The city of Austin prepares to honor those who died in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks by holding a "day of remembrance."
Austin Mayor Will Wynn, has proclaimed Sept. 9 to be the "day for 9/11 remembrance and preparedness." On Friday morning, the members of the Building Owners and Managers Association will hand out 9/11 memorial pins and cards to their tenants.
"Remembrance lighting" has also been coordinated throughout Austin, beginning at sunset and concluding on Sept. 10 at sunrise. The Capitol, state buildings, city hall, downtown BOMA-member buildings and the UT Tower will light its upper two floors to commemorate the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks.
In addition to showing support for the families and friends of those lost on Sept. 11, the event will highlight the importance of planning safety procedures for emergencies.
"We want to highlight the need of preparedness and think about how the city can be ready to respond to disaster," explained BOMA spokeswoman Melissa Anthony.
Especially at this time, with the disaster that struck the Gulf Coast due to Hurricane Katrina, it is all the more important to have a disaster-relief plan and an alliance for protecting the city, she said.
BOMA's evacuation and bomb-squad demonstration has been canceled due to events in Louisiana, since many BOMA volunteers have gone to help with the Katrina relief efforts. But City Hall will still hold its regularly scheduled Live From the Plaza concert series that has taken place every Friday at noon this summer.
The Austin Fire Department will be holding its fourth annual memorial at the Old Fire Training Tower on Cesar Chavez Street to remember the New York firefighters and the victims of the attacks. The day will begin at 7:30 a.m. with a flag raising, followed by a moment of silence.
The program will not only honor the 343 firefighters that died in the Sept. 11 attacks, but will also recognize Americans involved in Iraq and Afghanistan. Furthermore, the memorial will recognize the firefighters returning from relief efforts from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.
The procession hopes to "educate and show [the public] what took place on Sept. 11 and how firefighters were involved" said Mike Martinez, president of Austin Firefighters Association. The guest speakers will include U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, and Mayor Wynn.
On campus, flags will remain at half-staff until Sept. 20 to commemorate the events of Sept. 11, the victims of Hurricane Katrina, as well as to honor the passing of Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist.
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