It was New York’s pride, a sign of power and prosperity for Americans. It even challenged the presence of Mrs. Liberty. Now it’s all history. The skyline of downtown Manhattan New York will no more be the same. Its raped of its identity - The Twin Towers had collapsed. Sure the slow down in American economy will recover but the blow that hit the world financial center had created both mental and physical destruction that will take time and time to resurrect. It will be marked as a shame on humanity that some human mind, how much deceased it may be, had comprehended and plot such a mass massacre of innocent life’s. Tuesday 9/11/01 the emergency call no 911 rang all day with people asking about there beloved once, what help they could offer and how to live on with such a disaster.
During my earlier days in New York I used to visit these buildings. Each time I saw it, I gazed in wonder of its marvelous architectural precision. I doubted the reality of the event even one hour after it was declared that there was no more Twin Towers seen on the skyline of New York. This was the reason why my feet’s gained momentum and walked me towards the worst disaster seen I had ever been to. I wanted to confirm with my own eyes the authenticity of the story that was flashed all over the world. A mushroom of cloud filled the void created by the befallen structure like a huge cumulonimbus cloud. There was an exception to this cloud that it was not bearing rain but dust.
For almost one hour after I head the news, my conscious mind stuck to that warning not to visit or go near any such accident place. As time passed my curiosity rose blurring my vision and I stepped out to have a glimpse of the raising dust. I walked one block after another, another again to get a closer view of its immense magnitude. Each block I walked towards it I felt the cry of people in panic for help. It wasn’t a site to watch but I had to see it to believe one of the landmark of mans wonderful creativity is no more than a pile of ruble and junk .I wonder why anyone would do such a heinous act. I don’t know what they achieved when they put to stake there own life among the thousand others who where just ordinary people doing regular jobs to feed there family and children. They where chosen to be victim just because of being at the wrong place at the wrong time.
Years ago this building structure stood with integrity even after a worst bomb attack. The Port Authority which owns the twin’s, had setup foolproof security to preserve this majestic building after that. Each time I went to the building I joked about the money which I felt was wasted on the buildings security. The officials there responded with a smile saying the authorities make enough revenue that the money they spend on its security is considerably low. Let me take a moment here to brief you about the highest security I have witnessed and gone through each time I got into the building. If you are a visitor to any of the building you are asked to stay in a line for personal interview. A security staff interviews each one. They call up the office where you are going and confirm your authorization. They then print you an instant ID with the time stamp and picture taken. The elevators are designed to take you to the specified height that you are authorized on your issued ID card. The card has a magnetic strip on it that allows you to use the specified elevator. Besides that there is a security personal just before you enter the elevator to make sure that you are going to the right place. Then there is an electronic swipe machine where you swipe your card which open the gate into the elevator. It didn’t matter if it was the second visit on the same day, this was the routine that followed each time any person enters the building. People inside this buildings must have felt that it was the most secure place on earth until each of them ran for there life down the hall way, corridors, stairways elevators and finally got either embraced by the intense flame of burning aviation fuel or got sand witched between the falling ruins. Some even tried there luck by jumping from 40 and 50 floors high out of the building.
Being a certified pilot and a flight dispatcher I realize that a flight from Boston to Los Angelus is no less threat than an weapon of mass destruction because of the amount of fuel it carries. But no one in their wildest dream or even for a movie seen would have imagined such a way action. The time line of the whole incident starts at 8.45 AM when one American air line flight slammed the 1-World Trade Center (north tower). People thought that it was an unintentional air plain crash until they witnessed another plain at 9.05 aproximately 18 minutes later aiming the 2-World Trade Center (south tower) peering into it and bursting in flames. At 10.05 AM Tower 2 (south tower) collapsed and 20 minutes later the other tower gave up. By 10.30 it was all done, the world was shocked and the terrorists where celebrating. I was in the subway at 9.00 AM that had tracks which pass underneath the World Trade Center. We knew that some thing was wrong when the express train started running on the local track. Then the conductor announced there was an accident at World Trade Center, which caused the train to run on slow track. It followed another announced that next stop would be the final stop for the train. All of us got out of the train without knowing what had happened.
When I started walking downtown towards the lost building very few where with me. They where the press and small group of curious people. All the rest of the crowd where getting away from the disaster site. The map that I carry all time in my wallet showed that I was 40 blocks away form the sight of terror. NYPD (New York Police Department) had started putting barricade to stop people from entering the area. But curious once like me skinned the obstructions by taking D tours. About 5 blocks from the ground zero I started feeling death burbling after a full meal of human flush. There was four of us, me another individual and a couple that was left in crusade towards the unfortunate and forbidden zone. There was papers, pieces of metals, electronic equipments, shattered concrete and dust scattered all over a radius of 5 blocks. The papers that I saw included secure documents, highly important financial data, personal information of hundreds of corporate and fortune 500 companies. I leave it up to your imagination what I have seen because there is no words that exactly explains the destruction caused when two 110 floor building are demolished to dust. What were left standing were only 5 floors as a monument of its once existence. It was nothing more than the rebels that you will find in a war zone after a massive attack. Believe me this is a declaration of war by terrorist group on the world especially on America. They have hit both the core and heart of world. Now what we will watch is how this beast is going to react to the pain it endured. It’s clear that they have given no less importance to it than the Pearl Harbor attack during second word war.
