On September 11th, 2001, Delta flight #15, flying from Frankfurt to Atlanta, was diverted to Gander, NFLD. The pilots that US flight borders had been closed and that the military controlled the airspace. The flight landed in Gander at 12:30 NFLD time along with 52 other planes. For the next 3 days, the people of Gander, population 10,000 hosted an estimated 8,000 people that were in shock from the day's tragic events.
Lewisporte, a town of fewer than 4,000, took in 800 of the passengers for three days until the planes could enter the United States." No matter where we were, we had everything we needed. People brought towels and blankets from their homes, they brought home-made food. We slept on cots or mats from the local school's gym, and there were boxes and boxes of deodorant, shampoo and razors were provided...anything we needed. At night, the ladies of the town would pick up used towels, take them home to wash them, and bring them back fresh the next day. It was incredible," shared Shirley Brooks-Jones.
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