Maine delegation horrified

WASHINGTON – Stunned, horrified, angry. These are the words that Maine’s congressional members used when describing their reaction to the terrorist attacks on New York’s World Trade Center and the Pentagon in Washington that took place Tuesday.

It was nothing less than an “act of war,” said the Republican Sen. Susan Collins. “My heart goes out to all; I am very saddened,” she said of the victims and their loved ones. “This is the worst attack since Pearl Harbor.”

Others shared similar reactions.

“All Americans need to find the courage and determination to help this country recover and to care for those who have lost their loved ones,” said Rep. Tom Allen, D-Portland. “This is the most terrible tragedy of our time.”

Before the first jet plane smashed into one of the towers at the World Trade Center, most members of Congress were attending to their daily business of hearings and meetings on Capitol Hill. That all changed with the news of a second jet slicing through a twin tower, and soon after, of a third plane careening into the Pentagon.

In fear of more attacks, officials quickly began advising that most federal buildings be evacuated. Top congressional leaders were offered a secure government

location 75 miles west of Washington.

In the early morning confusion, Rep. John Baldacci, D-Bangor, had already left the Longworth House Office Building when the Pentagon was hit. “You could feel the explosion,” he said.

Soon after, U.S. military jets scrambled in the sky above the nation’s capital.

“It was like we were going to war,” Baldacci recalled. “We are so used to thinking we are very, very safe. It shakes you down to your roots.”

Maine’s senior Republican, Sen. Olympia Snowe, and her staff left their office building in the morning after being told of a “suspicious package” in the hallway.

“Like all America, I am horrified at this outrageous attack,” Snowe said during a telephone interview after relocating to

a staff member’s home. “It’s difficult to comprehend the full scale of the human and national tragedy, because it is a tragedy

on so many levels. … I am in total disbelief that anybody could have the capacity to cause this upheaval.

Without exception, Maine lawmakers said they were confident that those responsible for the attack will be caught and made accountable for their actions. “First and foremost, we have to make sure we find out who perpetrated this most atrocious attack on innocent Americans,” Snowe said.

Baldacci agreed. “We have to be measured about this, but also very, very determined to see these people brought to justice along with the people who housed them and let them stay in their country,” he said.