Awake Jan 8 2002:
"The events of September 11, 2001, in New York City, Washington D.C., and Pennsylvania will be indelibly impressed on the minds of millions, if not billions, of the world's inhabitants. Where were you when you saw or heard the news of the attack on the World Trade Center in New York and on the Pentagon in Washington?
That incredibly swift destruction of so much property and, far more important, of so many lives has given mankind reason to pause and reflect.
What have we learned about our priorities and our choices in life? How did those tragic events bring to the fore some of the better qualities of our humanity - self sacrifice, compassion, endurance, and unselfishness? This article and the one following will try to answer the latter question.
Survivors Tell their Story
Immediately following the disaster in New York, the subway system closed down, and multitudes of people exited lower Manhattan on foot - many of them crossing the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges. They could clearly see the office and factory buildings of the world headquarters of Jehovah's Witnesses. Some refugees from the disaster soon headed toward those buildings.
Alisha (at right), the daughter of a witness, was among the first to arrive. She was covered with dust and ash*. She explained, "While I was on the train heading to work, I could see smoke coming from the World Trade Center. When I arrived at the disaster area, there was glass on the ground everywhere, and I could feel the heat. People were running in every direction, while the police were trying to evacuate the area. It looked like a war zone.
* Awake! interviewed many more survivors than could be included in this brief review. Their cooperation helped to complete and corroborate these accounts.
(pg2)
"I ran into a nearby building for shelter. Then I heard the explosion as the second plane hit the south tower. The scene was indescribable, with black smoke everywhere. We were told to move out of the danger zone. I was put on a ferry crossing the East River to Brooklyn. When I got to the other side, I looked up and saw a large sign, "WATCHTOWER". The headquarters of my mother's religion! I immediately made my way to the office building. I knew that I could not be in better hands. I was able to get cleaned up and then call my parents."
Wendell (at right) was a doorman at the Marriott hotel located between the two towers. He explained: "I was on duty in the lobby when the first explosion occurred. I saw debris falling all around. I looked across the street, and there was a man in flames lying on the ground. I tore off my jacket and shirt and ran over to try to put out the flames. Another passerby jioned in to help. All the clothes burned off the man except for his socks and shoes. Then the firemen came and took him to get medical help.
"Shortly after that, Bryant Grumbel of CBS TV News called on the phone to get an eyewitness account of what was happening. My family in the Virgin Islands heard it on their TV and, as a result, knew that I was alive."
Donald, a heft six-foot-five-inch employee at the World Financial Center, was on the 31st Floor of his building, looking straight across at the Twin Towers and the Marriott Hotel. He said: "I was dumbstruck and horrified by what I saw. People were falling and jumping out of the north tower windows. I became hysterical and ran out of my building as fast as I could".
Another experience was that of a mother in her 60's and her two daughters in their 40's. Ruth and her sister Joni were staying with their mother, Janice, at a hotel near the Twin Towers. Ruth, a registered nurse, tells the story: "I was in the shower. My mother and sister suddenly shouted for me to get out of the shower. We were on the 16th floor, and they could see the debris falling past the window. My mother actually saw a man's body fly over a nearby roof as if he had been ejected from somewhere.
"I dressed quickly, and we started down the stairs. There was a lot of screaming. We exited onto the street. We heard explosions and saw sparks of fire. We were ordered to rush south to Battery Park, where the Staten Island Ferry is located. On the way, we lost contact with Mother, who has chronic asthma. How would she survive in all this smoke, ash and dust? We spend half an hour looking for her but without success. Howwever, we were not too worried at first because she is very capable and self-possessed.
"Eventually, we were directed towalk to the Brooklyn Bridge and cross to the other side. Imagine our relief as we got to the Brooklyn side of the Bridge and saw a huge sign "WATCHTOWER"! We knew we were safe.
"We were given a welcome and accommodations. We were also supplied with clothes, since we had nothing. But where was Mother? We spend all last night vainly trying to trace her at hospitals. About half past eleven the next morning, we received a message. Mother was downstairs in the lobby! What had happened to her?"
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This is an extract from the article. I can post the rest tomorrow if someone else doesnt.
Interesting...
Sirona