I went to my college reunion last week and there discovered that a classmate of mine was actually in World Trade One on the 83rd floor when the first plane hit. I knew that no one in our class died in the attack, but I hadn’t considered the people I might know who had close escapes. People have different reactions when asked to recount a story they’ve told many times, but he was willing to tell his one more time. A few tidbits from his story that I hadn’t heard anywhere else: the flexure of the building due to the impact did all kinds of damage throughout the structure, breaking water lines, knocking marble tiling off the walls, and bending door frames. This last apparently trapped some people in their offices by jamming the door shut. Burning fuel pouring down the stairs diverted them from the first stairwell they came to and sent them running to the second, by which time the smoke in the hallways was already very thick. He also said the stairway wasn’t even crowded until he got down into the 40s. Which he knew at the time was a bad sign.
On the way back from the reunion, I stopped in New York to look at the site. It’s just a big construction zone now, the last remnants of debris having been cleared from the site itself. The scene surrounding the big void is more telling. There’s still plenty of damage visible to the nearby buildings, and a few spray-painted signs (“TRIAGE”) remain on the walls. Lots of tourists. Lots of security. The city hasn’t removed any of the tourist signs that tell you fun facts about the towers. I wonder if they ever will.
Rambles Blog at Star Chamber 