I think 7D (and Early Edition) would have to ignore it. Any attempt to incorporate it into a storyline would probably be seen as bad taste.
I wouldn't be surprised if in a several years (or more like a lot of years) there is a scifi movie or tv show or something that does an episode about it. It'll become one of those historical events that scifi writers love to play with, like Pearl Harbor,the assassination of JFK, the Titanic, etc..
One current show that I think should have a storyline about it is Third Watch. It should be dedicated to the memory of the heroes of the "First Watch."
and..as it turns out..they did.
Does anyone know what ever happened to Justina Vail? Her WebSite is defunct!
If there was ever a time when a backstep was needed, it was September, 2001. They would have had to explain why, just this once, Frank didn't backstep and save the day. Maybe they ran out of the alien stuff they used to fuel the sphere.