"Our community was scared": El Paso mayor slams airspace closure

What they're saying: "I want to be very, very clear that this should have never happened. You cannot restrict airspace over a major city without coordinating with the city, the airport, the hospitals, the community leadership. That failure to communicate is unacceptable," Johnson said.

• "This was a major and unnecessary disruption, one that has not occurred since 9/11."
• Johnson added the city is still trying to figure out why the FAA shut down the airspace.

Catch up quick: The sudden, unexplained closure was ordered when the military responded to a "cartel drone incursion," Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Wednesday.

Yes, but: Accounts from several sources suggest a communications breakdown between the FAA and the military contributed to the extraordinary order.

State of play: Asked what officials knew about the alleged Mexican drug cartel drones, El Paso leaders said they could not confirm that was the case.

• Added Johnson: "There's probably been drones ever since they've [existed] flying in this community. So that's [not] new. So a drone shutting down our airspace, we've got to get better than this," Johnson said.

What's next: Johnson is calling on the FAA to communicate with the city on what transpired.

The bottom line: "El Paso has always been a safe city, and we will remain one of the safest cities in the United States.