I'm living with my sister in Ithaca right now. My home was
two blocks south of the world trade center. At 10 to 9 I
got a call from my mother on her way to work, saying the
world trade center was bombed. I looked out my window and
saw the smoke. While I was standing, dazed, looking around,
the second plane hit. That got me moving - I grabbed my
phone and wallet and put on shoes (not even grabbing
socks), and took the stairs down.
I walked south towards the waterfront and when I had gotten
far away I just stared at the burning buildings. At that
point I was just feeling bad about the people in the
building, but not panicked. Only a few people around were
crying, most people were just standing, watching, some
taking photos. Everyone was trying to call someone, me too.
I couldn't get through to my mom, of course, but I figured
she was ok.
I was trying to figure out what to do and decided I wanted
to get off the island. The best way seemed to be to take
the ferry from the world financial center, across the
street from the trade center. I was a little nervous about
walking so close to the towers, but they were still
standing so straight after the crash, I had no idea they
would fall. In part of my mind I was amazed at how well
built they were.
Anyway, I walked north to the ferry docks. Most people were
still not panicked. A few people were running north or
south, but most were just standing around, some trying to
find better views, especially if they had camcorders or
cameras. Part of me was a little upset to see all these
people filming what had just been a huge loss of life, but
I guess that's a common modern instinct. When I got to the
ferry the lines weren't even that long - people hadn't
decided to leave yet. I got on the Hoboken ferry just
before it pulled away.
It turned out to be the last ferry to leave before the
first tower collapsed. We weren't that far from shore when
it fell. I was watching (of course) - and it looked like it
took out all of downtown from Canal St on. It looked like a
bomb, and it happened at 10:00 exactly, so I thought it
was. There was a huge ring of explosions all around the
trade center. The dust and darkness overflowed onto the
water, covering the area where I just was. I started really
worrying about my mother then.
Well I eventually took a train from Hoboken out to Lyons,
after the second tower fell. My brother lives nearby. When
I was far enough away I finally got through on the phone to
him and told him I was OK and asked him to call everyone in
our family and let them know. But he hadn't heard about my
mother and I began to be really worried that she was dead.
It looked like anyone in the vicinity was gone, there was
so much destruction when the tower collapsed.
She was ok. She had gone to my building to look for me, and
was there when the tower collapsed. She waited in the lobby
(the building was apparently fine) until the police
evacuated her to Liberty Park. Eventually she got hold of
my brother, and we picked her up.
I'm pretty ok during the day, and when I'm with people. But
I can't stop thinking about it when I'm alone or when I go
to bed. I feel so terrible about all those people. I've
seen tragedies on TV before, probably where a lot more
people died. But I guess seeing it first-hand, and thinking
I'd just lost my mother, made me understand a bit better
what had happened to all those families. I'm so incredibly
lucky.
PS fuck esr, and anyone profiteering or pushing their own
agendas via this "opportunity". Yeah, I was briefly enraged
by that incendiary footage of people dancing in the streets
and celebrating in Palestine. But I sure as hell don't want
a war.