[nukkad] WTC Plane 'bombings' and me - graphic details - may be worth skipping

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I was there at the WTC (I work at the World Financial Centre building - across the highway from the WTC).

I walked out of the WTC just minutes (probably 8 mins) after the plane slammed into the first tower. Let me give you my graphic account. 

As I got out of the PATH train (which runs thru the bowels of the WTC) I could smell a kerosene burning smell. I wondered. There is a restaurant at that same level and I thought they must have had a minor accident. Sure enough the fire alarm lights were blinking. People usually ignore these fire alarm lights as these are a frequent occurrence. Of course, people at the restaurant were ignoring the alarm.

I took the escalators that take me to street level. As we approached that level, I suddenly saw people above me on the escalator running away and a great deal of commotion and shouting. I thought there must be a hostage situation and dashed my usual way toward the exit that I usually take. I even saw a man standing n a staggered manner, being supported by a policeman. It looked like he was bleeding. I assumed he had been shot and took off like a mad man toward my usual exit. I slowed down when I realised that all the shops around me were closed - and the scene outside the glass door some 50 feet before me was a little murky. There appeared to be some smoke outside. I wasn't sure what was happening.

Anyway - I walked to the exit and stepped out (Southward) - and it looked like a scene from a war movie. The street looked like a war zone. I immediately drew parallels to Beirut. Then another thing struck me - the smell of kerosene burning had not gone away at all! How could a restaurant fire deep down smell all the way up here? I wondered. Then I saw the debris all around me - some of it was still burning. I chanced to look up - and then the horror of it dawned on me - the WTC was burning! "The Towering Inferno" was being brought to life!! I whipped out my cell phone and tried to call my wife. No signal. Obviously everyone around me was probably using up the cell sites - not enough network bandwidth to get my call thru.

Usually I turn right (Eastward) and go to my office. But the way towards my office appeared to be impassable. There was just too much debris there. So I crossed the road in front of me and then turn right to my office. Still no go. There was a police officer blocking my path. I stopped. But several othes pushed through. He told me that the only way was to go further one block and then try to turn right. I did just that. That road had its share of debris. Also included some screaming women. I was stolidly pushing along when I saw - right in front of me - a huge hunk of what appeared to be freshly hewn beef sitting on the wndshield of a car. I was shocked! What kind of person would store freshly cut meat - even temporarily when taking it out of a truck and putting it into cold storage - on the hood of a car? Just then a couple of people put a sheet of white cloth on that. Then I
heard some women screaming and pointing to something below. I looked down and a scant 6 inches from my foot I saw a foot. Mind you - just a foot. Then I realised that this must be from the WTC! I kept trying to
call my wife. But my cell phone just refused to go thru. 

I managed to cross the highway that separates my office from the WTC. I struggled up an small embankment and watched as people were pouring out of my office building. I still did not know that a plane had crashed into the WTC. Then I heard someone say so. I just did not believe him. I thought to myself, this is a small fire - these people should be able to contain it quite easily. Why would my building be in
danger? I walked up to the security of my building and asked them if they were planning to evacuate the building. They said not yet. But it could be any moment. Decision time. Should I go up or go home? I
decided (foolhardily) to go up. Since I work on the sixth floor - any emergency exit would not be quite as painful as, say, an exit from the 38th floor (which is where I used to work). I pressed on up, took the first elevator.

Just as I was off the elevator, I saw a couple of people rushing out of an adjacent office saying that they had just seen a second plane hitting 'our' building. Oh no! All I wanted to do at that time was call my wife and tell her that I was coming home. I opened my office - which I share with 3 others - dialed home - only to find that I could not get thru. I dialled again. In the mean time I heard the people on my floor rushing to the emergency door. I even hear d acouple of people asking whether there were any more. No one looked into my room. I managed to get through to my wife and told her that the WTC was burning and that there had been another plane crash too and that I was trying to return home. Then I left. 

I was the last on my floor to leave. As I wended my way down the stairs I was struck at how calm people were. This New York resilience is something I saw time and time again today. we left the building and I got out - and now I realised that the second plane had actually slammed into the other WTC tower. Someone standing by said to me that he had seen the plane coming from near the Statue of Liberty and slamming itself into the other tower. 

I looked up while walking (illogically) Southward - away from WTC but also away from my alternate exit from NYC - 33rd street Penn Station. I kept turning back to see what was happening. I saw at least 3 or 4 people jumping form what must have been the 50th or even 40th floor of the WTC tower. My mind could only register. They were flying out - only to slam into concrete - which I fortunately did not witness. They were obviously jumping from the fire - and willing to take a chance with the jump. I was horrified. I looked at the pavement below me - and saw many many empty high heeled shoes. Did they come from the explosion? Not possible because they were all in pairs. And also undamaged. Then I got it - this must have been people that must have been watching - while the second plane slamed. 

By now I was numb. It was almost 9:15 AM. Or 9:20. I wasn't looking at my watch. I saw a few people out there with their digital cameras taking videos and pictures of the building going up in flames. I kept walking Westward and Southward until I reached a subway station that I knew existed. I got into the subway - numb with shock - and escaped from the entire area. 

I got off the subway at 14th street and 4th Ave and trudged all the way up to 33rd street and 8th Ave. Mighty long walk - considering that each street takes about a minute at a brisk pace and each Avenue takes about 4 minutes. I reached Penn station at around 10:00 AM. I got into what would be the exit train for me - the 10:43 AM to home. Unfortunately they ervacuated Penn station - so I had to wait outside for about 4 hours before ultimately reaching home - by the same train - around 3:30 PM.

A most horrible experience. I am glad to be alive. I hope and pray that the 000's of souls that died there today go to heaven in peace. It was never their fault. It never is. 

Indian©
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