story346.xml

story346.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-04-03

AT ABOUT 4:30 A.M. OF THE MORNING OF SEPTEMBER 11th I AWOKE GASPING. I COULD NOT CATCH MY BREATH SO I RAN TO MY BED ROOM WINDOW BUT THERE WAS NO BREEZE SO I RAN OUT TO THE HALL OF MY APARTMENT BUILDING. AFTER ABOUT WHAT SEEM LIKE 3MINUTES I WAS ABLE TO CATCH MY BREATH. IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS ORDEAL I REMEMBER THINKING THAT SOMETHING TERRRIBLE WAS GOING TO HAPPEN. THAT I WAS GOING TO DIE OF SUFFACATION. AS ALL THE COMMOTTION HAD AWAKENED MY FAMILY MEMBERS I RELATED TO THEM WHAT I FELT. ALL THAT MORNING I HAD BEEN RUNNING ON INSTINCT MODE SO WHEN I ARRIVED AT WORK ABOUT 7:45 A.M. I WAS PRETTY AWEAR. AT ABOUT 8:15 AM WE STARTED WHAT WE CALL MORNING MEETING. DURING THE COURSE OF THAT MEETING AT ABOUT 8:40 A.M. I HEARD WHAT SOUNDED LIKE "WHOOUMP". I ASKED MY COUSIN AND CO-WORKER WHO WAS SITING DIRECTLY ACROSS FROM ME DID HE HEAR THAT. HE RESPONDED "HEAR WHAT?" I SAID THAT SOUND "WHOOUMP". HE SAID HE DID NOT. THE MORNING MEETING CONTINUED UNTIL WE STARTED SEEING BURNED PAPERS FLOATING. AT THIS TIME MY MIND WAS RACING TRYING TO FIGURE WHERE THE PAPER WAS COMING FROM. JUST AS I CANCELED OUT THE POSSIBILITY THAT IT WAS SOME KIND OF PROBLEM WITH INCINERATERATION MY MANAGER COMMENTED "OH LOOK THEIR HAVING A TICKER TAPE PARADE". I DID'NT BUY THAT AND TOLD HIM "OH YEAH! THEN WHY IS ALL THE PAPER BURNT AND SMOKING". HE RESPONDED HE DID NOT KNOW. JUST THEN, TO OUR ASTONISHMENT, ABOUT 8:47 A.M. IT WENT ON THE AIR THAT A PLANE HAD CRASHED INTO THE WORLD TRADE CENTER. JUST THEN OUR COMPANY V.P. WALKED ONTO THE TRADE FLOOR AND UPON SEEING THE FIRE EXCLAIMED "OH SH#*" AT THAT THE WHOLE OFFICE STIRED. NO ONE KNEW WHAT THEY SHOULD BE DOING OR WAS CONVINCED THAT THIS WAS REAL. JUST THEN THE SECOND TOWER BURST INTO FLAMES.I HAD NO DOUBT IN MY MIND THAT THIS WAS REAL THAT I HAD TO GET OUT OF THERE AS WHAT I FEARED WOULD COME TO PASS. MY INSTINCT SAID GET OUT, SO AFTER SEEING THE FIRE FROM THE NORTH SIDE OF THE OFFICE ME, MY COUSIN AND A FEW CO-WORKERS LEFT THE BUILDING. ON THE STREET THERE WAS PURE KAOS PEOPLE WERE STARTING TO PANIC. AT THE SIGHT OF THIS MY COUSIN AND I DECIDED TO GO HOME. FOR WHATEVER REASON WE WENT BACK IN THE BUILDING TO GET OUR PERSONAL BELONGING'S. ONCE BACK IN THE BUILDING A OVERWELMING SENSE OF DREAD CAME OVER ME. I TOLD MY COUSIN TO WAIT FOR ME AT THE ELEVATOR BANK.BUT I COULD NOT STOP THINKING OF WHAT HAPPENED TO ME THAT MORNING AND DETERMINED THAT I SHOULD GET OUT OF THE FINACIAL DISTRICT AT ONCE. I REMEMBER THINKING THERES NOTHING UP HERE I NEED"I'M OUT OF HERE". WHEN I GOT TO THE ELEVATOR BANK THERE WAS NO SIGN OF MY COUSIN. I THOUGHT HE HAD WENT DOWN STAIRS AS HIS GIRL FRIEND LEFT HER JOB IN THE AREA AND WAS LEAVING THE FINACIAL DISTRICT WITH US. I TOOK THE ELEVATOR DOWN TO THE LOBBY