by John Thorburn, student journalist based in Seattle, USA. For more see... John Thorburn.com
Seattle: News was just released that 3 Navy gunships have been deployed from the Everett Naval Base to patrol and protect the
Puget Sound area. It is rumored that one of the ships will move into Elliot Bay which is located on the westside of
Downtown Seattle.
My guess is this type of military presence will reside in urban areas for quite some time.
Sea-Tac airport has basically been shutdown. Living right under the approach path of the planes, there's an eery silence
around the area.
The annoying jet engines that usually annoy me would be a comforting sound right now. No such luck this day.
I was told my dad's flight was canceled before he left so he's still at home. All flights headed towards Sea-Tac were
directed to Vancouver, BC.
Basically all government, both federal and local buildings have been closed to the public if not entirely.
The Space Needle and Bank of America building (the largest in Seattle) have shut their doors.
All buildings surrounding the BofA building have also been closed. The Pacific Science Center has also been shutdown.
Basically any events or locations that draw a large number of people in one area have been closed.
The MYA concert at the Puyallup Fair (probably at her own request) has been canceled this evening but the Fair remains
open.
All shopping malls have shut thier doors. All museums have been closed.
One of the area colleges that holds classes at McChord Air Force base near Tacoma have been canceled.
I'm sure forces both at McChord and the army base Fort Lewis are on guard. The ferry systems are running limited to no
vehicles with the exception of a few routes.