Thank you for sharing Stilloxox.I hope you don’t mind me sharing my experience that day as well.It is somewhat therapeutic to talk about it.
I live four blocks from the World Trade Center.On that day, I worked six blocks away.It was a typical day at work until we all heard a loud explosion and our building shook.I thought it was an earthquake.A supervisor came running in and yelled, “A plane hit the World Trade Center!”A bunch of us piled outside our office building and looked up.I’ll never forget the crackling, brilliant orange fireball against the stark white-gray of the tower, against the bright blue sky, not a cloud in it.The colors were outstanding, the scene terrifying.Rumors began spreading about a possible terrorist attack.Our supervisor told everyone to get home.
I didn’t waste a moment.Grabbed my things and ran out of the building.I knew DH was home with our cat and my only thought was to get home to them.Whatever happened, we would be together.Getting home was difficult.I had to fight my way against thousands of workers in the Financial District running towards me and away from the area.I seemed to be the only one running in the wrong direction – towards the WTC.I glanced upwards as I ran.I could see white “handkerchiefs” waving from the top floors, above the flames.I started blinking because I couldn't believe what I was seeing.Horror of horrors!I saw a body flying downward from the tower to the ground.My heart was beating out of control.I was frantic to get home to DH.
When I got upstairs to our apartment, DH had the tv on.We were both transfixed by what we were seeing and hearing.A few moments later, the tv went off.We lost power.A while later, we heard a growing rumble, then a defeaning roar.Our apartment building began to shake.I started screaming and crying.All of a sudden, a cloud of white dust came hurtling towards our large picture window.We thought for sure it was going to rip right through the glass and that would be the end of us.DH and I clung to each other and said our goodbyes.A short while later, the rumbling stopped and the dust cloud began to dissipate.The dust cloud was the result of the first tower collapsing, although we didn’t know it at the time.
What followed was a week without electricity or running water.DH walked down flights of stairs after a couple of days to get a newspaper.He had to walk a couple of miles to find one.Our immediate area was a ghost town, everything covered in white ash – the ground, the trees, the cars, the buildings. Debris was everywhere, mostly paper from the offices that once were in the WTC. There were National Guard on every corner armed with semi-automatic weapons.We had to show ID at every corner. The entire landscape was eerie. Mostly, I remember the complete silence. This was New York City!It was supposed to be full of life and activity!
I lost a friend that day.We also lost several of our neighbors, people who we would see in passing, but didn’t really know.Yet, their absence was very noticeable after that day.Years earlier, I had almost taken a job on the 110th floor of the South Tower. If I had taken that job, I would not be here today.
More than 2,600 innocent souls lost their lives in our “back yard” on September 11, 2001.I get knots in my throat and in my stomach when I think about how they were trapped and the horrific way in which they died.Almost 3,000 innocents lost their lives that day, in total.My prayers go out to them and their loved ones, as well as to everyone who has been affected by this tragedy.
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