story1185.xml

story1185.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-08-19

my name is <REDACTED>. i am a native of south africa and have lived in new york city for 5 years. one of the reasons i left south africa and came to the USA was to feel the unparalleled freedom and security that americans enjoy. living through sept 11th and bearing witness to that scene changed my life forever.
below is the email i penned that night to my friends and family around the world.
thank you for recording these stories for future generations.


----- Original Message -----
From: "<REDACTED>" <REDACTED>
Sent: Tuesday, September 11, 2001 8:45 PM
Subject: Terrorist Tuesday in New York...


I am in severe shock and disbelief at the events of
today. New York is devastated, and people have been
wondering around in shock, both crying and silent,
staring into space and willing it not to be true.
But, as I just confirmed by going outside my apartment
building to look for the familiar lights of the world
trade centers, only to be greeted by the terrible
darkness, today did indeed happen, bringing
unspeakable horrors with it.

I woke up to the sound of screaming sirens this
morning - more sirens than usual for this city. Then
K phoned from tribeca with the terrible news. I turned on the TV in shock, and seeing the carnage unfolding, rushed
upstairs to the roof of my building to view the scene
first-hand. What I saw really sickened me. The twin
towers were on fire, with a gaping hole in the top of
the north tower. Smoke was billowing from both
towers. Soon, as the first tower collapsed, it became
evident that the black spots falling from the north
tower were in fact bodies falling from 100 floors
above - people so desperate, that they were throwing
themselves out of the shattered windows. I couldn't
actually watch anymore, so I went downstairs to call
my Mom and we both cried for all those people who have
died so senselessly.

The city came to a complete standstill today. There
were no cars on the roads, only fire trucks,
ambulances and dazed people walking home from work, as
there was no transport. I spoke to my friend G,
whose company is on the 105th floor of the north tower - the area that took a direct hit from the first plane. There were over 800 people working at Cantor Fitzgerald. He was just arriving at work when this all happened, and thank goodness he got away. Others - so many others - were not as fortunate. Our friend R's brother is missing. He is a young guy, a bright stockbroker, who had just gotten married last year. Everyone will know someone who has been
devastated by this. When I left South Africa, I never
thought that I would have friends calling me HERE to see if I was OK. The world is upside down.

Thanks to all my friends who called and emailed today. This tragedy has really brought people together, and this city is going to need all the strength it can get.

Until soon,
<REDACTED>.