Tragedy hits home

Southeast Missouri residents looking to show their patriotism in the wake of tragedy rushed to stores this week and snapped up thousands of flags.

Wal-Mart in Cape Girardeau was sold out of American flags by Thursday afternoon but expected a shipment that night.

Kmart sold out of every flag available this week, assistant manager Margie White said.

And the Southeast Missourian sold out of every Wednesday newspaper, which included full-color, paper flags suitable for display. Co-president Jon Rust said the newspaper is providing the flags again today, plus has 4,300 more available at no cost at the Southeast Missourian office.

"On Tuesday, we wanted to do something immediately to show our solidarity with all Americans and our pride in being Americans," he said. "We ran out Wednesday, and people were calling throughout the day Thursday. So we printed more, and cost was not a factor."

City is 'war zone' for Cape mom

The e-mail subject line read simply "I'm ok" and was confirmation to Linda Tansil of Cape Girardeau that her daughter, Susan, was fine after terrorist attacks hit New York and Washington Tuesday morning.

Susan Tansil is a junior attending New York University in Manhattan, and her parents never thought "we'd be sending her to a war zone," Linda Tansil said in an e-mail to the Southeast Missourian.

As word spread about the attacks, the Cape Girardeau mother said the moments were the most helpless, desperate hours of her life.

Susan was on the bus in Manhattan Tuesday morning when the twin towers of the World Trade Center were struck by the hijacked planes. She watched 30 floors of the building collapse. Papers fell from the sky like rain.

"I can't go home, I don't know when I will be able to," she wrote in the message to her parents. "I'm OK. I'm definitely OK. Shaken, horrified, you know words don't work right now."

On Wednesday, Susan again sent a message to her parents -- e-mail has been one of their limited means of communication since the tragedy -- telling them about what was happening.

"The entire downtown is covered in 4 inches of white dust, and there are supposedly debris and body parts everywhere," Susan said, adding that she's not been back to her apartment since Tuesday. She lives about a half-mile away from the devastated area.

Emerson's flag bill passes unanimously

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. House unanimously approved a resolution on Thursday urging Americans to fly the American flag at homes, businesses, schools and churches for the next 30 days in the wake of this week's terrorist attacks on the East Coast.

U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson of Cape Girardeau authored the original resolution that was adopted by House Speaker Dennis Hastert and House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt.

Hastert said flying the flag is a way that all Americans can send a signal at home and abroad that "the red, white and blue represents freedom and democracy and those ideals will live on."

Emerson said, "Whether it is at home, work, in public buildings, schools or places of worship, this is a symbolic gesture to remember those individuals who have been lost and to show the solidarity, resolve and strength of the greatest nation on earth -- the United States of America."

Emerson, a Republican, said flying Old Glory is a way that all Americans can display their patriotism.

Area students shaken but coping

Counselors said students at Jackson and Cape Girardeau schools are dealing with the tragedy on the East Coast in a healthy manor.

Tuesday, there was shock and confusion, said Jeff Wyatt, a counselor at Cape Girardeau High School.

The parents of one of the students "were in D.C. at the time, but once they contacted him things calmed down," Wyatt said.

Events are removed enough from the immediate area that students' lives have not really been interrupted, he said.

In Jackson, school counselor Sarah Nussbaum had similar reports.

One student had a parent in New York and another had a parent in Washington. Both were relieved to learn their families were OK.

By Thursday, students were just subdued. Instead of rage or despair, the common attitude seems to be "how can we help?" Wyatt said.

Oak Ridge students collect pennies

Students in the fourth grade at Oak Ridge, Mo., Elementary School have collected buckets of pennies to be donated to the American Red Cross.

The students originally began the collection last week with the intention of donating the proceeds to children who will be hospitalized during the Christmas holidays. Since Tuesday's terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C., the students voted to donate the money to the Red Cross.

"When this happened Tuesday, one of the students asked if it could be donated to the victims and families," said Kristina Jones, teacher. "It shows how we can help in small ways."

So far, the drive has collected checks and buckets of pennies likely worth $500, Jones said.

Tragedy postpones autism conference

An autism conference that would have brought 400-500 people to Cape Girardeau this weekend has been postponed until October due to the grounding of planes in the wake of Tuesday's terrorism.

Defeat Autism Now was supposed to bring national autism experts from all across the country to the city to discuss the disorder.

"We had people who were going to fly in from Europe, from New York, so obviously they couldn't do that now," said Susan Cockerill, a project director for the Southeast Missouri Autism Project.

Cockerill said they plan to make it up in a weekend in October, but no new date has been set.

Staff writers Andrea L. Buchanan, Laura Johnston, Mark Bliss and Scott Moyers contributed to this report.