Some feel change after attacks One month after disaster, Mainers deal with different world

loading...

PORTLAND – Shannon Stevens and Melissa Mallory don’t want to go to big cities, fly on a plane, take a bus, ride a subway or even hail a taxi. They stay away from big sporting events and fret about biological warfare.

One month after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, and hundreds of miles away, some Mainers feel their lives have changed in a way they could never have imagined. Others carry on unaffected, feeling safe in a rural state and not letting terrorists accomplish their goal of instilling fear.

And for some, such as law enforcement officers, airport workers, emergency workers and even water districts, they cannot help but be affected as their jobs have taken a new and busy turn.

“All law enforcement is looking at things differently. There’s nothing that has equaled our involvement in this type of security measures since World War II,” said Stephen McCausland of the Maine Department of Public Safety.

Before hijacked planes crashed into the World Trade Center and Pentagon, customers used to call the Portland Water District and ask about their account balance, or how to conserve water. Now they call to report suspicious cars near Sebago Lake, or simply for reassurance about what steps the water district is taking to prevent deliberate contamination by terrorists.

“People don’t usually think about the water and now we’re getting calls from people who want to know about our security and water quality monitoring,” said Michelle Clements, spokeswoman for the water district.

Gov. Angus King, who spent the night of the attacks at the Maine Emergency Management Agency headquarters in Augusta, has seen his workload increase dramatically with a new focus on security.

Outside the office, King has continued with his routine with his wife and their children.

“I’ve tried very hard outside of the office to live life normally because I think that it’s important,” King said Wednesday. “If we substantially change our lives and don’t do things then that’s handing a victory to the terrorists that they don’t deserve.”

Since the attacks, most people have become more watchful or aware of their surroundings, said Dr. Carl Metzger, a Portland psychiatrist.

“People are watching all the time now and looking to be pre-emptive. It’s because the threat is so vague and it can cover any geographic location,” he said.

When Mallory watched the planes flying into the trade center, the first thing she thought was: “I’m glad I don’t live in New York.”

But that has changed to a new fear since the United States began military strikes against Afghanistan and she watched Osama bin Laden warn of future assaults on America. Maine no longer seems immune to her.

Metzger said people suffered acute anxiety after the attacks and the fears have grown since the U.S. bombing campaign in Afghanistan.

“Definitely there is increased anxiety because there is the issue of the unknown harm or fear of vulnerability obviously made worse by seeing somebody actually threaten to harm us,” Metzger said.

Jeff Schultes, manager of the Portland International Airport, where two of the terrorists began their day on Sept. 11, has been working in the last month to assure passengers that it is safe to fly.

“My job right now is focused about 85 percent on security and about 15 percent on the other aspects with managing an airport,” he said. “It’s been difficult because there’s still an airport to run.”

In the last month, the Maine Bureau of Health has been on alert to monitor disease patterns that may represent a biological or chemical terrorist attack.

“Since September, the work to complete a bioterrorism response plan has moved from the back burner to the front burner,” said Dr. Kathleen Gensheimer, state epidemiologist. “Before, there wasn’t a lot of interest and now people want it done yesterday.”

The bureau also is flooded with phone calls, especially after reports that a man died from anthrax in Florida. “The anthrax questions have come in wild and woolly. People are scared and want to know where to get antibiotics, vaccines and gas masks,” Gensheimer said.

While Gensheimer doesn’t recommend any of these, Nate Stoney, 18, and Heather Shattuck-Faegre, 21, say they’re ready.

They carry their newly purchased gas masks with them everywhere. And Stoney plans to buy a water purification system.

“We’re bombing them so of course they’re going to mess with us,” Shattuck-Faegre said. “The end is coming very soon.”

As for Stevens, a student at Southern Maine Technical College, she has had nightmares. And she’s rethinking her trip to South Africa this winter.

She is not alone. Some still may suffer sleeplessness, impaired appetite or decreased concentration, Metzger said.

Dave Melendez, 41, of South Portland is worried about his sister, a combat nurse stationed overseas. But one month later, he thinks there has to be some good: People are more appreciative of their lives and those around them.

As a city worker taking care of parks in downtown Portland, he’s noticed people are more polite and friendly.

“We’ve taken a lot for granted over the decades. I think this is a good eye-opener,” Melendez said. “It often takes suffering to make people realize what they have.”