{"id":1053,"date":"2012-09-10T00:21:37","date_gmt":"2012-09-10T00:21:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jwforum.net\/news\/2012\/09\/10\/the-day-the-twin-towers-collapsed-survivors-tell-their-stories\/"},"modified":"2022-12-19T21:31:32","modified_gmt":"2022-12-19T18:31:32","slug":"the-day-the-twin-towers-collapsed-survivors-tell-their-stories","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jwforum.net\/portal\/the-day-the-twin-towers-collapsed-survivors-tell-their-stories\/","title":{"rendered":"The Day the Twin Towers Collapsed Survivors Tell Their Stories"},"content":{"rendered":"
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THE\u00a0events of September 11, 2001<\/strong><\/a>, in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania will be indelibly impressed on the minds of millions, if not billions, of the world\u2019s 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?<\/div>\n
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That incredibly swift destruction of so much property and, far more important, of so many lives has given mankind reason to pause and reflect.<\/div>\n
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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\u2014self-sacrifice, compassion, endurance, and unselfishness? This article and the one following will try to answer the latter question.<\/div>\n
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Survivors Tell Their Stories<\/div>\n
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Immediately following the disaster in New York, the subway system closed down, and multitudes of people exited lower Manhattan on foot\u2014many of them crossing the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges. They could clearly see the office and factory buildings of the world headquarters of Jehovah\u2019s Witnesses. Some refugees from the disaster soon headed toward those buildings.<\/div>\n
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Alisha (at right), the daughter of a Witness, was among the first to arrive. She was covered with dust and ash. She explained: \u201cWhile 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.<\/div>\n
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\u201cI 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, \u2018WATCHTOWER.\u2019 The headquarters of my mother\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Wendell (at right) was a doorman at the Marriott Hotel located between the two towers. He explained: \u201cI 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 joined 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.<\/div>\n
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\u201cShortly after that, Bryant Gumbel 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.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Donald, a hefty six-foot-five-inch [195 cm] 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: \u201cI 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.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Another experience was that of a mother in her 60\u2019s and her two daughters in their 40\u2019s. 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: \u201cI 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 debris falling past the window. My mother actually saw a man\u2019s body fly over a nearby roof as if he had been ejected from somewhere.<\/div>\n
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\u201cI 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 spent half an hour looking for her but without success. However, we were not too worried at first because she is very capable and self-possessed.<\/div>\n
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\u201cEventually, we were directed to walk 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 the huge sign \u2018WATCHTOWER\u2019! We knew we were safe.<\/div>\n
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\u201cWe were given a welcome and accommodations. We were also supplied with clothes, since we had nothing. But where was Mother? We spent all 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?\u201d<\/div>\n
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Janice, the mother, continues the account: \u201cWhen we rushed out of the hotel, I was concerned about an elderly friend, who had been unable to leave with us. I wanted to return and carry her out myself. But it was too dangerous. In the commotion I got separated from my daughters. However, I was not too concerned, as they are levelheaded and Ruth is a qualified nurse.<\/div>\n
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\u201cEverywhere I looked, people needed help\u2014especially children and babies. I helped as many as I could. I went to the triage area, where the victims were being sorted and treated according to the severity of their injuries. I helped out by washing the hands and faces of the policemen and firemen, who were caked with soot and dust. I stayed until about three in the morning. Then I took the last ferry to Staten Island. I thought that perhaps my daughters had sought refuge over there. But I didn\u2019t find them.<\/div>\n
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\u201cIn the morning I tried to get the first ferry back to Manhattan, but I couldn\u2019t get on because I was not an emergency worker. Then I saw one of the policemen whom I had helped. I called out: \u2018John! I need to get back to Manhattan.\u2019 He replied: \u2018Just come with me.\u2019<\/div>\n
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\u201cWhen I arrived in Manhattan, I headed back to the Marriott Hotel. Perhaps there was still a chance to help my elderly friend. No way! The hotel was in ruins. The downtown area was dead\u2014no life in it anywhere. Only haggard policemen and firemen, with tragedy written all over their faces.<\/div>\n
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\u201cI wended my way over to the Brooklyn Bridge. As I neared the far end, I could see a familiar sign, \u2018WATCHTOWER.\u2019 Perhaps I would find my daughters there. Sure enough, they came down to the lobby to greet me. What hugs and tears we shared!<\/div>\n
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\u201cAmazingly, I did not have a single asthma attack, in spite of all the smoke, dust, and ash. I kept praying, for I wanted to be useful, not a burden.\u201d<\/div>\n
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\u201cThere\u2019s Nowhere to Land!\u201d<\/div>\n
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Rachel, a woman in her early 20\u2019s, told an Awake! writer: \u201cI was walking down my block in lower Manhattan when I heard the noise of a plane overhead. It was so loud that it made me look up. I couldn\u2019t believe it\u2014there was this huge jetliner obviously on a descending path. I wondered why it was flying so low and so fast. There\u2019s nowhere to land! Maybe the pilot had lost control. Then I heard a woman screaming, \u2018That plane just hit the building!\u2019 A huge fireball burst out of the north tower. I saw a giant black hole in the tower.<\/div>\n
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\u201cIt was the most horrible thing I\u2019ve ever seen in my life. It didn\u2019t seem real. I just stood there with my mouth open. Within a short time, the second tower was hit by another plane, and eventually both towers collapsed. I became hysterical. It was more than I could take!\u201d<\/div>\n
