The nation was shocked by the tragic events of September 11, 2001, at the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. The terrorist attacks were not just against America, but struck the very center of world commerce and economy. Unfortunately, the attack took its greatest toll not in dollars, but in human lives.

No matter what the intent of the terrorists, America was not crippled by these actions. America's citizens and businesses came together in an unprecedented show of unity and support. Distributors and the manufacturers they represent took on a major role in the function of support for the army of firefighters, police and volunteer workers.

When disaster strikes, there is often a need for tools and personal protection gear — and many distributors stock these critical items. Therefore, it is not surprising that the Federal Emergency Management Agency had contacted distributors like W.W. Grainger within hours of the disaster at the World Trade Center.

Grainger was able to provide 30 generators to the site of the fallen towers by 7:30 p.m. — just as the sun was setting on the wreckage. The company was also in contact with other state and local authorities who were getting needed supplies to the teams. Grainger donated supplies such as hard hats, steel-toed boots, respirator masks, safety glasses and gloves, according to company spokesperson Mike McGrew.

"Grainger will donate $1million in supplies and monetary donations," says McGrew. "A large part of the donation will be made up of products."

The company was in a good position to provide these products from its branch located two miles from "Ground Zero," as well as its 20 branches within a 100-mile radius of New York City. In mid-September, the local branch was open and staffed 24 hours a day, says McGrew.

"Our focus has been to work with the authorities and relief agencies in the affected areas as well as to keep moving the products in," adds McGrew. "This is going to be an ongoing situation. We are working with vendors to forecast orders."

Airgas Inc. of Radnor, Pa., also responded to the tragedy.

Peter McCausland, chairman and chief executive officer of Airgas, said his company sent a donation of over $50,000 in critical safety supplies and an equal donation of money to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund.

Many other large national distributors raised their own response to the disaster. It struck few as close to home as Melville, N.Y.-based MSC Industrial Supply Co., located on Long Island. For vice president Greg Polli, responding to the tragedy meant more than supplying product and relief supplies.

"It was important to provide support to our 700 associates working in our headquarters," says Polli. "Many of our people were nearly in shock. They had people they cared about working in the World Trade Center or as rescue workers."

Polli says many associates went home to be with their families. Many also stayed to offer and share in the support of their associates.

"I am proud of the way everyone reacted during this tragedy," adds Polli. "We really came together within our organization. We have brought in counselors and will continue to support our associates."

MSC also responded with support for the relief effort. Polli points out that distributors know it is important to send just what is needed at times like this.

"We wanted to be sure we were supplying the right kind of products," says Polli. "Immediately, we called the Red Cross."

MSC was put in contact with FEMA as well as state and local agencies, says Polli. The company has already donated over $100,000 in products, including protective clothing, respirators, 2-way radios and hard hats, and many of the company's vendors added to this amount, which arrived the day after the disaster struck.

"It was a phenomenal response," says Polli. "Almost everything we sent, our suppliers sent also."

One example was Irving, Texas-based Exxon Mobil Corp., a supplier of specialty lubricants to MSC. There was a need for 5-gallon buckets, and MSC had a few hundred in stock, says Polli.

"We contacted our suppliers about getting some more delivered," says Polli, "and the response was unexpected."

In an effort to assist with the rescue efforts, Exxon Mobil contributed 8,000 5-gallon pails for use by rescue workers, says Exxon Mobil N.E. public affairs manager Barry Wood.

"The company also announced that it will contribute up to $20 million in individual and corporate matching contributions," adds Wood.

New York, N.Y.-based Colonial Hardware Corp. was forced to shut down for the first few days following the blast, but police then allowed the company to supply official agencies, says president M.J. O'Connell. Since that time, the city has purchased over $300,000 in supplies from Colonial.

"We have donated many supplies and now our inventories are being drained," he said. "This is a big job — it will go on long after the rescue effort."

For the distributors working in and around Manhattan, there have been problems with transportation, electricity and phone service. But harder still is trying to carry on normally when you are just blocks from the former towers, says Argo International Corp. president John Santa Croce.

He says Argo was close enough to feel the rumbling of the first airplane collision and many of his employees were watching as the second tower was hit.

"People in our office were helping people [who were] fleeing," says Santa Croce. "We would have stayed and we even offered our warehouse to police, but they evacuated the area."

Business has been far worse than imagined. Trucks weren't allowed at Argo's building for shipping or deliveries. Santa Croce says the company will recover in spite of these difficulties.

"As an international company, the air restrictions have affected us at all of our branches," he says. "We may have to use forklifts to move pallets up to Canal Street. Trucks aren't allowed any closer."

Trying to assist the restoration of utilities to the area is A&M Industrial Supply Co. of Rahway, N.J. According to director of sales Kevin Eric Rosenthal, the company is working closely with Consolidated Edison Co. of New York, Inc. Rosenthal says A&M has a close integrated supply relationship with the utility and understands its corporate culture.

"ConEdison has invited us to work with them on-site at the command center," he says. "It is a tremendous effort to organize and deploy resources in such a concentrated zone of devastation."

