There was an excellent article by a New Yorker a while back contrasting the response within NYC with that of the rest of the country.

If anything the people move on, its politicians and those in power who seem to want to exploit a situation. I tire so much of being told I should be scared, let alone how they very same people who could not prevent the issue suddenly more than willing to disrupt my life going forward and tell me its in my best interest they do so.

perhaps, and I in no way diminish the everyday heroism of doing that.

I don't remember much about NYCs reaction, as I was in school in Atlanta at the time. But my father worked on an air force base at the time and reactions there and around that town were anything but carrying on.