I met Lisa on Montague Street which is right where the Promenade that over looks the Hudson River is at 8:45. As we were walking down Montague Street someone said something about paper floating in the air. Lisa looked up and, seeing nothing, we continued to work. At 9:04 we were just getting to work in Downtown Brooklyn, less than 2 miles from the World Trade Center, when we heard what we thought was thunder...it was the 2nd tower of the World Trade Center being hit by the second plane. We were in the elevator when a guy from work got in and said "I guess you heard?" and we were like "heard WHAT?" and he told us that a plane hit the World Trade Center. Our first thought was "TERRORISM" but, it could be an accident. When we got upstairs we heard about a second hit...this was NO ACCIDENT!
Our immediate reaction was denial and disbelief...HOW could this happen to US in New York? How could anyone fly into the World Trade Center? We all turned our radios on and just listened. No work was being done today. We tried to watch tv but every channel except CBS gets its feed from the World Trade Center so only CBS was working. It was still so hard to believe. As more and more details came in more and more people had tears in their eyes. The news that the planes were all Boeing passenger planes, word that the Pentagon was also struck, all put more fear and disbelief in our hearts. We all just kept trying to call loved ones and friends. I got through to my husband on the phone and I was glad to know that he was safe. He would stay at work until they open some trains and then come home later. We all stood around talking and sharing what little information we had.
When the first tower actually collapsed, real fear set in. We all had a look of panic that only terrorism can put on your face. The only thing I could think about was my eight year old son. I just wanted to get to his school, give him a hug and tell him I loved him.
At 10:15 Lisa and I left work to go pick up Ryan, my son, and head home. The air was unbelievable. It was like being in a movie. There was smoke and soot and debris that had blown over the river and into Brooklyn. We had to put paper towels up over our faces in order to breath. We also had to keep our sunglasses on to keep the debris out of our eyes. We got to the school at 10:30. They were very organized on the outside but you could see that the teachers had been crying and the principal was a mess. All of the students were in the auditorium watching a movie so once you signed your child out, you could just go get them. We walked out of the school at 10:38 and it was like walking into a snow storm. The second tower had just collapsed and soot and debris was everywhere. I was wearing black and was covered by the time we walked the 5 blocks to my house. I gave my sunglasses to my son and debris and soot were in my eyes. I told my son to pull his shirt up over his nose and mouth, stop talking and RUN!
When we got home we were all covered in soot. We all went into the bathroom, stripped off our clothes, took showers and washed our hair. I put everything we had on into the washing machine and washed it. I then washed every towel we used and the bath mat. I had to wash our shoes, our cell phones, our purses and our sun glasses.
A while later while watching the scene unfold on the news Ryan told me that this legs were "itchy" and when I smelled his hair, it still smelled like smoke. I put him back in the tub, washed his hair again and also washed all of his sheets for fear that whatever was itching him was now on his sheets since he had been watching tv on his bed.
Around 3:00 Lisa and I decided to go to the local hospital to donate blood. When we got there we were directed to the Marriott Downtown Hotel in downtown Brooklyn. Once there, we were told that the emergency medical supplies had not arrived and that it would be a 3-4 hour wait or we could come back tomorrow morning. We decided to walk to the Promenade and see if we could get some pictures. We had a great view of the smoke cloud for a few minutes and then the police evacuated the Promenade. We then dropped off our film at a one hour photo place on Montague Street and went to have dinner. After dinner we picked up the pictures and went back down by the water to take some more since the smoke had lifted a bit. We watched the excavators and dump trucks caravaning from the Port Authority Pier. Every time the wind shifted we would get some debris and the smell of smoke. Even at 7:00 at night we were walking with paper towels over our faces. My eyes still hurt and my throat is a bit swollen.
We came home and continued to watch the news. The schools will be closed tomorrow so Ryan is happy. At 8 he doesn't quite grasp what has happened. Most bus service has returned to normal so Lisa took the bus home. My bedroom smells like my building was on fire so I have to sleep on the couch.
As I sit here and recount the details of what should have been a normal day, I have tears in my eyes. My life will never be the same.
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