THINGS WERE GETTING MORE KAOTIC, EVERYTHING SEEM SURREAL. WHILE FIRE AND SAFETY WERE ANOUNCING THERE WAS NO NEED TO EVACUATE THE BUILDING THE STREET WAS FILLING WITH SMOKE AND PEOPLE WERE CRYING IN BEWILDERMENT. IN MY MIND I HAD A DEFFINITE PURPOSE AND WAS MOVING WITH PURPOSE. BUT UPON EXITING THE BUILDING I HEARD THE VOICE OF MY COUSINS GIRL FRIEND CALL OUT TO ME. I WAS LIKE WHAT! WHERE IS HE, SHE SAID HE NEVER CAME DOWN I THOUGHT HE WAS WITH YOU. SO WE TURNED AROUND AND WAS HEADED BACK UPSTAIRS TO GET HIM. JUST AS WE GOT TO THE ELEVATOR BANK THERE WAS THIS GOD AWFUL RUMBLING SOUND, THE WHOLE BUILDING STARTED SHAKING,THE LIGHTS WERE FLASHING AND PEOPLE WERE SCREAMING AND PASSING OUT, AT THAT MOMMENT I SAID TO MY COUSIN'S GIRL FRIEND "WE GOT TO GET OUT OF THE BUILDING, WE GOT TO GE OUT THE BUILDING NOW!, AND I MADE MY WAY TO THE FRONT EXIT UPON PASSING THROUGH THE REVOLVING DOORS THE SCENE WAS LIKE SOMETHING OUT OF THE TWILIGHT ZONE THE STREET WAS DISSAPPEARING IN THE CLOUD OF DUST AND DEBRIS. EVERYTHING AND ANYONE OVERTOOK BY THE CLOUD VANISHED AND I FEARED HAD BEEN DISTROYED OR KILLED. THE CLOUD SEEMED TO BE MOVING VERY FAST. MY ONLY THOUGHT WAS TO NOT LET IT OVER TAKE ME AND KEEP MY EYE'S OPEN FOR FALLING DEBRIS. EVERYONE STARTED RUNNING DOWN WALL STREET TOWARDS SOUTHSTREET SEAPORT.THE DUST DID OVERTAKE ME BUT NOT THE FULL BLAST AS HAD MANY PEOPLE WHO STOOD IN DOORWAYS AND LOBBIES. MY SKIN AND EYES BURNED FROM THE FIBERGLASS, DUST, ASBESTOS, AND GLASS DUST. IN THE MIDDLE OF ALL THIS THERE WAS A CONSTRUCTION WORKER UNDER THE FDR HANDING OUT MASKS I GOT ONE AND RAN INTO THE SEAPORT TO GET MY SECOND WIND. UPON CATCHING MY BREATH I STARTED TO SPEED WALK UPTOWN. BY THE TIME I GOT TO THE BACK OF ONE POLICE PLAZA THE SECOND TOWER FELL. THOUGH I WAS OUT OF HARMS WAY IT WAS FRIGHTFUL. BEHIND ME THERE WERE MANY PEOPLE MAKING AN EXODUS OUT OF THE FINACIAL DISTRICT.
I JOGGED UNTIL I GOT TO 82nd STREET ON THE WAY NOTEING LAND MARKS THAT GAVE ME A SENSE OF RELIEF. ONE OF THEM WAS JOHN JAY CAMPUS IT JUST SEEM SO FAMILIAR AND REMOVED FROM DANGER TO ME. IT WAS AT THAT TIME I TRIED TO USE MY CELL PHONE BUT IT DID NOT HAVE A SIGNAL. I WALKED TILL I GOT TO 82ND STREET AND BOARDED A BUS TO 149th STREET WERE I CAUGHT THE TRAIN HOME. WHILE ON THE BUS I HAD GOT WORD THAT MY COUSIN AND HIS GIRL FRIEND MADE IT OUT O.K. FOUR DAYS LATER I SEEN MY COUSIN WHEN I ASKED HIM WHY HE LEFT THE ELEVATOR BANK WHEN I TOLD HIM I'LL BE RIGHT BACK HE SWEARS THAT I NEVER SPOKE TO HIM THAT HE WAS NEVER AT THE ELEVATOR BANK AND HE NEVER SAID HE WOULD WAIT FOR ME THERE. SO IVE CONCLUDED THAT IT WAS DEVINE INTERVENTI0N THAT SAVED ME. THERE IS NO DOUBT IN MY MIND THAT HAD I WAITED UNTIL THE DUST SETTLED FROM THE FIRST BUILDING COLAPSE I WOULD BE A CASUALTY AS I HAVE CHRONIC ASTHMA AND C.O.P.D. A RESPIRATORY DISEASE WHERE YOUR LUNGS LOOSE ITS ELASTICITY.