Devastation.
Devastation.
september 11
How the world changed today, and my piddly little life that surrounded it. 6:53 a.m: Horn blares on 78th Street, which my open bedroom window faces, getting me up early. Desire to sleep in. Tired. Spent last evening at a meeting for a Green city council candidate and walked to it in the rain. (Walked to the subway back with said candidate, which I counted as a vote for me.) Remembered it was primary day. Hauled tired ass out of bed.
6:54 a.m – 7:40 a.m.: Morning ablutions.
7:45 a.m – 8:15 a.m.: Walked to polling location. Dodged shady politicians, all lingering at my polling booth in Jackson Heights for odd reasons (well, not odd, it was primary day, but why my location?). Confused all of the polling people by insisting on voting Green. (They had to scramble for my special ballot, which I filled in like one of those bubble tests you take in high school.) Polling guy: "So how come you're a Green?" I note my nausea at voting either Bush or Gore. "Well, I'm really an Independent voter, but this city is run by the major parties, so I'd rather..." At which point I could complete his (scaredy-ass) answer and besides, my ballot came. They then scrambled to find me a place to vote, and my privacy was essentially assured by them setting up a folding cardboard "wall" around my arms and ballot on the table. I felt like I was shielding myself from getting a tan. Ever want to really see how the system works? Register for a fringe party. I voted, put ballot in envelope, left. Independent Guy followed me to the door and said, "You don't look like a Green." "Not crunchy enough, eh?" I said, and left. Dodged the leering glance of a particular Democratic candidate. Ergh. Watched somebody taking a photo of the politicians harrassing people on the corner.
8:15 a.m. – 8:45 a.m.: Take subway to work. Be oblivious.
8:45 a.m.: [From CNN] A large plane, possibly a hijacked airliner, crashes into one of the World Trade Center towers, tearing a gaping hole in the building and setting it afire.
8:45 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.: Still oblivious, turn on computer, get water, unpack, turn on L.A. Law, which airs on Lifetime during my quiet first hour at the gig.
9:03 a.m.:[From CNN] A second plane, apparently a passenger jet, crashes into the second World Trade Center tower and explodes. Both buildings are burning.
9:15 a.m.: Copy editor I work with stops in my office, peeps at my TV. "Have you heard about the explosion?" Duh, nope. "Turn on any channel." For this second or two, I'm thinking something blew up, a car bomb or a mailbox bomb. Probably in England or Ireland. Or Israel. Shows what I know.
9:17 a.m.: [From CNN] The FAA shuts down all New York City area airports.
9:21 a.m.: [From CNN] New York City Port Authority orders all bridges and tunnels in the New York City area closed.
9:15 a.m. – Forever: Gape at television. Discuss ad infinitum with everyone who stops in the office how we found out and what it could all possibly mean, and we don't know if it is a terrorist attack or two pilots with Very Bad Judgment.
9:21 a.m.: Email from Tommy U. in England: "Just wanted to check that you were OK...pretty shocked by events. Speak soon." He's my first friend to check in.
9:25 a.m.: I try calling Mom. She wants to know about this kind of stuff. Can't get through to her direct line; call information and get the main line and get her through that. She's relieved. A little later, I call Buddie, who has just woken up. "I'm fine," I tell her. She's baffled. "Uh," I say, "two planes crashed into the World Trade Center. Thought you might want to know I'm okay." She's freaked out.
9:26 a.m. – 9:28 a.m.: I email Old Boyfriend Mark (who when we were dating worked in the World Trade Center, and for whose life I fear) and Old Boyfriend's Friend Jim (who doesn't work in the WTC and isn't much of a friend, but who should know these things. Neither bounces.
9:30 a.m.: [From CNN] Bush, speaking in Florida, says the country has suffered an "apparent terrorist attack."
9:31 a.m.: Of all the people in the world to comfort us in our time of need, it's the President Select. Ugh.
9:33 a.m.: Email from Martin W. in France: "My TV was tuned on CNN in my study a few minutes ago when I saw a plane crash into the WTC. I imagine what the panic must be in NYC and I just wanted to tell you (even if it sounds futile) that I think about you and the people in NYC."
9:40 a.m.: [From CNN] The FAA halts all flight operations at U.S. airports, the first time in U.S. history that air traffic nationwide has been halted.
9:41 a.m.: On the other hand, let's face it: We've only had air travel for about half of the time we've had a U.S. History, if that. So let's not get too hyberbolic.
9:43 a.m.: [From CNN] An aircraft crashes into the Pentagon, sending up a huge plume of smoke. Evacuation begins immediately.
