Attacks slow nation to near halt

Around the world, security is tightened

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Air travel stopped, businesses closed and government facilities were evacuated Tuesday in the wake of apparent terrorist attacks that sent two hijacked airplanes into the World Trade Center, one aircraft into the Pentagon and one crashing to the ground in Pennsylvania.

The attacks slowed down travel, commerce and government operations and led to increased security worldwide. Below is a listing of how the attacks affected institutions that millions of people use and depend on to conduct their daily lives.

TRANSPORTATION

For the first time in U.S. history, the Federal Aviation Administration shut down air traffic nationwide. The FAA said the ban would not be lifted until noon EDT Wednesday, at the earliest.

Incoming trans-Atlantic flights were diverted to Canada. By day's end, British Columbia's Vancouver International Airport expected to receive at least 33 aircraft diverted from cities around the world, including Asia and the United States, carrying an estimated 4,000 to 6,000 passengers, according to an airport statement. Other planes were being diverted to Toronto International Airport.

All tunnels and bridges into and out of New York City were shut down by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. In Manhattan, subway service was shut down, but limited operations were later restored.

Los Angeles International Airport was evacuated after the attacks. Three of the hijacked flights had been headed for the Los Angeles airport, including an American Airlines flight and a United Airlines flight, both from Boston, that crashed into the World Trade Center and an American Airlines flight that departed from Washington and later crashed into the Pentagon.

United Airlines grounded all its flights worldwide.

Both the San Francisco International Airport and Boston's Logan International Airport were shut down and evacuated.

Amtrak canceled all train service in the Northeast corridor from Boston to Washington, and the Greyhound bus company also canceled operations in the Northeast and in "select locations" around the country.

There was heightened monitoring of all bridges and dams. The Grand Coulee Dam and powerhouse in central Washington state were locked down while its visitor center was closed. The Hoover Dam on the Nevada-Arizona line closed, including the highway that spans it, and officials in San Francisco tightened security at the Golden Gate Bridge.

The U.S. section of the St. Lawrence Seaway was closed, and security for Great Lakes shipping was increased.

Louisiana's Offshore Oil Port, which handles supertankers in the Gulf of Mexico, suspended operations.

The Coast Guard inspected ships at St. Marys River, which links lakes Huron and Superior.

Overseas, Great Britain and Belgium both banned commercial flights over their respective capitals, and Britain issued travel warnings to its citizens in the United States. Israel closed its airspace to international flights and evacuated staff from diplomatic missions and Jewish institutions around the world.

FINANCIAL AND BUSINESS INSTITUTIONS

All major U.S. stock exchanges were closed and will remain closed Wednesday.

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York, just three blocks from the World Trade Center, remained open throughout Tuesday's attacks, though it shifted its electronic funds transfer and security transfer system to backup computers at the Federal Reserve Regional Bank in Richmond, Virginia.

The U.S. Federal Reserve system remained open, and its discount window provided liquidity to financial markets as needed.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said Tuesday it will announce when U.S. equities markets will reopen Wednesday.

In Chicago, Illinois, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and the Chicago Board of Trade were evacuated.

Coca-Cola closed down its world headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, sending personnel home.

DaimlerChrysler and Ford Motor Co. all closed their headquarters in Michigan as well as closing many plants across the nation. General Motors allowed employees to go home if they so chose.

Many other businesses around the country shut their doors or allowed employees to go home.

BUILDINGS

The Sears Tower was shut down in Chicago.

The upper floors of Louisiana's 34-story Capitol building closed in Baton Rouge.

The 51-story IDS Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, was closed, along with the Mall of America in suburban Bloomington and the World Trade Center in St. Paul.

The United Nations in New York was evacuated as a precaution.

Most universities and schools in the New York closed, including Columbia, New York University, Fordham and Pace. Six NYU dorms have been evacuated consistent with the evacuation of lower Manhattan.

GOVERNMENT

All federal offices in Washington were closed. The city also declared a state of emergency.

About a million federal workers across the country were sent home. The U.S. General Services Administration said all federal offices will reopen Wednesday, except those in New York. The majority of federal buildings were closed Tuesday.

All federal and state buildings in Massachusetts were closed, including those in Boston, where two of the crashed planes originated.

Security was increased at U.S. embassies around the world.

Various state buildings were closed nationwide.

Voting in the New York mayoral primary was halted and elections in Syracuse and Buffalo were delayed.

The Southern Governors' Association canceled its annual fall meeting and the Democratic National Committee canceled meetings scheduled to begin Thursday in Miami, Florida.

MILITARY/POLICE

U.S. military installations worldwide were placed on high alert. The Pentagon said the alert is known as Threatcon Delta. The alert means a terrorist attack has occurred or intelligence has been received that action against a specific location is likely.

NASA administrator Daniel Goldin ordered seven NASA field centers closed, and technicians powered down and "safed" four space shuttle orbiters. The shuttles Discovery, Columbia and Endeavour are in their hangars known as Orbital Processing Facilities. Some 12,000 employees of Kennedy Space Center in Florida were sent home.

Nonessential personnel from the Naval Weapons Station in Goose Creek, South Carolina, were evacuated and 1,700 workers at the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center sent home.

Oklahoma police created a one-block perimeter around the prison where bombing conspirator Terry Nichols is incarcerated.

Japan ordered security increased outside U.S. military bases in Japan.

SPORTS, ENTERTAINMENT AND TOURIST ATTRACTIONS

The 2001 Emmy Awards, scheduled for September 16 in New York, were postponed by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

All Broadway shows were canceled Tuesday night, according to the League of American Theatres and Producers.

In Seattle, Washington, the famous Space Needle was closed. The landmark also had been shut down during millennium celebrations in December 1999 amid fears of a terrorist attack.

The Toronto International Film Festival canceled all activities Tuesday.

New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art shut down.

In Boston, tall buildings, including the Hancock and Prudential, were evacuated.

In Philadelphia, Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell were closed. National monuments in Boston also were closed.

All major league baseball games scheduled for Tuesday night have been suspended.

The NFL said the league is weighing what to do about this weekend's football games.

Multiple collegiate athletics events were canceled.

The PGA canceled Thursday's start of the World Golf Championship and two other tournaments.

Disney World in Orlando, Florida, and all Disneyland parks in Anaheim, California, were closed, but resort hotels remain open for its guests.

Universal Studios Hollywood closed.

Busch Gardens in Tampa Bay, Florida, shut down and offered refunds to guests.

New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art shut down.

Knott's Berry Farm in Orange County, California, was closed.

In Los Angeles, the Museum of Tolerance and the 1,700-foot Library Tower were closed.

The New Mexico State Fair was closed and horse races canceled.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.