We were in bed when the alarm went off so I could get ready for work. Howard Stern came on and they were talking about the WTC and the time it was bombed in 1993. Then they started talking about a plane hitting the tower and I said to my husband, "Wait a minute, I think they're talking about something that just happened."
We turned on the television just in time to see the second plane hit the south tower. I ran to the phone to immediately call my mother and see what was going on and if our relatives were OK. We were glued to the television set. A little while later, we watched the towers fall down. I'm ashamed to admit that I had a panic attack when the second tower fell.
Thank God that I didn't know at the time that my first cousin
was in the second tower attending a Port Authority meeting; I probably would have suffered a nervous breakdown.
The rest of the day was spent crying, calling my parents, and attempting to reach my family in New York. No one could get through--all the lines were busy. GC was down, and no one knew why. I emailed back and forth with OTW, LeslieAGD and KillarneyRose whenever anyone had an update about relatives in the area. I still have the emails. We didn't find out until late that night that my cousin and his wife were safe and in a makeshift bunker with Mayor Guiliani.
Another friend of the family was not so lucky. He was in the North Tower above the crash line--never had a chance to get out. He left his wife and two sons behind.
I will never, ever, forget the horror of that day.