Many kind people in Caymanian society volunteered themselves to aid families caught up in the devastation of the 9/11 attacks.

Chuck Quappe, a well-known entertainer on the island, lost a brother in the attack. He was a long-serving fireman with the New York Fire Department and much of his 15 years service was spent in an elite rescue squad called Rescue Two.

Lincoln Quappe’s remains were found around September 22nd 2001. From evidence at the scene, they believe Mr. Quappe was in the second building among the debris of the 80th floor.

The driving force behind bringing some of the distraught 9/11 families to Cayman was CITA and in particular the manager at the time Nicole, who has long since departed Cayman.

The expenses needed to bring the families here, including fares and payment of crew, were all donated by Cayman Airways Ltd.

Hotels like Comfort Suites and Reef Resort donated rooms while restaurants such as Cracked Conch and Grand Old House sponsored lunches and dinners. Red Sails sports donated water actives for the families.

Chuck said,” This was so overwhelming to all of us with families who had suffered such tragic losses to receive the outpouring of affection and caring from the Cayman community.

“Families of fire fighters who died were given a reprieve from the heavy burden of loss and of continuing to search “the pile” for those as yet unidentified.

“It demonstrated the best of the Cayman community in such a powerful way the power to help others begin to heal in the beautiful Cayman environment.”

9/11 Fact File

•           Twenty survivors were pulled out of the rubble.

One was a secretary rescued after 27 hours.

•           One survivor escaped from the South Tower as it collapsed

Ron DiFrancesco was one of just four people who escaped from above the 81st floor. He was on his way out when the second plane hit; it collapsed just after he exited.

•           Fires burned for 99 days

The last fires at Ground Zero weren’t extinguished completely until Dec. 19, 2001.

•           Three skyscrapers fell in New York

But you’ll be hard pressed to find much coverage of World Trade Center Building 7, a 47-story building thought to have collapsed due to “ancillary damage” from the Twin Towers.

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