story7295.xml
Title
story7295.xml
Source
born-digital
Media Type
story
Date Entered
2002-09-14
911DA Story: Story
SEPT. 11 ,2001-TUESDAY....
THAT DAY, I ARRIVED WTC LOBBY AROUND 8:10 A.M. FROM JERSEY CITY, WHERE I LIVE. IT WAS A LITTLE BIT EARLY, SO I STOPPED BY AT "STRAWBERRY STORE" LOCATED AT WTC CONCOURSE TO BROWSE AROUND, THEN BUY MY BREAKFAST AT ONE OF THE DELI LOCATED AT THE CONCOURSE TOO.
AS USUAL, I TOOK THE ELEVATOR GOING STRAIGHT TO 44TH FLR THEN TOOK THE ESCALATOR TO 45TH FLR. I ATE MY BREAKFAST WHILE STARTING MY COMPUTER TO START PRINTING MY REPORTS....THEN SUDDENLY I FELT THE BUILDING SHOOK LIKE AN EARTHQUAKE AND A VERY LOUD NOISE-EVERYONE LOOKED AT EACH OTHER AND ASK..."WHAT WAS THAT?"..THEN WE LOOKED AT THE WINDOW AND WE SAW DEBRIS FALLING DOWN....METALS,PAPERS,ETC....GOD I WAS SO NERVOUS (AS A SURVIVOR OF 1993 BOMBING...I'BECAME SO PARANOID). I HURRIEDLY GOT MY BAG (LEFT MY OTHER THINGS) AND TOOK MY PREGNANT OFFICEMATE AND HURRIEDLY WENT OUT FROM OUR OFFICE. WE MET SOME WORKERS AND WE LEARNED AT THAT MOMENT THAT A SMALL PLANE CRASH AT TOWER 1...WHEN WE GOT TO 44TH FLR AND ABOUT TO TAKE THE ELEVATOR-OUR SECURITY GUARDS ADVISED US TO TAKE THE STAIRS INSTEAD (LATER I FOUND OUT THAT THEY DIDN'T MAKE IT...GOD BLESS THEIR SOULS...). FROM 44TH FLR WE WENT DOWN-LIKE THERE WAS NO END...I CAN'T WAIT TO GET TO THE GROUND FLOOR. WHEN WE WERE AT 30'S FLR SOMEONE AT THE "PA" ANNOUNCE THAT TOWER 2 WAS NOT AFFECTED AND ONLY TOWER 1 AND IT WAS SAFE TO GO BACK...BUT FOR ME..NO WAY I NEED TO GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE...WHEN I AND MY PREGNANT CO-WORKER REACHED 10 OR 14TH FLR (CAN'T REMEMBER), A LADY OPENED THE DOOR AND SAID WE CAN TAKE THE ELEVATOR THAT WILL GET US DOWN TO THE LOBBY...I WAS HESITANT AT FIRST BUT I WAS WORRIED WITH MY CO- OFFICEMATE SINCE SHE IS PREGNANT. INSIDE THE ELEVATOR WE LOOKED AT EACH OTHER AND ASKED'" ARE WE DOING THE RIGHT THING INSIDE THIS ELEVATOR?" BUT THE DOOR CLOSED AND I PRAYED HARD THAT WE REACHED THE LOBBY QUICKLY. THANK GOD WE DID, AT THE LOBBY A LOT OF FIREMEN, POLICEMEN, WTC SECURITY GUARDS HELPING PEOPLE IN DIRECTING WHERE TO GET OUT...I COULD REMEMBER THOSE FACES OF THE FIREMEN WHO WERE STARTING TO ASSEMBLE AT THE LOBBY TO GO TO TOWER 1....
WE STARTED RUNNING TO GO TO THE ESCALATOR GOING OUT TO CHURCH STREET AS THAT WAS THE DIRECTION GIVEN TO US...APPROXIMATELY 10 STEPS BEFORE WE REACHED THE REVOLVING DOOR, A LOUD AND TREMBLING NOISE, LIKE THE TOWER IS BEING SHAKEN ( I FOUND OUT LATER THAT WAS THE SECOND HIT TOWER 2)-I SCREAMED AS I SAW DEBRIS FALLING AND ALL THE THINGS AT THE PLAZA, THE METALS WERE ALL GOING DOWN LIKE PAPER..I GOT SO HYSTERCAL-AND A GUY TOLD US TO GET BACK TO THE LOBBY...WE ARE ALL RUNNING...CRYING...I COULD SMELL FUEL, SMOKE AT THE CONCOURSE... A POLICEMEN WAS TELLING US TO GET TO THE SUBWAY (UNDER THE CONCOURSE)...E TRAIN...FULL OF PEOPLE WHO DIDN'T EVEN KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON AS THEY WERE ONLY COMING TO GO TO WORK...POLICEMEN HOLDING THE TRAIN DOORS, YELLING TO US TO GET IN FAST...I THINK THAT WAS THE LAST TRAIN THAT DAY...
