email923.xml

email923.xml

born-digital

email

unknown

yes

2002-09-23

Hey everyone,
This is an email that I got today from Buck. Thought y'all would want to read it and know that he's ok.

Jill

----- Original Message -----
Sent: Thursday, September 13, 2001 9:35 AM
Subject: Word from New York

>Date: Thu, 13 Sep 2001 11:27:31 -0500
>
>I am writing to fill everyone in on my situation here. First, I thank you all for your caring emails and calls. The school's internet connection ran through downtown, so the web has been unavailable until today.
>
>I live on Manhattan island's Upper East Side on 69th Street. The WTC is located downtown, close to the end of the island, below 1st Street. So, I was over 70 blocks or about 8 miles from where the event happened. When it all happened, we were in a small group session using the computers while learning a diabetes case. By the end of the session, none of the computers could find the internet sites we needed. When we went to the next lecture, some classmates had seen the news and told others that passenger jets had hit the WTC. We had an abbreviated lecture that was interrupted by the dean explaining to the class what had happened up to that point. We were then excused for the remainder of class that day so we could go home and try to contact family. Most of us found a TV and tried to get through on jammed phone lines while watching the events unfold.
>
>A stream of ambulances left New York Hospital, and many doctors were seen running in. I walked out to York Avenue and could see the ash rising into the air from there. I could also see a flood of people walking across the Queensboro Bridge to get out of Manhattan. We all wanted to volunteer or get involved in some way but couldn't. I went to our ER several times and saw doctors and nurses standing watching TV montiors as they anticipated a large influx of patients that never came. The lines to donate blood were at least 3 hours long anywhere we went. The Red Cross could only use 30 people of the 200 they trained the next morning. All we could really do was watch TV for updates.
>
>That evening around 7:00, four of us took a bus down to St. Vincent Hospital where 200 patients were brought immediately after the attack that day. Volunteers, even physicians, were being turned away because there were very few patients brought in after the initial 200 were treated and released. Checking three other area hospitals, we got the same story. Nurses told us that victims either had minor injuries or were killed. Sadly, there was very little in between.
>
>The city is moving very slowly. Workers on the island were told to stay home yesterday. Streets are empty compared to the norm. The prevailing atmosphere is very calm. There was never any of the cinematic sort of chaos that many people might have expected after something like this happens. The city maintained its composure through the entire day. Today there was a smell like burned rubber coming from downtown. Other than the smell, you probably have the same feel for the incident that I do, since all of my info comes from TV. Streets to get downtown are blocked off to cars and foot traffic.
>
>Two EMS personnel from NY Hospital are missing. My classmate's father works in the WTC but was away on business. Another classmate has a friend who was late for work that day. I sat next to a girl on the bus who's sister escaped from the 70th floor of the second building to be hit.
>
>Please continue your thoughts and prayers for those involved. I appreciate everyone's concern. As a class, we are trying to get back to normal and maintain our class schedule as planned. Hope all is well back home.
>
>Keep in touch.
>
>--Buck

September 13, 2001

Word from New York--Buck