have tangled their ugly fingers around residents. Camp Grafton was plagued with many phone calls from people seeking clarity, according to Rohich. “I don’t know if we can comprehend what’s happened. Everyone is in a daze … Everybody is pretty much in awe right now.”
High school and middle school students can grasp the seriousness of the situation. “I think the initial response was ‘unbelievable,’” Swiontek said. Elementary students understand very little – “not fully yet.”
Local gas stations were hit last night in a panic reaction. Several stations had customers lined around the block. Gouldings One Stop sold 836 gallons from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and sold 3,908 gallons from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. Gas prices at SuperPumper hit $2.19 a gallon, which dropped at 10 a.m. today to $1.89 from a high of $3.29 yesterday. They sold an estimated 2,000 gallons. Cenex West sold 8,500 gallons, Cenex East sold 5,400. Joe’s Corner Mart sold 70 percent more than usual.
Taken from Devils Lake Journal, Wednesday, September 12, 2001, Title: Terrorist attack hits home, Author: Dani Marchand, Journal Staff Writer