Directly from the email they sent me~
The three of us came out of the subway this morning heading for battery park
to purchase ferry tickets for the Statute of Liberty and Ellis Island. I
made a joke about the crazy sounds of New York with all the sirens and
emergency vehicles racing by. As we walked through the park Michelle
noticed smoke rising from a bldg and we realized that it was the WTC.
People said that a small commuter plane had crashed into the plane - we
watched for awhile and tried to get tickets for the ferry but we were told
"We are standby."
It was a beautiful sunny day in New York our plan was to vistit the top of
WTC after our excursion this morning because our guide books say, "Visit the
WTC on a clear day." The weather forecast said that today would be the
clearest day this week. We were drenched in rain showers yesterday
afternoon.
While watching the tower burn a second large blue plane made a sharp banking
turn right into the bldg with a huge fiery explosion - we all were dismayed,
in shock and we all just started crying and asking, why, why? God put us
next to a fireman on vacation from CA and our biggest concern as we watched
was "Will the fireman be able to get the fire under control, and how will
they do that?" As the fireman explained the emergency procedures they would
use there was a huge explosion in the second tower which disentegrated the
top 1/3 of the bldg. At that point we started running east towards the end
of Manhattan away from the fast approaching dark cloud. This was the
scariest part because people were pushing and we couldn't breathe with of
all the debris in the air. It was frightening and the three of us tried to
stay close to each other - there was a small restaurant and people picked up
chairs and were trying to break the windows so they could get inside - I
guess for fresh air?
We found refuge in a bldg further south when we heard that the second tower
had exploded and more dark smoke filled the air. We made our way to South
Seaport Village where a restaurant owner yelled outside, "Anyone needing a
restroom, water or a phone, come to the restaurant."
Tim tried to get a phone call out in his cell phone or in a payphone but the
circuits were busy until Terry Wren called what a good feeling to be able to
get word out that we were safe. We hung out in a tavern in the Seaport
which had a television where the three of us tried to understand what we
were experiencing. It dawned on me "Michelle you are under age and you are
in a pub." Doesn't matter though - people are just glad to be alive.
We are safe in our hotel room which is four blocks away from the WTC, they
wanted all the people to get off Manhatten and over to Brooklyn and
surrounding areas but what would we do there? We don't know what we will do
from this point, obviously the streets are filled with dust and debris but
it was so good to take a shower and get the dust off of our skin as it
hurts! It must be micro pieces of glass.
It is extrememly sad and emotional for all three of us. What will happen to
the rest of our trip? Who knows. Jeremy is in the Marine Reserves and they
have called him to be on alert and to have the men he is in charge of ready
to go. What a scary time - those people in the pub were using alcohol to
calm their fears - I am grateful God is with us and that we are safe. Pray
for this poor people and their families.
Love you guys,
Janet, Tim & Michelle
The three of us came out of the subway this morning heading for battery park
to purchase ferry tickets for the Statute of Liberty and Ellis Island. I
made a joke about the crazy sounds of New York with all the sirens and
emergency vehicles racing by. As we walked through the park Michelle
noticed smoke rising from a bldg and we realized that it was the WTC.
People said that a small commuter plane had crashed into the plane - we
watched for awhile and tried to get tickets for the ferry but we were told
"We are standby."
It was a beautiful sunny day in New York our plan was to vistit the top of
WTC after our excursion this morning because our guide books say, "Visit the
WTC on a clear day." The weather forecast said that today would be the
clearest day this week. We were drenched in rain showers yesterday
afternoon.
While watching the tower burn a second large blue plane made a sharp banking
turn right into the bldg with a huge fiery explosion - we all were dismayed,
in shock and we all just started crying and asking, why, why? God put us
next to a fireman on vacation from CA and our biggest concern as we watched
was "Will the fireman be able to get the fire under control, and how will
they do that?" As the fireman explained the emergency procedures they would
use there was a huge explosion in the second tower which disentegrated the
top 1/3 of the bldg. At that point we started running east towards the end
of Manhattan away from the fast approaching dark cloud. This was the
scariest part because people were pushing and we couldn't breathe with of
all the debris in the air. It was frightening and the three of us tried to
stay close to each other - there was a small restaurant and people picked up
chairs and were trying to break the windows so they could get inside - I
guess for fresh air?
We found refuge in a bldg further south when we heard that the second tower
had exploded and more dark smoke filled the air. We made our way to South
Seaport Village where a restaurant owner yelled outside, "Anyone needing a
restroom, water or a phone, come to the restaurant."
Tim tried to get a phone call out in his cell phone or in a payphone but the
circuits were busy until Terry Wren called what a good feeling to be able to
get word out that we were safe. We hung out in a tavern in the Seaport
which had a television where the three of us tried to understand what we
were experiencing. It dawned on me "Michelle you are under age and you are
in a pub." Doesn't matter though - people are just glad to be alive.
We are safe in our hotel room which is four blocks away from the WTC, they
wanted all the people to get off Manhatten and over to Brooklyn and
surrounding areas but what would we do there? We don't know what we will do
from this point, obviously the streets are filled with dust and debris but
it was so good to take a shower and get the dust off of our skin as it
hurts! It must be micro pieces of glass.
It is extrememly sad and emotional for all three of us. What will happen to
the rest of our trip? Who knows. Jeremy is in the Marine Reserves and they
have called him to be on alert and to have the men he is in charge of ready
to go. What a scary time - those people in the pub were using alcohol to
calm their fears - I am grateful God is with us and that we are safe. Pray
for this poor people and their families.
Love you guys,
Janet, Tim & Michelle