The lives they saved : the untold story of medics, mariners, and the incredible boat lift that evacuated nearly 300,000 people from New York City on 9/11

The Lives They Saved is the story in artifacts and oral histories of the 300,000 New Yorkers who were evacuated from Manhattan on 9/11...by boat. It is a story that has not yet been written about or told. It includes hundreds of oral histories and many photographs of this high drama, set against the terrifying backdrop of the day when the Earth stood still, every airport in the U.S. was closed down, and Manhattan was seized by gridlock. For perspective, the boatlift that saved Britain’s expeditionary force from the beaches of Dunkirk removed approximately the same number of people: 300,000. The Lives They Saved is the story told through oral histories of the approximately 300,000 people who were evacuated from Manhattan on 9/11...by boat. Sourced from official documents and declassified interviews, it is the untold story of medics and mariners who spontaneously came together to pull off an unscripted evacuation of one of the busiest, most densely populated cities in the world--all against the terrifying backdrop of the day when the Earth stood still, every airport in the United States was closed down, and Manhattan was seized by gridlock. For perspective, the boatlift that saved Britain's expeditionary force from the beaches of Dunkirk removed approximately the same number of people: 300,000 soldiers--over multiple days. The 9/11 evacuation was completed--also at great peril-- in just hours. -- From dust jacket