story892.xml

story892.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-07-16

My story begins on Saturday, September 8, 2001. I'm riding the B61 bus in Brooklyn, on my way to my mom's to deliver a birthday present that I purchased for her from a little shop located in the lobby of the World Trade Center. As the bus makes its turn off of Atlantic Avenue and on to Columbia, I have a perfect view of the towers. This is the point where I usually think to myself "I remember when I was in my late teens I used to look across and see the towers being built." This time a completely different thought goes through my mind. I remembered when the terrorist bombed the towers eight years earlier, and I thought "Can you imagine seeing the towers explode right before your eyes?" Three days later, that's exactly what I witnessed.

I work in the downtown Manhattan area, only blocks away from the World Trade Center. When I got off the train Tuesday morning, and started walking up the stairs which lead outside, I could see mobs of people staring into the sky saying, "Oh my God!" I could not imagine what they could possibly have been looking at, and I was almost afraid to come out of the station to find out.

I did eventually step out and took a look in that direction, and what I saw was unbelievable. There was this HUGH firey hole at the top of one of the towers. I stood there paralyzed watching. Finally I snapped out of it and started heading in the opposite direction towards work. Just as I turned away there was a horrendous explosion behind me, and the crowd of onlookers all started running and screaming. When I looked back, there was a big fireball coming from the second tower. I was haunted by my thought from three days ago, "Can you imagine seeing the towers explode right before your eyes?" Debris was flying in our direction. I ran as fast as I could.

Soon after the debris settled, and we realized that it couldn't reach us, everyone stopped running and started staring back towards the WTC again. Now there was a hugh flaming hole in each of the towers. I thought that terrorists had somehow gotten into the buildings and planted bombs. Then I overheard people in the crowd saying, "Did you see that big plane crash into the building?" Others were saying, "I saw the plane that crashed into the first building." I felt that we were under attack, and I was terrified because I was surrounded by federal buildings which could be potentially the next target. Then someone shouted, "Look, there are people jumping out of the windows." I turned around and looked up and saw people, one by one, jumping to their deaths. They looked like little stick figures falling in slow motion, head first, feet towards the sky. One guy bounced off the side of the building. I couldn't look anymore. I quickly continued on to work, and when I got there, I broke down in tears.

Our office building was evacuated, and I immediately headed home. When I arrived at my apartment and opened the door, I was greeted by my son who was hysterical and in tears. He grabbed me and hugged me so tight, then he told me, "Mommy, they're gone." I asked, "Whose gone?" He said, "The Twin Towers, they've both collapsed." I could not believe it then. I still can't believe it today, ten months later.

The policemen, firemen and emergency service workers have been phenomenal in their resue efforts during this WTC crisis. They've shown selfless heroism, many making the ultimnate sacrafice, while attempting to save the lives of others. I've never been prouder. May God bless them and their families, as well as the victims, survivors, and their family and friends.