MY OFFICEMATE GET OFF AT 23RD ST TO BE WITH HER MOTHER AND I WENT BY MYSELF TO 33RD ST, THINKING I COULD GET PATH TRAIN TO NJ...BUT AS I WENT UP THE STREET, I COULD SEE SMOKE FROM THE TOWER ( IDIN'T KNOW YET THAT TOWER 2 COLLAPSED).. I PASSED BY ST FRANCIS CHURCH THANK GOD FOR HELPING ME GET OUT...THEN I SAW CROWDED PEOPLE LOOKING ON A TV IN ONE OF THE STORE..GOD, THEN I SAW TOWER 1 COLLAPSING-GOD I CAN'T BELEIVED IT...EVERYONE WAS CRYING..I WALKED TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHERE I SHOULD BE GOING, MY MIND WAS BALNK, PEOPLE WALKING WERE CRYING, ONLY SIRENS YOU COULD HEAR, PEOPLE WALKING LIKE ZOMBIES....I REACHED MY SISTER'S OFFICE AT 53RD AND 7TH AND WHEN THEY SAW ME THEY CRIED AND HUG ME, AS THEY CANNOT CONTACT ME AND THOUGHT I DIDN'T MAKE IT OUT...
WE WERE ABLE TO GET HOME SAFELY THROUGH THE FERRY WAITING ON THE LINE FOR 3 HOURS...I NEVER FELT SO RELIEVED WHEN I REACHED NJ AND SAW MY FAMILY..THE NEXT FEW DAY AS I LEARNED WHAT HAPPENED I FELT SO WEAK AND SICK-SAD AND ANGRY..NOW, I'M ABLE TO FACE IT BUT STILL FEEL THE SADNESS EVERYTIME WE TALKED ABOUT IT..
OUR COMPANY MOVED BACK BACK TO DOWNTON A BLOCK AWAY FROM GROUND ZERO-FIRST IT BOTHERS ME BUT NOW I LEARNED TO ACCEPT IT. I DIDN'T GO TO WORK ON SEPT 11 (IST ANNIVERSARY) BECAUSE OF THE EMOTIONAL FEELINGS IT WILL BRING ME.
MAY GOD ALWAYS BLESS US ALL AND ALWAYS LIVE TO THE FULLEST...
THAT DAY, I ARRIVED WTC LOBBY AROUND 8:10 A.M. FROM JERSEY CITY, WHERE I LIVE. IT WAS A LITTLE BIT EARLY, SO I STOPPED BY AT "STRAWBERRY STORE" LOCATED AT WTC CONCOURSE TO BROWSE AROUND, THEN BUY MY BREAKFAST AT ONE OF THE DELI LOCATED AT THE CONCOURSE TOO.
AS USUAL, I TOOK THE ELEVATOR GOING STRAIGHT TO 44TH FLR THEN TOOK THE ESCALATOR TO 45TH FLR. I ATE MY BREAKFAST WHILE STARTING MY COMPUTER TO START PRINTING MY REPORTS....THEN SUDDENLY I FELT THE BUILDING SHOOK LIKE AN EARTHQUAKE AND A VERY LOUD NOISE-EVERYONE LOOKED AT EACH OTHER AND ASK..."WHAT WAS THAT?"..THEN WE LOOKED AT THE WINDOW AND WE SAW DEBRIS FALLING DOWN....METALS,PAPERS,ETC....GOD I WAS SO NERVOUS (AS A SURVIVOR OF 1993 BOMBING...I'BECAME SO PARANOID). I HURRIEDLY GOT MY BAG (LEFT MY OTHER THINGS) AND TOOK MY PREGNANT OFFICEMATE AND HURRIEDLY WENT OUT FROM OUR OFFICE. WE MET SOME WORKERS AND WE LEARNED AT THAT MOMENT THAT A SMALL PLANE CRASH AT TOWER 1...WHEN WE GOT TO 44TH FLR AND ABOUT TO TAKE THE ELEVATOR-OUR SECURITY GUARDS ADVISED US TO TAKE THE STAIRS INSTEAD (LATER I FOUND OUT THAT THEY DIDN'T MAKE IT...GOD BLESS THEIR SOULS...). FROM 44TH FLR WE WENT DOWN-LIKE THERE WAS NO END...I CAN'T WAIT TO GET TO THE GROUND FLOOR. WHEN WE WERE AT 30'S FLR SOMEONE AT THE "PA" ANNOUNCE THAT TOWER 2 WAS NOT AFFECTED AND ONLY TOWER 1 AND IT WAS SAFE TO GO BACK...BUT FOR ME..NO WAY I NEED TO GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE...WHEN I AND MY PREGNANT CO-WORKER REACHED 10 OR 14TH FLR (CAN'T REMEMBER), A LADY OPENED THE DOOR AND SAID WE CAN TAKE THE ELEVATOR THAT WILL GET US DOWN TO THE LOBBY...I WAS HESITANT AT FIRST BUT I WAS WORRIED WITH MY CO- OFFICEMATE SINCE SHE IS PREGNANT. INSIDE THE ELEVATOR WE LOOKED AT EACH OTHER AND ASKED'" ARE WE DOING THE RIGHT THING INSIDE THIS ELEVATOR?" BUT THE DOOR CLOSED AND I PRAYED HARD THAT WE REACHED THE LOBBY QUICKLY. THANK GOD WE DID, AT THE LOBBY A LOT OF FIREMEN, POLICEMEN, WTC SECURITY GUARDS HELPING PEOPLE IN DIRECTING WHERE TO GET OUT...I COULD REMEMBER THOSE FACES OF THE FIREMEN WHO WERE STARTING TO ASSEMBLE AT THE LOBBY TO GO TO TOWER 1....