9:44 a.m.: I wondered (while wandering in and out of offices, looking at the pulled-down, worried faces, trying to get a read on people) how they were going to put out the fires. What about like what they do in a forest fire? What about dumping water? On TV, a guy trapped on one of the floors has called out on his cell phone and the TV news anchors pass on his message that he's okay to his family.
9:45 a.m.: [From CNN] The White House evacuates.
9:57 a.m.: [From CNN] Bush departs from Florida.
10:05 a.m.: [From CNN] The south tower of the World Trade Center collapses, plummeting into the streets below. A massive cloud of dust and debris forms and slowly drifts away from the building.
10:05 a.m.: Shock. Horror. Hands around mouth. I didn't know it would/could do that. I just thought we'd have a badly-scarred building.
10:08 a.m.: [CNN] Secret Service agents armed with automatic rifles are deployed into Lafayette Park across from the White House.
10:10 a.m.: [CNN] A portion of the Pentagon collapses.
10:10 a.m.: [CNN] United Airlines Flight 93 crashes in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, southeast of Pittsburgh.
10:15 a.m.: Lynda emails me: "What's going on? Are you okay? Are you at work?" I write back, she sends me her cell number, we huddle and talk. She's coming for Rosh Hashana, and has taken off Tuesday. She's a relatively new joiner of the tribe, but has always been half-Jewish.
10:13 a.m.: [CNN] The United Nations building evacuates, including 4,700 people from the headquarters building and 7,000 total from UNICEF and U.N. development programs.
10:22 a.m.: [CNN] In Washington, the State and Justice departments are evacuated, along with the World Bank.
10:24 a.m.: [CNN] The FAA reports that all inbound transatlantic aircraft flying into the United States are being diverted to Canada.
10:28 a.m.: [CNN] The World Trade Center's north tower collapses from the top down as if it were being peeled apart, releasing a tremendous cloud of debris and smoke.
10:28 a.m.: Shit. That's a very good description; it's like a flower, leaves peeling outward – but the leaves are thick pointed plumes of smoke. I'm nearly in tears: The waste, the waste, the waste of life. The trapped man who called the TV station is most likely dead now. Anyone still in there almost certainly is. There are fluttering white things outside the smoke and I realize – it's paper, floating like wings to the ground. Like snow. Somehow, that creeps me out further. The landscape is changed. Walking in Southern Manhattan, you could usually peer down an Avenue and orient yourself by seeing the twin towers. "Oh, ok, that's south." No more. And no more cell phones, it seems – the transmission tower atop the twin towers is as dead as the buildings.
10:31 a.m.: I come back to my office and realize Craig has called. Can't get through to him, email Mom to tell him I'm okay. Finally get through. He passes on the rumor/information that: 1) It was done today because the date is "9-1-1" and that there will be "five" such incidents before all is said and done.
10:45 a.m.: [CNN] All federal office buildings in Washington are evacuated.
10.46 a.m.: [CNN] U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell cuts short his trip to Latin America to return to the United States.
10.48 a.m.: [CNN] Police confirm the crash of a large plane in Somerset County, Pennsylvania.
10:49 a.m.: We're hearing it crashed at Camp David. Why? Context begins to sneak in – 23 years ago this date, President Carter signed the historic peace accords.
10:53 a.m.: [CNN] New York's primary elections scheduled for today are postponed.
10:53 a.m.: So what happens to my vote? Do I have to vote again?
10:54 a.m.: [CNN] Israel evacuates all diplomatic missions.
10:57 a.m.: [CNN] New York Gov. George Pataki says all state government offices are closed.
11:00 a.m.: Approximately: Queen Bee calls us into the conference room and says when things open back up again (basically, all routes out and in the city seem to have been shut off; we are islanded) we are free to go home. She offers to buy lunch for the office, and Princess suggests pizza. An emergency number will be on (we hope) tomorrow to see if the office is closed. M can't contact her family and is worried.
11:02 a.m.: [CNN] Giuliani urges New Yorkers to stay at home and orders an evacuation of the area south of Canal Street.
1:15 a.m.: The late, wonderful Jo's mother writes me, from Jo's email account (which still creeps me out) asking: "What terrible, terrible news, are you okay?" The Brits are very, very responsive, God bless 'em. Tommy would kill me for calling him a Brit, though. He's a Scot.
11:16 a.m.: [CNN] CNN reports that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is preparing emergency-response teams in a precautionary move.
11:17 a.m.: The TV drones on, keeps showing the same footage. Now there's lots of footage of soot-covered unfortuantes in the downtown area. It looks as if it has snowed, a yellowish, chalky snow. Everything is covered. People walk relatively calmly with their hands over their mouths, shirts pulled up. Jeff, the guy on Channel 7 seems a little too gleeful; I change networks as one tires me out.
