TULSA, Okla. — Anchored by Karen Larsen and John Walls, the Channel 2 News NightBeat from Sept. 11, 2001 featured a half-hour straight of uninterrupted news coverage from around Green Country.
Channel 2 News reporter Rebecca Seebirt reported live from The Full Moon Cafe on Cherry Street with reaction of the day’s events from Tulsans.
Then, reporter Michelle Lowry checks on long lines at gas pumps by midday as concerns grew of panic buying around Tulsa.
At Tulsa International Airport, Channel 2’s Vince Sims interviewed airline passengers and airport officials affected by the nationwide air traffic shutdown.
At the Catholic Diocese of Tulsa, Amy Kaufeldt reports priests and other leaders hold masses for people gripping with mourning and fear of the unknown.
Gov. Frank Keating sent state employees home early and ordered flags flown at half-staff.
The Tulsa World published its first special edition since V-J Day in 1945.
The local chapter of the American Red Cross and Oklahoma Blood Institute led phone banks at the KJRH studios to get sign-ups for blood donations to help victims of the morning’s tragedies.
2 News Oklahoma
Anchor Karen Larsen then reported on a 22-year-old woman named Melissa who described evacuating from a meeting on the 61st floor of the 1 WTC after the first plane impact. Blocks away in Manhattan, 18-year-old college student Meredith Ferguson of Tulsa said she witnessed the crash into the tower. Both interviews were via phone call.
Pete Knutson reported on lockdowns at Thomas Edison Middle & High School in Tulsa, with parent reaction and connections to the day’s events.
Reporter Deborah Caskey interviewed local mental health experts on what people of all ages should do to take care of each other and themselves after such a devastating day.
Oklahoma U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe spoke with Channel 2 News by phone of what he assessed as a “failure” of U.S. intelligence.
Reporter Russ McCaskey was at Tulsa Air National Guard to report on the base reaching the highest possible security status in wake of the attacks.
As the attacks are the worst on American soil since the Pearl Harbor attack, reporter Kasey Marler spoke with World War II veterans at a local American Leagion post.
In local news, September 11 was a municipal election day for several cities, including Bartlesville, Jenks, and Liberty.
