Monday, September 11, 2006
9/11 remember that?
Five years since 9/11. I think that was a day that I will remember for the rest of my life. I imagine it is similar to previous generations when John Kennedy was shot, or when Pearl Harbor was attacked.
I was in college at IU, getting ready for class in my studio apartment. I turned on the news right after the first plane hit, and I think like most people, thought (or hoped!) it was an accident. I happened to be watching as the second plane hit and then I realized how serious it was. I was horrified and confused that a group of people would conspire to do something so destructive and kill so many innocent people. Then the towers came down, and I really got scared. I naively thought (or hoped) that everyone escaped the towers coming down, or that people could ride down the collapsing towers and still survive.
Even though I have skipped class for much less important things (Ages of Empire LAN game, episode of Dr. Katz I hadn’t seen), I decided that I should go to class that day. I got on the bus to go to campus and the bus was even more silent then usual for a Monday morning. Luckily, I got to sit next to Ms. Chatterbox, who went on non-stop about some party over the weekend and some guy she met. She clearly didn't know what happened. Her flippant rant was a stark contrast to everyone else's somber mood. I was shooting daggers with my eyes at her, as if I envied her ignorance.
Then I went to class, and the students talked about it before class started. The prof talked about it some, and then we went on with class. Then I watched the news 24/7 even though they mostly repeated themselves. For some reason, I thought it was important to get gas. That night I gassed up my car, and my girlfriend’s car. There were long lines. I guess everyone agreed with me that there was a chance that the evil-doers would fly planes into Bloomington, and we would have to flee.
I didn't buy any duct-tape, although it seemed like an okay idea at the time.
Remember the terrorism-alert system? What ever happened to that? are we in red, orange, yellow, cyan, or lilac now? Oh, yellow you say? What a relief. No need to duck-and-cover until we are at least in orangish-red.
Anyway, I think we all have these stories of what happened that day. Anyone want to share their story? please leave a comment.
If this email is too depressing or serious here is a cute little baby chick to make you happy again.
I was in college at IU, getting ready for class in my studio apartment. I turned on the news right after the first plane hit, and I think like most people, thought (or hoped!) it was an accident. I happened to be watching as the second plane hit and then I realized how serious it was. I was horrified and confused that a group of people would conspire to do something so destructive and kill so many innocent people. Then the towers came down, and I really got scared. I naively thought (or hoped) that everyone escaped the towers coming down, or that people could ride down the collapsing towers and still survive.
Even though I have skipped class for much less important things (Ages of Empire LAN game, episode of Dr. Katz I hadn’t seen), I decided that I should go to class that day. I got on the bus to go to campus and the bus was even more silent then usual for a Monday morning. Luckily, I got to sit next to Ms. Chatterbox, who went on non-stop about some party over the weekend and some guy she met. She clearly didn't know what happened. Her flippant rant was a stark contrast to everyone else's somber mood. I was shooting daggers with my eyes at her, as if I envied her ignorance.
Then I went to class, and the students talked about it before class started. The prof talked about it some, and then we went on with class. Then I watched the news 24/7 even though they mostly repeated themselves. For some reason, I thought it was important to get gas. That night I gassed up my car, and my girlfriend’s car. There were long lines. I guess everyone agreed with me that there was a chance that the evil-doers would fly planes into Bloomington, and we would have to flee.
I didn't buy any duct-tape, although it seemed like an okay idea at the time.
Remember the terrorism-alert system? What ever happened to that? are we in red, orange, yellow, cyan, or lilac now? Oh, yellow you say? What a relief. No need to duck-and-cover until we are at least in orangish-red.
Anyway, I think we all have these stories of what happened that day. Anyone want to share their story? please leave a comment.
If this email is too depressing or serious here is a cute little baby chick to make you happy again.
# posted by fooiemcgoo : 7:57 AM
Comments:
<< Home
I was helping proctor tests as a substitute teacher and there was a tv in the next room so I got to watch a lot. I thought that a lot more people died after seeing the towers come down. I was relieved to find out it wasn't 10,000+ like I imagined. I think the bombing that happend in the early 90s actually made it so this one was less fatal since they revamped the evacuation procedures.
