Tuesday, 11 September 2001
Dear family and friends,
Sorry for the mass email, but I can’t write this or say this over and over I don’t think. I’m okay. Shook up, scared, and upset, but ok. I watched from a roof, and then skated right down as far as they would let me. There was no other way to get around the city. I was within blocks of the building by about 10:30 this morning.
There was a thick layer of grit getting in my wheels, and I got far enough that I was skating through plenty of dust and ash and fiberglass insulation stuff. The streets were covered with financial documents that were crumpled and burnt and blowing around. The worst was I found someone’s broken eyeglasses, which made me think of Auschwitz. My friends insisted someone lost them running away. Cars and plants were trashed. It was horrible. Emergency service workers and others choking and gasping. Half the police were telling us to head west to get evacuated on ferries, but when we got west the police there sent us east. Then people came running down the street yelling that there was a gas leak on the West Side Highway. I still don’t know if there was, but we left and got well out of the way. Went back to watch from roofs and on TV and try to reach people.
My phones weren’t working this morning, but they’re mostly back on so I’ve been trying to reach people all day, both to let them know I’m okay and find out if they are. None of my family could get through this morning. I do have friends who work there, and so far everyone I’m close to that I know of is okay, although I’m hearing about friends’ coworkers and parents who probably aren’t. A very good friend of mine works right there but didn’t make it to work today because he was practicing and running a little late. Juggling save Slammin’s life. Jay is the other person I thought of who works in the financial district, and my phone wasn’t working well enough to hear his story, but I did hear his voice.
They’ve set up an emergency triage center at Chelsea Piers, which is pretty near my house. I went and signed up to give blood or time, but they haven’t called yet. There are blocks of ambulances and I think I heard 200 doctor-volunteers waiting there, but as of about 6:30 when I was there, they still couldn’t get people out to there. Apparently the lines to give blood at the Red Cross, etc. are over five hours long. I don’t know if they’ll take mine anyway, no one ever has been willing to before, but I’ll keep trying. There are hundreds of emergency vehicles and sirens and police from all over — I don’t even recognize their uniforms some of them — but no other traffic anywhere. They’ve called in everyone who has ever been a cop or a firefighter or a doctor or anything that could possibly help. Off duty police and retired police are all checking in as well as ones from New Jersey and all over. It’s a potentially scary Die Hard 3 situation, although of course Giuliani keeps claiming there are police left in the rest of the city. I’m more afraid people are going to start race rioting and jumping Arabs than I am that they’ll start looting. Even the cat is shook up from all the sirens and noise, although except for sirens it’s now silent.
Some of the public transportation is running again, and bridges but not tunnels are open but only outbound, so the city is fairly eerie and deserted. I just rollerbladed home from 64th and 1st, and it took no time at all because there is no traffic. Then, when I got to 14th Street, there were about a million emergency vehicles and police barricades. My building is on the south side of 14th very near the main hospital taking people in. Cars are lined up trying to get people to the hospital. The south side of the street is blocked. There are tons of police everywhere. 14th is the evacuation line, but they’re not really evacuating — they’re just trying to keep the streets clear for emergency vehicles, etc. They are letting people through, but only with ID that says you live there and only on foot. Out my west windows I can see what looks like about twelve state troopers, six regular cops, and about ten more that I can’t even guess where they’re from. There are guys in some kind of yellow swat jackets surrounding my building. From my south windows, I can still even now that it’s after midnight, see smoke where I used to have a view of the twin towers.
I’ve been on rollerblades for fifteen hours, so it’s been a physically taxing day as well as an emotionally exhausting one. It’s not going to get any easier here for a few days. I may go to Carita’s, but I’ll probably stay while they’re still asking for blood and volunteers. That’s it for now. I am incredibly grateful for the calls and emails. It’s a little too much perspective on everything. Finally, if any of you out of the city are having trouble reaching anyone here, let me know, and I’ll see what I can do. Morgan Stanley and lots of the companies are setting up hotlines, and even if phone service stays touch and go, I can rollerblade and knock on doors or whatever you need.
My worst personal news today is completely unrelated to all this: while I was writing this I got an email that my cousin Larry died today. I don’t know how, and I’m still in too much shock to absorb it.
Please keep checking in. I sincerely hope there is no more to tell, but if there is, I’ll keep updating.
Much love,
Viveca