Seattle Times news services

All times PST

4:45-5:21 a.m.: Scheduled takeoff times of the four hijacked flights.

5:45 a.m.: First hijacked jetliner hits World Trade Center in New York. The second hits at 6:03 PST.

6 a.m.: Seattle Police chief Gil Kerlikowske says he saw the first bulletin of the terrorist attack on the TV news while shaving. He calls the department to start emergency precautions. At about the same time, Washington State Patrol Capt. Eric Robertson says he hears news of the attack from National Public Radio while driving to work. He pages State Patrol Chief Ronal Serpas.

6:10 a.m.: (Approx.) Gov. Gary Locke and King County Executive Ron Sims hear about the disaster on TV news.

6:19 a.m.: News reaches State Emergency Operations Center at Camp Murray, south of Tacoma. Duty officers page Maj. General Timothy Lowenbur, head of Washington Military Department.

6:20 a.m.: Eric Holdeman, King County's top disaster-response official, hears a report on NPR. He calls the King County Sheriff's dispatch center, Boeing field and the emergency management office.

6:30 a.m.: FAA halts outgoing flight operations at all U.S. airports.

6:30 a.m.: Seattle Mayor Paul Schell phoned at home by his press spokesman, Roger Nyhus.

6:30 a.m.: Urban Search and Rescue Task Force, a 62-person team of local specialists and medical personnel working under the Federal Emergency Management Agency, is notified to go on standby. This team helped in the Oklahoma City bombing.

6:30 a.m.: (Approx.) Seattle police dispatchers send police cars with three or four officers each to the Columbia Tower and Space Needle. Washington State Patrol sends troopers to check bridges and overpasses.

6:42 a.m.: Sunrise in Seattle.

6:43 a.m.: Hijacked jetliner crashes into the Pentagon. White House and Capital evacuated.

6:45 a.m.: Seattle activates its Emergency Operations Center. Schell and Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske help open the center. Police send officers to check Bank of America Tower, Space Needle, Federal Building and other possible targets. City closes Space Needle.

6:50 a.m.: One World Trade Center tower collapses, followed by the other tower 39 minutes later.

~7 a.m.: All military bases in Washington locked down. Cars are searched, and only authorized personnel are allowed on base. Twenty-five-mile no-fly zone around the Bangor Submarine Base. Rail lines close.

7 a.m.: State Emergency Operations Center and King County Emergency Operations Center go to Phase II, heightened alert but less than Phase III earthquake emergency level.

7:30 a.m.: State Patrol in King and Pierce counties begin checking all abandoned cars on the freeway for anything suspicious, as well as the convention center overpass, bridges and tunnels.

7:45 a.m.: Seattle Public Schools open as usual. Superintendent Joseph Olchefske says officials see no threat to students.

7:50 a.m.: Bank of America Tower, Seattle's tallest building at 76 stories, evacuated and closed.

8:24 a.m.: Washington State Ferries, on recommendation of the Coast Guard, stop carrying cars on ferry runs across Puget Sound because of the risk of car bombs. San Juan and Vashon routes, for which there are no bridge alternatives, continue carrying cars. Amtrak stops trains en route, and those leaving stations, to make inspections. Once they've cleared inspections, they proceed.

8:30 a.m.: State Department of Transportation sends engineers and maintenance crews to a number of Critical Facilities, including communication centers, bridges, roads, ferries, airports and railroads.

8:45 a.m.: State Emergency Operations Center goes to Phase III, highest alert, involving 40 emergency managers watching giant TV screens in nine pods representing different parts of the state infrastructure: administration and finance; public information; information and planning; health; utilities and transportation; American Red Cross; state agencies; Washington State Patrol; and internal operations. They will remain at this alert level for at least four days.

9 a.m.: Washington State Patrol on Green Alert, meaning 1,100 troopers are on call.

9:15 a.m.: Canadian border put on highest state of alert, Immigration and Naturalization Service announces.

9:30 a.m.: Washington State Patrol K-9 unit checks the State Capitol, finds nothing suspicious.

9:36 a.m.: Rail lines reopen.

9:58 a.m.: Fort Lewis news release says it has closed all gates except the main gate and North Fort gate; reduced training activities; increased its force protection posture. Cars are searched entering the base. Interstate 5 traffic backs up. 10 a.m.: Some public gathering places close. Northgate and Tacoma Mall never open. Westlake Mall closes. The Puyallup Fair remains open.

10:25 a.m.: King County's Emergency Operations Center is activated at a level two. That means selected agencies have representatives at the EOC and are coordinating information and monitoring events.

10:30 a.m.: Canada-Washington State border inspections are at 100 percent; traffic backs up. Passenger and freight rail operations resume.

11 a.m.: Starbucks announces it is closing all its stores.

11:45 a.m.: Gov. Locke orders flags to fly at half staff.

Noon: Seattle Fire Chief Gary Morris announces the Urban Search and Rescue Team, including 25 Seattle firefighters, will be dispatched to aid in disaster recovery efforts in Washington D.C. and New York.

2 p.m.: Seattle-based Nordstrom Co. closes its Seattle stores, after shutting about 20 stores on the East Coast. Some other merchants in the city's downtown retail corridor, including Banana Republic, Niketown, toy store FAO Schwarz and shoe retailer Kenneth Cole, also close for part or all of the day.

2 p.m.: Fort Lewis news conference announces that the base will a boxes of medical supplies with Pierce County health officials to New York and Washington, D.C. The 20,000 military personnel, 4,900 civilians and 9,700 family members are all on high security level at the base.