story6328.xml

story6328.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-12

I was in my office on the phone with my former boss; Linda at the time the first plane struck Tower 1. Linda was at home and had the TV on in the background, when she exclaimed, "Oh my God, something just happened at the World Trade Center - go look." So I went to the other side of our building and looked out in horror as the building was burning. I could see the thick black smoke rising and the debris from the building falling to the ground. At this time, we really didn't know what was going on, and the news reports were sketchy at best. Internet connections were slow and clogged with people trying to find out what was going on. As my co-workers and I stood at the window watching, we saw the second plane hit Tower 2, and could feel the heat from the explosion through the glass in our windows. The fireball was intense and extremely large. Our offices are about 10 blocks from the Trade Center site, and we had a very clear view from the north side of our building. It was at this time, that we became frightened, and realized that this was no accident. We knew it was not a little plane, we knew it was a passenger jet, and we suspected that it was an act of terrorism. We continued to watch in horror - waiting for instruction from our building's management. We frantically ran around all offices, lowering the blinds and closing office doors - not really knowing or questioning why, but giving us something to do while we waited for instruction. I remember thinking to myself, how are those people above the fire going to get out? At that time, I did not know several of my former co-workers and acquaintances would die in the tragedy. Then, to our astonishment, Tower 2 began to fall. We didn't know if it was falling towards us or straight down. The cloud of smoke and debris engulfed our building and we were told to evacuate to the lobby level and await instructions there. The day turned to night, the streetlamps were lit. It was eerie. People were coming into the building lobby covered with ash and dust. I remember gathering in small groups and awaiting instructions. The building's management was hovered around a small, old-fashioned transistor radio listening to the news reports. The smoke had begun to clear and it got brighter outside, so I went out to assess the situation. Tower 1 was still on fire, but was hardly visible amid all the smoke from the collapse of Tower 2. I went back into the lobby, and at that time felt the earth begin to rumble beneath my feet. Tower 1 had collapsed. The day again became night, streetlamps went on, and it looked like it was midnight outside. By 11:30 a.m. - 12:00 noon it was clear enough for us to begin walking. We still didn't know the extent of what happened. I remember thinking that the tops of the buildings are gone but we'll be back at work tomorrow and see the two buildings minus their upper floors. I received a call from a friend, Gerard, who reported that there were 47 planes unaccounted for at that time, and that other landmarks might be targeted: The Brooklyn Bridge, The Empire State Building, etc. "They've hit the Pentagon also. Don't go near any landmarks," he said. The only information I had at the time was his news. He was at a location in Oceanside, NY, where he could see the smoke from the towers. I took his advice and began walking with four of my colleagues (Julie, Denise and Tiffany from Human Resources, and Brent from the Treasury Department). The five of us walked along the FDR drive starting at South Ferry (Staten Island Ferry Terminal), and continued walking north. As we walked by the streets perpendicular to the Trade Center, I noticed charred papers from Morgan Stanley, briefcases, shoes, and pocketbooks - that must have come from the Trade Center. I remember that it was very bright now! The sun was shining and I wished I had my sunglasses. We continued walking north, through Chinatown. Denise and Julie stopped at a couple of sidewalk shops and bought some cheap comfortable sneakers to continue the walk. Along the way, we stopped at a Catholic Church to use their facilities, wash some of the ash off of ourselves and rest for a few minutes. We continued to walk north, stopping at a local restaurant - where we were greeted with a very rude person shouting, "We only take cash - no Visa today!" I think between the 5 of us, we had about $80 in cash. I had less than $10! We had a drink, and continued our walk uptown. At this point we found an ATM that was actually working, so we withdrew some money and continued on our way. I remember thinking, if the ATMs are down, or computers are disrupted, we'll need cash to buy food, or a place to stay. The next time we stopped was about 66th Street and 9th Avenue. We were far away from any landmarks and finally felt safe! We had lunch - it was about 2:00 p.m. I wasn't sure that the LIRR was operating. Details were still sketchy, but Mayor Guiliani had shut down the city. Everyone was leaving. Denise and Tiffany decided that they would make their way over to Penn Station, to wait out the Railroad. Brent suggested that since he lives in Manhattan, we go to his place at 92nd Street, and change clothes and wait out the transit situation. We hailed a cab to take us to 92nd Street. Brent was gracious and offered us t-shirts and shorts as a change of clothing. We arrived at his apartment about 4:00 p.m., which was the first time we saw a TV. We then realized that both towers had completely collapsed, and that this was much a much bigger event than we originally thought. Julie, received a call from her fianc? reporting that his firehouse was in the towers at the time of the collapse, and all of his fellow firefighters were feared lost. He happened to be off duty that day, but was on his way to the city to aid in the rescue effort as soon as he heard the news of the attack. Brent, Julie and I talked and walked in Central Park for the next couple of hours. I remember thinking, "what a beautiful day this was!" It was like nothing had happened in Central Park. People were jogging, walking dogs, sitting on park benches, and playing Frisbee. This part of the city seemed very removed from what was going on. I ended up staying in Manhattan until about 7:00 p.m. - I felt that at that time, the crowds would be gone, the railroad would be running, and since Julie also lives on LI, we decided to make our way to Penn Station and catch a train back to LI. Julie's fianc? was still at Ground Zero, along with another firefighter friend whose wife lives close by me. So I took Julie to her friend's house where I knew she wouldn't be alone that night. There was some comfort in knowing that both of their significant others were at Ground Zero together. I arrived home at 8:30 p.m., and phoned all of my relatives and friends who had called, concerned about my welfare.