Michael O'Donnell, ConEdison's general manager of maintenance and construction services, says he asked A&M to assist in the logistics effort and supply products to support the mammoth operation of restoring full service to the area.

"This is the largest problem we have ever faced," he says. "We are laying 33 miles of new cable and didn't know all the supplies we would need, so we brought A&M on-site."

O'Donnell says A&M supplied his company with everything from nail guns and hammers to oxygen cylinders and safety gear in about an hour.

"A&M even provided us with a 60-person tent," adds O'Donnell.

The trade associations took on a strong role in coordinating their members' response to these events. There are many instances of cooperation and leadership as associations shared lists of phone numbers for contacting relief agencies and the lists of supplies that were in demand. Here are just a few of the associations' efforts.

"We were immediately called upon to provide respiratory equipment, safety apparel and protective eyewear," says Christine Fargo, International Safety Equipment Assn. technical projects coordinator. "We anticipated many other needs, from welding helmets and hearing protection, to eye wash and first aid supplies. The silver lining is that we are here to put people in contact with the supplies they need."

Specialty Tools & Fasteners Distributors Assn. members responded to the call of the Concrete Sawing & Drilling Assn. for gas-powered saws and blades. The Safety Equipment Distributors Assn. worked in concert with the ISEA efforts, says executive director Steven T. King. Some Material Handling Equipment Distributor Assn. members donated lift trucks, hoists and packing materials to the effort, says executive vice president Liz Richards. Many members of the Industrial Distribution Assn. responded with their own donations.

At the lead of the trade associations for organization and dissemination was the Washington, D.C.-based National Assn. of Wholesaler-Distributors. President Dirk Van Dongen says the NAW was in contact with FEMA and other official agencies and has received countless communications from its members.

Van Dongen says NAW has dropped its legislative agenda in this time of conflict.

"We will support whatever initiatives the President deems necessary," he says. "We are also working with other associations and the administration on a recovery package."

Many companies couldn't contribute directly to the cause because they didn't stock the products needed or were located too far from the disaster areas. But that didn't preclude them from pitching in to help. Echoing the sentiments of President Bush, I.D.A. executive vice president Gary Buffington said that the best and only way many distributors could help was by getting back to business as quickly as possible.

"We need to pull together as an industry," he says, "and carry on with business."

Businesses across the country nearly came to a standstill on the date of the terrorist attack. It was not only the shock and outrage, but also the interruption of air and international freight. Many critical supplies were kept from their destinations during the days immediately following the tragic events.

Without a transportation system, the supply chain cannot function, but the nation's truckers and freight companies have worked to keep supplies moving.

Robert Godlewski, spokesman for United Parcel Service Inc., says the company delivered all of the delayed shipments and returned to offering its delivery guarantees on the Monday after the attacks.

"UPS also provided 11 jet freighters to ferry emergency supplies at the request of the government," says Godlewski.

UPS and many other trucking companies provided the transportation to bring truckload after truckload of supplies to the disaster sites. As several distributors told us, UPS offered to take donated supplies into New York free of charge.

"The day it happened — it just about stopped here," says Lee Helfer of Specialty Hose Corp. speaking of the shock and sadness that permeated his North Canton, Ohio, company on September 11. "There was not a lot accomplished that day."

Helfer says shipments were held up for the first few days, otherwise there's been little effect on his hose & accessories distributorship.

Orlando, Fla.-based Safety Equipment Co. is far from the events, but marketing product manager Carolyn Johnson says that as needs are identified, the company can supply products. She points out that the company's military division has received calls for products from the federal government.

Steve Spahr, president of Sanderson Safety Supply Co. in Portland, Ore., says the effects have reached the far coast as suppliers called him to check up on inventories. He also notes how slow the business community was in getting back to normal.

In a recent address, secretary of the Treasury Paul O'Neill pointed out that the attacks were designed to disrupt our economic strength. He detailed a number of steps taken to ensure the strength and recovery of the economy by the IRS, the Federal Reserve and other government agencies.

O'Neill says an important contribution is to follow spending plans made before September 11. Like Buffington, he points out that by working and spending normally, everyone will be doing their part to restore the nation and the economy.

The incredible unity of the nation was shown in the response of businesses and individuals too numerous to mention. Millions of dollars in products and monetary donations came from all sectors of the business community and its employees.

Every distributor contacted by Industrial Distribution had responded in some way, whether it was through donating products, cash, or simply crediting employees' timecards while they gave blood. A vast number of manufacturers and customers worked with their distributors to provide support or donations, as well.

America won't easily put these events behind us. The cost in human lives is staggering and the long-term effects on the already-weak economy are unclear. One thing is certain, however — distribution is prepared to support America's industry through this dark hour and into a bright recovery.

ID editors Jack Keough, Victoria Fraza, Ken Brack and Al Tuttle contributed to this report.

If you would like to make a contribution, listed below are a few relief organizations.

Send monetary donations to: The United Way of New York, 2 Park Ave, New York, N.Y., 10016 or call: 212-251-4035

Salvation Army — (800) SAL-ARMY International Association of Firefighters Emergency relief fund — http://www.firedonations.co

Twin Towers Fund —http://www.twintowersfund.vista.com