I took one of the paper laying there as a souvenir. I felt the need of some proof to show people that I was there when it happened. This urge came to me because I regret even today for having no proof that I was at Time Squire during the millinium celebration. As I continued walking towards the zero, zero coordinate it felt like walking on a snowstorm of dust with half inch of white ashes spread all over and still falling from the sky above. I looked at my watch and it was 11 o clocks almost two hours after the first word of terror spread. The building was still puffing smoke; it was hard to breath and to see as I walked closer and closer. I cover my nose pulling my shirt up. The gray ashes where falling all over me from the sky like snow flakes. This is no exaggeration but plain truth. There where emergency workers and fire fighters standing and confused what action to take. They have lost many of their men who went into to building trying to save others life. I felt all my senses are defied by that view. The difficulty to grab a breath from the dusty air made me realize that it was no dream and I was alive. The gravity at the epicenter of the disaster was so high that I was pulled and pulled towards it. I only stopped at about 25 to 50 feet from the ground zero. More precisely there was just a road (11the avenue) between me and the once Twin Towers.
There where few photographers and emergency units like police and fireman. I don’t know what my role was there but I too shared the pain of human life lost and the fall of an envious beautiful building, which was always an icon of human civilization and achievement. What other reason does anyone need to be there other than compassion for his fellow man and love towards a thing of beauty? . I stood there like 15 mts just watching the smoke and the new fire popping out from the nearby buildings. Those shall be some moments I will never loose from my memory as I stood and watched the crippled financial district of the world, felling a void in my heart knowing I could do nothing but to learn from what had happened.
The excitation of those moment started slowly fading and my mind was falling back to normalcy. Every one around had a badge or a pass or a uniform. I was the only individual with no identification. This made me feel nervous. I felt I stood different form them in cloth and every thing. Realizing myself and the place I was in, I started backing off. Walked slowly away from the debris carrying on my shoulders a heavy sense of ramose. On my way out I informed some fireman and police group about the fresh fire that was burning out side the building. The firemen thanked me and said to vacate the place ASAP. By this time the police had closed all entrance and I was stuck inside, one of the policemen in the group came with me as a protection from being misunderstood and led me out of the barricade. I was pretty exhausted by the long inbound walk. Each police barricade I passed I felt relieved. This fueled my walk to the next one. Finally I saw a convoy of emergency bus service that was taking people uptown. I stopped a bus and boarded thinking nothing other than my own safety. There was a journalist sitting next to me. He was curious to know that I got inside the barricade and was a live victim who saw the horrible catastrophe .He eagerly asked questions for which I gave answers. I didn’t exactly hear his questions nor did I know what I said. It all felt like an illusion .
The city had stopped all inbound traffic and was evacuating people out of Manhattan. They feared the attack was not over and still considered possible bomb threats. This was the reason they closed all bridges and tunnels and there was serious checking going on for all outbound traffic. Military, Air force and National Guard was put to highest alert. The president was moved to a secret location and white house was evacuated. We could see formation of fighter jets flying in the sky. Frigate and destroyer ships where deployed in the east cost to stop further infiltration. All the borders where sealed. Federal aviation authority grounded all aircrafts indefinitely. Live telecast of the events where aired in all mass communication media .It was all a mess but there was still an order and coordination in the things they where doing. The mayor asked the people for support and volunteers. He even referred this incident to the war of Briton, when nazis where bombing Briton during World War II. He quoted Winston Churchill’s speech in which he said to hold faith and hope and to go ahead with regular routine without letting down the morale of the people.
As an eyewitness of the event I felt I had to contribute some thing for this disturbed city. Being a computer professional I had little to do in cleaning up the metal graveyard of the city. I found my role and volunteered as a data entry worker to input missing people data and the one that where identified to be dead. It was much worse than I thought. Reports where flowing in, where they recovered only fragments of the body parts .I saw pictures of fathers and mothers and children that where missing. Some individuals where identified by there DNA since no remains where left other than body fragments. The emergency command center of the city was located in one of the Twin Towers , so were destroyed with it. But the officials erected another even better one with all its facility in 24 hours. It was amazing in the way things where coordinated. One thing I admire about this country is the work ethic of the people. This country is only prosperous because of its untiring human effort and if any one has to match this country they will have to match first themselves with a better work ethic, vision and entrepreneurship. It took only three days to reopen most of the city. They even opened the Wall Street stock exchange, which was like three blocks from the epicenter of disaster. From an unprecedented and savage attack like this, the city regrouped and stood in its feet in less than a week. I don’t wonder now why people here are proud to be called as a New Yorker . I deeply regret to say, It was a great exposure for me to be here at this time of crisis and to experience the remedies taken against a calamity of such intensity . What we learn from this is - God forbid, may be some day we had to take such responsibility, at least we have a premonition of what we should do. Be safe every one, life is beautiful even with all its miseries. A strong reason that makes us all cling to life is the belief and hope of a better tomorrow . Let us all work for it and become blessed with a future of hope and nonviolence.
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