El Pasoans remember the impact of 9/11 on the border region

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- A tragic event that shook not only New York City but the entire country and even the world continues to resonate in the minds of some local residents each anniversary.

Although the El Paso region is far from where the attacks took place, some residents vividly recall the impact that event had on this border community.

The president and CEO of the El Paso Community Foundation, Eric Pearson, used to work in news and remembers the extensive coverage during the 9/11 attacks.

According to him, he worked a 48-hour nonstop shift covering the event, gathering donations and asking the El Paso community for support.

Over the weekend, they collected around $190,000 to support the Red Cross and other organizations.

"We went to the malls and just set up things and were raising money and in $1 bills and $5 bills and change, we raised money over the weekend to support and to help with the rescue and comforting efforts," said Pearson. "At that point, I remember thinking, all is not lost because we have people and that's what it's about and that's what our country is based on."

For Pearson, that day, nothing was lost because people across the country came together, and that's what matters when tragedies like this happen.

"This country has survived far more than this in civil wars and the Vietnam War and other places," Pearson said. "That attack was the one that I had seen and so it meant a lot to me at the time, but it also came with that sweetness, with the bitterness that we could get through things."

ABC-7 spoke with the president of Economy Wholesale Grocers, Paul Dipp, who remembers exactly what went through his mind when the 9/11 attacks were happening.

"While everything was unfolding, the first thoughts, I believe, all of us had were about our family and where is our family? What are they doing? Are they safe? I think that's an instinct among our families," Dipp said. "The next thought that we had was everybody else and where they were and what they were doing; of course, with great sympathy to everybody where the event was occurring, life which broke everyone's heart."

Dipp wanted to keep extending his condolences to this day for all of those still affected and for El Paso's gratitude to all the first responders, who he said are: "So heroic and continue to be heroic, not only there, but here in El Paso and in Ciudad Juárez."

For him, being wholesale grocers and being able to serve everyone who goes to their stores means they need to be present at all times to support their team and the community.

"It was a very critical time; it was a very sad time, but at that time, some wonderful moments and moments of unity and moments of concern, and I believe the entire outpouring of our nation was with all of those that were directly impacted with them and indirectly impacted by them," Dipp added.

Dipp remembers being very sad that day 25 years ago because he thought it was a surreal moment and an absolute tragedy.

"We all reacted quickly; we got down to what needed to be accomplished because everybody was uncertain at that time, everybody was frightened at that time and it was our job to calm those fears and to create a normal shopping atmosphere in our stores and a normal environment for our team members," Dipp also said. "I am proud of my team for stepping in when it was needed."

"These events sort of steal your innocence a little bit too. We've always been in this society that's been generally safe and affluent and we've never had attacks on our own soil, so to see that takes away a little bit of who you are and your sense of security, so that was really hard," Pearson said. "It was about all of us coming together in the face of tragedy."