WE STARTED RUNNING TO GO TO THE ESCALATOR GOING OUT TO CHURCH STREET AS THAT WAS THE DIRECTION GIVEN TO US...APPROXIMATELY 10 STEPS BEFORE WE REACHED THE REVOLVING DOOR, A LOUD AND TREMBLING NOISE, LIKE THE TOWER IS BEING SHAKEN ( I FOUND OUT LATER THAT WAS THE SECOND HIT TOWER 2)-I SCREAMED AS I SAW DEBRIS FALLING AND ALL THE THINGS AT THE PLAZA, THE METALS WERE ALL GOING DOWN LIKE PAPER..I GOT SO HYSTERCAL-AND A GUY TOLD US TO GET BACK TO THE LOBBY...WE ARE ALL RUNNING...CRYING...I COULD SMELL FUEL, SMOKE AT THE CONCOURSE... A POLICEMEN WAS TELLING US TO GET TO THE SUBWAY (UNDER THE CONCOURSE)...E TRAIN...FULL OF PEOPLE WHO DIDN'T EVEN KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON AS THEY WERE ONLY COMING TO GO TO WORK...POLICEMEN HOLDING THE TRAIN DOORS, YELLING TO US TO GET IN FAST...I THINK THAT WAS THE LAST TRAIN THAT DAY...
MY OFFICEMATE GET OFF AT 23RD ST TO BE WITH HER MOTHER AND I WENT BY MYSELF TO 33RD ST, THINKING I COULD GET PATH TRAIN TO NJ...BUT AS I WENT UP THE STREET, I COULD SEE SMOKE FROM THE TOWER ( IDIN'T KNOW YET THAT TOWER 2 COLLAPSED).. I PASSED BY ST FRANCIS CHURCH THANK GOD FOR HELPING ME GET OUT...THEN I SAW CROWDED PEOPLE LOOKING ON A TV IN ONE OF THE STORE..GOD, THEN I SAW TOWER 1 COLLAPSING-GOD I CAN'T BELEIVED IT...EVERYONE WAS CRYING..I WALKED TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHERE I SHOULD BE GOING, MY MIND WAS BALNK, PEOPLE WALKING WERE CRYING, ONLY SIRENS YOU COULD HEAR, PEOPLE WALKING LIKE ZOMBIES....I REACHED MY SISTER'S OFFICE AT 53RD AND 7TH AND WHEN THEY SAW ME THEY CRIED AND HUG ME, AS THEY CANNOT CONTACT ME AND THOUGHT I DIDN'T MAKE IT OUT...
WE WERE ABLE TO GET HOME SAFELY THROUGH THE FERRY WAITING ON THE LINE FOR 3 HOURS...I NEVER FELT SO RELIEVED WHEN I REACHED NJ AND SAW MY FAMILY..THE NEXT FEW DAY AS I LEARNED WHAT HAPPENED I FELT SO WEAK AND SICK-SAD AND ANGRY..NOW, I'M ABLE TO FACE IT BUT STILL FEEL THE SADNESS EVERYTIME WE TALKED ABOUT IT..
OUR COMPANY MOVED BACK BACK TO DOWNTON A BLOCK AWAY FROM GROUND ZERO-FIRST IT BOTHERS ME BUT NOW I LEARNED TO ACCEPT IT. I DIDN'T GO TO WORK ON SEPT 11 (IST ANNIVERSARY) BECAUSE OF THE EMOTIONAL FEELINGS IT WILL BRING ME.
MAY GOD ALWAYS BLESS US ALL AND ALWAYS LIVE TO THE FULLEST...
Collection
Citation
“story7295.xml,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed April 10, 2025, https://911digitalarchive.org/items/show/16241.