Fw: report from bystander

["Kimber" <kimbertvs@xxxxxxxxx>]

This is from another list I belong to. Warning for carnage description 

*sigh* what has this world come to.

Kimber
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First off, a sincere thanks to the multitude of you who have been so kind as to send notes inquiring about my safety, and the safety of others of us here in NYC. I am fine, and I am grateful that everyone I know in NYC is safe. To say that it is a surreal environment is an understatement.

I work in the financial district in Manhattan, not far from the Stock Exchange. We saw the second plane go into the WTC. At that time, I was in one of our other buildings, and we had an unobstructed view of the towers. We watched in horror as we saw the flames go up the building, multitude small explosions take place and the smoke billow out. When the second plane wentinto the WTC, we were staggered by the resulting explosion. 

We watched as debris rained down throughout lower Manhattan. It was strangely like a ticker tape parade. When I walked from one building back to another - where my staff is - I was dusted with debris. I saw papers from offices that had been destroyed, and my mind couldn't grasp what had happened to the people that were there.  

People on the street were running from the area. Some were cut and bleeding. Others were weeping. People were lined up at pay phones trying to communicate with loved ones. Our cell phones worked on sporadically. We couldn't get to the major news web sites, but, thankfully, many people began emailing us reports. That helped more than you can know.

In our office, it was controlled chaos. We feared, of course, for further attacks, especially at the stock exchange. We are a block from the federalreserve - the world's largest deposit of gold - and a block from the exchange. We checked to see if anyone had family in the WTCs, and, thankfully, none of us had any there. We found radios and TVs and soon were getting information. My boss was flying out of Newark on Continental this morning, and we were panicked until we knew she and our colleague were safe.  

Outside, the debris and soot settled around us and within minutes we were enveloped in a thick black smoke. It was as if it was the darkest of night.The smoke came in through our ventilation system, and my throat is still irritated from breathing it. We were urged to not leave the building due to the smoke hazards outside.  

Finally, we were allowed to leave. For those of us who live in Manhattan, we were told to just walk north. Stepping outside, the air was still thickwith smoke and soot. We were given damp rags to put over our mouths to breathe through until we reached clearer air. The streets were covered with soot and ash, littered paper. One cab driver had abandoned his cab in the middle of the street. Other cars were clearly impacted by larger debris.  

I glanced to my left as I walked north and where I usually saw the trade centers, there was nothing but a smoke column. Only that morning on my commute in had I admired the WTCs and felt a well of affection for this amazing city.

I walked north past Canal Street and got onto one of the subways. We were packed inside, but it was running again, and we were happy. One of the menstanding beside me was covered in soot and clearly in shock. He describedstepping over headless bodies getting out of the financial area. He said the streets were littered with corpses. He said that many of the people were not evacuated from the centers, saying that they had been trapped inside. I don't know how accurate his information is, but he was devastated by what he had seen. 

Another couple on the train reported similar sights. The woman was crying incessantly on the train and her husband just held her. He said a cop had estimated 20k dead. Again, I have no idea about the accuracy of such statements.

One man had been less than a hundred feet from WTC when it started to collapse. He was a younger man and was drenched with sweat. He said when it started to fall, he started to run and didn't stop until he was well away.  

One of my coworkers had been exiting the WTC when the second plane hit. She described the raining debris and the panic that ensued. However, New Yorkers are amazing. Instead of trampling each other, the people around her began leading each other out of the building and away from the site.

Everyone I ran into had the same type of experience. New York can be a rough and tumble place to live, but, by God, we pull together when tragedy strikes. There are people standing outside handing out wet rags to people so they can walk away and breathe better. There are others giving out free water, subway tokens, food. The police are out in full force and I was wished well by a multitude of policemen as I made my way north.  

We were told that it is likely that the downtown area will be closed for the next several days so they can begin to understand what all has taken place.  

Thanks to the many people who wrote, offered support, called, gave news, prayed and cared.

I keep hoping I will wake up and find out that this has been a horrible nightmare.  

F





Missy ROCKS! Pasadena 2001! 

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