11:18 a.m.: [CNN] American Airlines reports it has lost two aircraft. American Flight 11, a Boeing 767 flying from Boston to Los Angeles, had 81 passengers and 11 crew aboard. Flight 77, a Boeing 757 en route from Washington's Dulles Airport to Los Angeles, had 58 passengers and six crew members aboard. Flight 11 slammed into the north tower of the World Trade Center.
11:26 a.m.: [CNN] United Airlines reports that United Flight 93, en route from Newark, New Jersey, to San Francisco, has crashed in Pennsylvania, southeast of Pittsburgh. The airline also says that it is "deeply concerned" about United Flight 175.
11:59 a.m.: United Airlines confirms that Flight 175, from Boston to Los Angeles, has crashed with 56 passengers and nine crew members aboard. Emergency personnel at the scene say there are no survivors.
Noon: S suggests that the planes were all West-coast bound because if the hijackers needed to circle around a long time, they'd have the fuel. I think that much fuel would burn longer and louder. No one really knows. The phone is very, very quiet. At some point I call the publicist for my show and express concern. (I'm not exactly concerned, but you have to say some things. She is pregnant and all. She's useless today, though, and says all the shows are not taping.)
12:04 p.m.: [CNN] Los Angeles International Airport is evacuated.
12:15 p.m: [CNN] San Francisco International Airport is evacuated and shut down. The airport was the destination of United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed in Pennsylvania.... The Immigration and Naturalization Service says U.S. borders with Canada and Mexico are on the highest state of alert, but no decision has been made about closing borders.
12:15 p.m.: It's very, very hard to concentrate on the doings of twits like "Jen" and "Cristian" as I wite up a synopsis. Yet what doesn't get done today (which will be most things) will just be waiting for me tomorrow, and there's no point in leaving work now when the subways (which eventually do come back up – you can leave for Queens, but you can't come back) are going to be packed.
12:30 p.m.: [CNN] The FAA says 50 flights are in U.S. airspace, but none are reporting any problems.
1:04 p.m.: [CNN] Bush, speaking from Barksdale Air Force Base, says that all appropriate security measures are being taken, including putting the U.S. military on high alert worldwide. He asks for prayers for those killed or wounded in the attacks and says: "Make no mistake, the United States will hunt down and punish those responsible for these cowardly acts."
1:21 p.m.: Val checks in. "I know you don't work down that way, but just checking to see if you are OK. It looks like madness there and in fact I think the whole East Coast is kind of whacked out. My neighbors have their kids in the basement, lets be real here. I have heard from Fredda, but not my brother yet. He was doing election stuff and I have no idea where he was today, possibly protesting at city hall ( he works for a group called New Democratic Directions or something). I am hoping he was not going over to the WTCs to take pictures. He likes doing that stuff. Hope you are well."
1:21 p.m.: If a friend doesn't check in, do they not care? Or do I assume they're practical enough to know I'm okay? An email takes a second, you know. Meanwhile, the images keep coming of people surrounded by smoke, people fleeing smoke. Different angles of the second airplane striking the building, of the buildings peeling apart. It looks like a scene from Independence Day or Deep Impact. They need blood donors. I can do that, but I've been blacklisted since I lived in England in the early 1990s and I could have Mad Cow in my veins. Would they still want my blood in an emergency, though?
1:27 p.m.: [CNN] A state of emergency is declared by the city of Washington.
1:44 p.m.: [CNN] The Pentagon says five warships and two aircraft carriers will leave the U.S. Naval Station in Norfolk, Virginia, to protect the East Coast from further attack and to reduce the number of ships in port. The two carriers, the USS George Washington and the USS John F. Kennedy, are headed for the New York coast. The other ships headed to sea are frigates and guided missile destroyers capable of shooting down aircraft.
1:45 p.m.: When do we start kicking some ass? They're now showing (admittedly the same ones over and over again) scenes of Palestinians celebrating outside (ironically enough for anti-Westerners) a "Parisian-style" café. They wave crumpled plastic flags. I'm all for a Palestinian state. They got robbed by the moron Brit colonialists who said to Jews, "Here," and fled. But this wins no friends. And if you feel you "have" to do this kind of destruction to make your point, it is still not a cause to celebrate. If you feel this is your duty, you click your heels and do it and grimly move on. Anyone who celebrates this kind of thing is not going to Allah. I'm sure of that. (And is it racist to assume Palestinians? I'd like to think I'm not being racist. After all, Tim McVeigh was home-grown madness. Yet I think I'm not wrong here.)
