I heard a story about WDW handling this.
"After the September 11th attacks, all of the Walt Disney World theme parks and activities were closed for the day. However, when it seemed that nothing would go on, they surprisingly ran the Electrical Water Pageant that night, with one small change...they kept the American flag floats lit during the entire trip around the lake."
"When the parks closed that day the character actors were given the choice to go home and be with their families. Many went home but some elected to stay. They were shuttled to the nearby Disney resorts and proceeded to do meet-and-greet sets for upwards of ten hours for the guests who suddenly had nowhere to go. The parents were numb with shock and the children didn't understand what was going on, but in the midst of their own fear the characters were there to offer hugs."