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The US Coast Guard played a significant role in evacuating over half a million people from Lower Manhattan after the 9/11 attacks, using their own resources to improvise an evacuation operation. The Coast Guard was established in 1790 and has played a crucial role in emergency response during disasters such as Hurricane Katrina. It operates under the Department of Homeland Security since 2003.
While most people are aware of the emergency evacuation efforts undertaken by police officers and firefighters on September 11, 2001, the extent of assistance from the US Coast Guard on that day is less well known. The Coast Guard made a significant contribution by organizing the evacuation of more than half a million people from Lower Manhattan following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. When the World Trade Center in New York was attacked, hundreds of thousands of people were trapped in Lower Manhattan south of the towers. Only those north of the World Trade Center were allowed to leave Manhattan on foot, across the Brooklyn Bridge. In this moment of desperation, the Coast Guard stepped in and undertook an evacuation operation improvising with their own resources. They used military, private and commercial boats, ferries, tugboats and other vessels to evacuate civilians from the southern tip of Manhattan. The evacuees were taken to New Jersey and Staten Island.
Learn more about the US Coast Guard:
The US Coast Guard was established in 1790 as a maritime service to enforce federal trade and tariff laws.
The Coast Guard has played an integral role in emergency response and evacuation during many other disasters, including Hurricane Katrina.
Since 2003, the Coast Guard has operated under the United States Department of Homeland Security. Operates only under the Navy during times of war.