1:48 p.m.: [CNN] President Bush leaves Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana aboard Air Force One and flies to an undisclosed location.
1:49 p.m.: Here he comes to save the day! Oh, wait, not yet.
1:54 p.m.: Law & Order fan writes: "I know that you live in New York City. And in regards to what happened there this morning, I wanted to see if you are okay. My prayers are with you and everyone else who was involved or around when this happened. They are also with everyone else in the States. Just thought I would check." Okay, so if total strangers check in, wherefore Rebecca? Julia? Patrick?
1:56 p.m.: OLTL fan writes: "Just let me know you are safe."
2:00 p.m.: [CNN] Senior FBI sources tell CNN they are working on the assumption that the four airplanes that crashed were hijacked as part of a terrorist attack.
2:30 p.m.: [CNN] The FAA announces there will be no U.S. commercial air traffic until noon EDT Wednesday.
2:49 p.m.: [CNN] At a news conference, Giuliani says that subway and bus service are restored in New York City. Asked about the number of people killed, Giuliani says, "I don't think we want to speculate about that -- more than any of us can bear."
2:45 p.m.: Alan from England writes. "I am obviously concerned to hear you're OK after the attack on New York, so just send me a quick message. I am appalled by what has happened and have watched the news with complete disbelief. It is an absolute atrocity against humanity. Send a quick message." Thank God for the Internet.
3:02 p.m.: Mom writes: "Florence called, Joe Rychlec came to my office (Alexis asked him to) and Howard sent e-mail, all to check on you. Of course I've talked to Suzanne several times. It's nice that so many people care about us. I have a head ache and want to go home and sit in front of the tv, but no one here is leaving yet. I'm sure I'll be here till at least 4:30 or 5. Then I'm going straight home. Call me later and let me know where you are. If you have to stay in your bldg. all night, stay there. Just be safe. This whole day has made me very nervous. I love you very much, Mom" I love you, too.
3:40 p.m.: All caught up for the day, I leave and hope things go well in terms of getting home. I make sure to have some chips and a plum with me in case there's a lot of walking or waiting. They show a shot of the open 59th Street Bridge just before I left, and it was crammed with people. Exodus, man. But shockingly enough, I get home as fast if not faster than on any other day at 3:40 p.m. You almost wouldn't know anything was wrong – unless you didn't know New York. The streets are virtually bare of moving cars, an unheard of thing, even on a quiet Sunday. No one's been able to get in since about 9:00 a.m. and most people have left. It is ghostly. Also, everyone on the streets has a tight, grim face – and they all make eye contact. Not quite daring you to not be sad, but a kind of sizing up anyway. As I descend into the 5th Street subway station, one of two cops lingering outside says, "Be safe." The train comes right away, and I get on. The guy next to me is quiet most of the ride, yet he's seething. He's carrying nothing, though most guys don't. It's not until we're above ground at Hunter's Point that you can see the plume of smoke downtown; it looks horrible. Again – you might have thought it was all made up until that moment. He says, "I was there." Really? Really. Turns out he's an engineer for the city of New York and was down in the area, but go out before the ash came. "I walked all the way up to 72nd Street to get a subway," he says – and obviously stopped at a few bars along the way. I try passing on some details about the Pentagon, etc. His response is always, "Hmm. Hungh." He seems to agree with my choice of the word "devastation." When he gets up to leave, he stumbles a little. I hope he gets some sleep tonight. When I get to Jackson Heights, a lot of the small shops are shuttered. Busier here on the streets, but still fairly quiet. I stop in at Met Food and get wine coolers and a pint of Ben and Jerry's (Chocolate Brownie). Fuck the diet tonight; I need comfort food. Outside the store, it's still kind of quiet out. There are no dumb planes from LaGuardia to bother us – the airports are all shut. Still, a high, distant plane noise comes – one of the armed forces jets sent out to protect us. It is a tiny white dot in the perfect blue sky. I wonder how we can possibly be protected by a tiny white dot.
3:55 p.m.: [CNN] Giuliani now says the number of critically injured in New York City is up to 200 with 2,100 total injuries reported.
3:55 p.m.: [CNN] Karen Hughes, a White House counselor, says the president is at an undisclosed location, later revealed to be an Air Force base in Nebraska, and is conducting a National Security Council meeting by phone. Vice President Dick Cheney and National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice are in a security facility at the White House. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is at the Pentagon.
4 p.m: [CNN] CNN National Security Correspondent David Ensor reports that U.S. officials say there are "good indications" that bin Laden is involved in the attacks, based on "new and specific" information developed since the attacks.
