My Day At The Washington Navy Yard - Part 3

Much of the day was spent responding to calls from friends, families and colleagues.  Since nobody could go out for lunch, those who hadn't brought lunch offered to share.  There were communal piles of ramen noodles, soup, cereal, oatmeal, etc. for those who wanted them.

We were all pretty much resigned to staying put for the night.  But at about 1630, we were told to quickly evacuate through an entrance away from 197.  Each of us were greeted by FBI or Metro Police who did a quick interview: who are you? Where do you live? Did you notice anything out of the ordinary when you came in?

We weren't permitted to retrieve our cars; I had actually parked in a garage directly across from 197 and it was regarded as a crime scene.  A co-worker asked if I'd walk her to the Metro and off we went.  M Street in from of the Navy Yard was packed with police cars, humvees, ambulances, tactical vans, fire engines for about 6 blocks in front of the Navy Yard.  Beyond this point, behind police barricades was the news media.  About two city blocks full of media.  I had requests for interviews from Politico, Faux News, a local station, AFP, and a number of outlets I could only guess were blogs or freelancers.  I offered a polite "no comment" to each but did tell Faux News they could go to hell and asked the kid from Politico how it felt to be working for 'TigerBeat on the Potomac.'

Today, I was able to get my car but not return to work.  The media had taken station in a public parking lot across from the Navy Yard.  The Yard was closed to traffic (save for retrieving auto and departing).  At the gates my ID was checked twice and a Navy MP was handing out contact cards for those who might be suffering emotional distress ('Need to talk?')  Surprisingly, the police presence wasn't much heavier than most days, although, there were FBI agents walking around the garage where I'd parked.  In front of 197 was a heavy police presence with various police vans and vehicles.