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\u201cIf I Have to Swim, I\u2019ll Swim\u201d<\/div>\n
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Denise, aged 16, had just arrived at her school next to the American Stock Exchange, which is located three blocks south of the World Trade Center. \u201cIt was just after 9:00 a.m. I knew that something had happened, but I didn\u2019t know what. I was on the 11th floor of the school, attending history class. All the students looked petrified. The teacher still wanted us to take a test. We wanted to get out and go home.<\/div>\n
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\u201cThen the building shook as the second plane impacted the south tower. But we still did not know what had happened. Suddenly I heard on the teacher\u2019s walkie-talkie: \u2018Two planes have hit the Twin Towers!\u2019 I thought to myself, \u2018It is not logical to stay put. This is terrorism, and the Stock Exchange will be next.\u2019 So we got out.<\/div>\n
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\u201cWe raced down to Battery Park. I turned around to look at what was happening. I could see that the south tower was going to collapse. Then I thought that there would be a domino effect, with all the high buildings collapsing. I was struggling to breathe, as my nose and throat were clogged with ash and dust. I raced for the East River, thinking, \u2018If I have to swim, I\u2019ll swim.\u2019 As I fled, I prayed to Jehovah to save me.<\/div>\n
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\u201cEventually, I was put on a ferry to New Jersey. It took more than five hours for my mother to find me, but at least I was safe!\u201d<\/div>\n
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\u201cIs This My Last Day of Life?\u201d<\/div>\n
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Joshua, aged 28, from Princeton, New Jersey, was teaching a class on the 40th floor of the north tower. He recalls: \u201cAll of a sudden, it felt like a bomb had exploded. There were tremors, and then I thought, \u2018No, it was an earthquake.\u2019 I looked outside, and it was unbelievable\u2014smoke and debris were swirling around the building. I said to the class, \u2018Everybody, drop your stuff. Let\u2019s go!\u2019<\/div>\n
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\u201cWe headed down the stairs, which were filling up with smoke, and water was coming out of the sprinklers. But there was no panic. I kept praying that we had chosen the right stairwell so that we wouldn\u2019t come face-to-face with the fire.<\/div>\n
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\u201cAs I was running down the stairs, I thought, \u2018Is this my last day of life?\u2019 I kept praying to Jehovah, and I felt a strange feeling of peace. I have never experienced that kind of inner peace. I will never forget that moment.<\/div>\n
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\u201cWhen we finally came out of the building, the police were moving everyone along. I looked up at the towers and saw that both buildings had been sliced open. It was surreal.<\/div>\n
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\u201cThen I heard an eerie sound\u2014an uncanny silence as if thousands of people were holding their breath. It seemed as if New York stood still. This was followed by screaming. The south tower was collapsing on itself! A tidal wave of smoke, ash, and dust was hurtling toward us. It was like special effects out of a movie. But this was real. As the cloud caught up with us, we could hardly breathe.<\/div>\n
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\u201cI made it to the Manhattan Bridge, where I turned and saw the north tower with its huge TV antenna go crashing down. As I crossed the bridge, I just kept praying that I would reach Bethel, the world headquarters of Jehovah\u2019s Witnesses. I have never been so happy to see that place in my whole life. And there on the factory wall was the big sign that thousands can see each day, \u2018Read God\u2019s Word the Holy Bible Daily\u2019! I thought, \u2018I\u2019m almost there. Just keep going.\u2019<\/div>\n
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\u201cAs I reflect on those events, they have impressed on me that I really need to have my priorities right\u2014that first things in life should be first.\u201d<\/div>\n
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\u201cI Saw People Jumping off the Tower\u201d<\/div>\n
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Jessica, aged 22, saw the events when she got out of a downtown subway station. \u201cI looked up and saw ash, debris, and all kinds of pieces of metal coming down. People were waiting to use pay phones and were getting more and more hysterical because of the delays. I prayed for calmness. Then another explosion. Steel and glass were falling out of the sky. I heard shouts, \u2018It was another plane!\u2019<\/div>\n
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\u201cI looked up, and it was horrible to see\u2014people jumping from the upper floors where the smoke and flames were billowing out. I can still see it before my eyes\u2014a man together with a woman. They were holding onto a window for a while. Then they had to let go, and they fell and fell and fell. The sight was unbearable.<\/div>\n
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\u201cEventually, I got to the Brooklyn Bridge, where I took off my uncomfortable shoes and ran to the Brooklyn side of the river. I walked into the Watchtower office building, where I was immediately helped to calm down.<\/div>\n
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\u201cThat night, at home, I read in Awake! of August 22, 2001, the series \u2018Coping With Post-traumatic Stress.\u2019 How badly I needed that information!\u201d<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

THE\u00a0events 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\u2019s inhabitants. Where were you when you saw…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,57],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1053","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news-news","category-medical"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jwforum.net\/portal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1053","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jwforum.net\/portal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jwforum.net\/portal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jwforum.net\/portal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jwforum.net\/portal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1053"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/jwforum.net\/portal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1053\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6559,"href":"https:\/\/jwforum.net\/portal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1053\/revisions\/6559"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jwforum.net\/portal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1053"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jwforum.net\/portal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1053"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jwforum.net\/portal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1053"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}