4:06 p.m.: [CNN] California Gov. Gray Davis dispatches urban search-and-rescue teams to New York City.
4:10 p.m.: [CNN] Building 7 of the World Trade Center complex is reported on fire.
4:15 p.m.: Approximately. I get home. Two messages: Jenny and Joey. I call them both. Joey says the creator of Fraiser was on one of the planes. Jenny says that until recently she went to a place near the former WTC for temporary work. She knows people who might have been down there.
4:20 p.m.: [CNN] U.S. Sen. Bob Graham, D-Florida, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, says he was "not surprised there was an attack (but) was surprised at the specificity." He says he was "shocked at what actually happened -- the extent of it."
4:25 p.m.: [CNN] The American Stock Exchange, the Nasdaq and the New York Stock Exchange say they will remain closed Wednesday.
4:30 p.m.: [CNN] The president leaves Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska aboard Air Force One to return to Washington.
5:15 p.m.: [CNN] CNN Military Affairs Correspondent Jamie McIntyre reports fires are still burning in part of the Pentagon. No death figures have been released yet.
5:20 p.m.: [CNN] The 47-story Building 7 of the World Trade Center complex collapses. The evacuated building is damaged when the twin towers across the street collapse earlier in the day. Other nearby buildings in the area remain ablaze.
5:30 p.m.: [CNN] CNN Senior White House Correspondent John King reports that U.S. officials say the plane that crashed in Pennsylvania could have been headed for one of three possible targets: Camp David, the White House or the U.S. Capitol building.
6:00 p.m.: [CNN] Explosions are heard in Kabul, Afghanistan, hours after terrorist attacks targeted financial and military centers in the United States. The attacks occurred at 2:30 a.m. local time. Afghanistan is believed to be the home of Saudi militant Osama bin Laden, who U.S. officials say is possibly behind Tuesday's deadly attacks. U.S. officials say later that the United States had no involvement in the incident whatsoever.
6:01 p.m.: Approximately. Korillian's husband is in town. She emailed me at work to let me know. I told her if he needed a place to crash, he was welcome to it. He calls and says he may take me up on it – the electricity in their hotel just died. I help with subway directions; one of his party contacts a car rental place at LaGuardia and eventually they take the subway, then bus to LGA, get car, and start driving.
6:10 p.m.: [CNN] Mayor Rudolph Giuliani urges New Yorkers to stay home Wednesday if they can.
6:40 p.m.: [CNN] U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld holds a news conference in the Pentagon, noting the building is operational. "It will be in business tomorrow," he says.
6:54 p.m.: [CNN] Bush arrives back at the White House aboard Marine One and is scheduled to address the nation at 8:30 p.m. The president earlier landed at Andrews Air Force Base with a three-fighter jet escort. CNN's John King reports Laura Bush arrived earlier by motorcade from a "secure location."
7:17 p.m.: [CNN] U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft says the FBI is setting up a Web site for tips on the attacks: www.ifccfbi.gov. He also says family and friends of possible victims can leave contact information at 800-331-0075.
7:02 p.m.: [CNN] CNN's Paula Zahn reports the Marriott Hotel near the World Trade Center is on the verge of collapse and says some New York bridges are now open to outbound traffic.
7:03 p.m.: I don't know when it does collapse, but I see video later on and it just sinks down, like the earth opened up and swallowed it. I have building fatigue. It's all fascinating and horrifying and I'm exhausted.
7:45 p.m.: [CNN] The New York Police Department says that at least 78 officers are missing. The city also says that as many as half of the first 400 firefighters on the scene were killed.
8:30 p.m.: [CNN] President Bush addresses the nation, saying "thousands of lives were suddenly ended by evil" and asks for prayers for the families and friends of Tuesday's victims. "These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve," he says. The president says the U.S. government will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed the acts and those who harbor them. He adds that government offices in Washington are reopening for essential personnel Tuesday night and for all workers Wednesday.
8:35 p.m.: I watch the remainder of The Last Picture Show, which failed to impress me. At least for a few minutes I can take my mind off of building fatigue. I don't have cable, so the only network station I'm getting (I guess this is related to the transmitter issue) is CBS. But if I go to UHF stations, they're pumping through the networks endless coverage. So that's kept me sane. Ish. People are trapped in the rubble. Shit.
11:26 p.m.: Still reporting. I'm gonna hit the hay. It's been a long, long day. My hair feels tired, as Bert from Sesame Street might say. Never heard from: Julia, Rebecca, Patrick. Hmm. More worrisome, never heard from Mark or Jim. I don't know what that means. It is all very scary.