I thought less people died than 2000. i guess i am overly-optomistic.
proctoring tests was one of my favorite part of teaching. i swear. so much silence.
proctoring tests was one of my favorite part of teaching. i swear. so much silence.
The evacuation procedures were not helpful in saving lives. In the Second tower there were messages throughout the building telling people to return to their desks. This was after the first tower was hit but before the second.
At the time it might have made sense that the 2nd tower shouldn't have been evacuated. How was the evacuation leader guy supposed to know that a 747 was about to crash into HIS tower too? no one else knew that at the time. or that either would collapse? they probably didn't want tower 2 folk crouding the streets and impeding the 1st tower egress.
If a plane crashed into the building next to where you are working now, would you leave your office?
i was late for work that day, as i was trying to rush out the door, my mother called me to look at the tv. as soon as i went in to see what she was talking about the 2nd tower fell. i remember going numb and realizing that my mother was crying. i didn't really hit home for awhile after that.
i also recall being downtown that night, and noticing the silence. we used to have band practice at a warehouse on 12th street. we would go up to the roof to cool off and just chill, and normally we could watch the UPS flights circle around and land, that night...nothing. it was chilling.
i also recall being downtown that night, and noticing the silence. we used to have band practice at a warehouse on 12th street. we would go up to the roof to cool off and just chill, and normally we could watch the UPS flights circle around and land, that night...nothing. it was chilling.
# posted by 
: 11:36 AM
: 11:36 AM
you bet your sweet ass I would. I would most likely try to help if i could. The circumstances are so
incredibly different that I wonder what your point is.
my point is that it isn't scandulous that they (I assume "they" is some kind of tower security or fire people) told the tower 2 folk to stay at their desks. At the time, it might have made alot of sense.
here is a question: did you expect the other tower to be hit? did you expect either to collapse?
incredibly different that I wonder what your point is.
my point is that it isn't scandulous that they (I assume "they" is some kind of tower security or fire people) told the tower 2 folk to stay at their desks. At the time, it might have made alot of sense.
here is a question: did you expect the other tower to be hit? did you expect either to collapse?
I am not saying it was some conspiracy theory.
It was a pre-recorded announcement playing throughout the tower. The security guards were also at the bottom sirecting people back upstairs to their offices. I didn;t expect the other tower to be hit or either to collapse.
But...I can't see any way it would make more sense for the people to stay at their desks rather than evacuate the building. Those buildings more than likely shared gas lines and everything else.
And my original point was simply that there was not an "evactuation plan" taking effect, only that the opposite was true, they were not being evactuated.
It was a pre-recorded announcement playing throughout the tower. The security guards were also at the bottom sirecting people back upstairs to their offices. I didn;t expect the other tower to be hit or either to collapse.
But...I can't see any way it would make more sense for the people to stay at their desks rather than evacuate the building. Those buildings more than likely shared gas lines and everything else.
And my original point was simply that there was not an "evactuation plan" taking effect, only that the opposite was true, they were not being evactuated.
on a different note, we can all go here and relive the horror:
http://www.cnn.com/
they have over 3 hours of streaming footage of the coverage from that day.
i will have to close my eyes when the people jump out of the building. Whenever I start to get apathetic about terrorism I think about that.
http://www.cnn.com/
they have over 3 hours of streaming footage of the coverage from that day.
i will have to close my eyes when the people jump out of the building. Whenever I start to get apathetic about terrorism I think about that.
When I watched a show about it, there was security guy that gave his life making sure everyone was evacuated from the first building. He basically knew an attack was coming. Without him, more people would have died. So lessons were learned from the bombing in the 90s.
As for evacuating the second tower after the first one got hit and before the second one did, who would have planned for that? It's a different building afterall. I guess you would need a procedure for evacuating large city areas when it becomes possible for a skyscraper to collapse.
Post a Comment
As for evacuating the second tower after the first one got hit and before the second one did, who would have planned for that? It's a different building afterall. I guess you would need a procedure for evacuating large city areas when it becomes possible for a skyscraper to collapse.
<< Home
