Instead, the neighborhood was engulfed in darkness.. Organize, control, distribute and measure all of your digital content. The story appeared in the Times the next day. I was shocked; both towers gone, our building destroyed and 7 World Trade Center burning. By the time I decided to leave for home, the subways were already shut down so I started walking back to Penn Station. Bush, like almost everyone at the site, was very emotional, and he seemed to forge a true bond with the first responders, McNamee said. I never thought that either tower would collapse. It was on her left, flying over the Statue of Liberty and heading right for Manhattan. Its still something thats a bit hard to fully come to terms with. There was another woman there, crying and trying to reach out to her son. I eventually walked over the Williamsburg Bridge, caught a bus in Brooklyn heading for Queens and then flagged down a gypsy cab in Queens to take me to my home in Port Washington, Long Island. "They wouldn't have been anywhere near to the buildings as they were. In days following 9/11, I was on call with my headquarters management from 7:00am to 10:00pm to keep them informed of ongoing activities. Then I saw car lights blinking and realized where I was.. (Photo: AP), Flames and smoke pour from the Pentagon building adter a direct, devastating hit from an aircraft. Reports from the CDC found that the collapse of the towers exposed workers and the general public to a number of known chemical carcinogens. Even a mental inventory of the things that were in my office that no longer existed. While the wound was quite serious, it did not appear to be life-threatening. (Photo: AP), People covered in dust walk over debries near the World Trade Centre in New York City On September 11, 2001. It was a surreal scene where firefighters, police and a few civilians stumbled around, catching their breath, spitting out mouthfuls of mud, photographer Ruth Fremson said. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. While I was covered in dust and other particles, I was not injured. They were going to put out the fire and save lives. At some point I saw people appear at the edge of the gaping hole. A woman covered in dust takes refuge in an office building after one of the towers collapsed. [United Airlines Flight 175 flied low towards the south Tower of the WTC, shortly before alamming into the structure. People walk across the Brooklyn Bridge as they flee Lower Manhattan on September 11. WebThe September 11 attacks of 2001 caused the deaths of 2,996 people, including 2,977 victims and 19 hijackers who committed murdersuicide.Thousands more were injured, and long-term health effects have arisen as a consequence of the attacks. When the South Tower started to collapse, she ran behind the parked car on the left side of this photo. Ill never forget my first sight of what had happened. That letter was something as a photojournalist that comes as a gut punch, but makes you really value the job we do.. WebThe World Trade Centers South Tower bursts into flames after being hit by United Airlines Flight 175. The north tower burns after an earlier attack by a hijacked airliner in New York City. It was then that I noticed large chunks of concrete and pieces of metal in my path. We conjectured about the cause: Small airplane? Collect, curate and comment on your files. The World Trade Centre officially opened in 1973 and became a top tourist attraction, welcoming 200,000 visitors a day alongside the 50,000 people who worked in the buildings. Culbertson spoke about the harrowing moment in the 2014 Astronauts: Houston We Have a Problem. Look how beautiful the World Trade Center is! I told her. The WTC towers were clearly visible from the trading floor of her firm. This is never before seen footage and has never been released. What I remember most were the sounds and smells of the scene, the massive level of security, and the way that President Bush connected with the first responders still working at the site, photographer Win McNamee said. McGraw was heading to a funeral at Arlington National Cemetery when he saw the crash, according to the Arlington Catholic Herald. 9/11 attack: 16 years on, the wound of the September 11 attack is still fresh in the minds and hearts of many. It felt like being in the middle of hurricane. After dark, Loh could see two columns of smoke rising from the wreckage, exactly where the Twin Towers had stood earlier. He remembers how beautiful the morning was just before tragedy struck. At 8:46 a.m., American Airlines Flight 11 carrying 92 people, speared into the 110-story north tower. Within a short period of time, however, the lobby started to fill with people who were trying to evacuate that building. Claim: A man caught in the explosion of one of the World Trade Center towers rode bits of the falling building down to safety. One of my employees then noticed that some debris had fallen from above right past my window. Smoke Two days after 9/11, around 9:45pm, I received a very unusual phone call from the New York Times. What did it feel like to be inside the World Trade Center at the time of the 9/11 attacks. Plunkett felt like she was on autopilot as chaos unfolded all around her. By Kyle Almond, CNN Published September 10, 2021. Four airplanes were hijacked by Al-Qaeda suicide bombers, with one crashing into the Pentagon in Washington and another in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. IE 11 is not supported. This photo was taken by Chang W. Lee for The New York Times. I am so glad we are living in the safest place in the world. At that point it seemed better to get inside a building than to stay outside. To me, this image represents a moment when our country, in the aftermath of an attack on our soil, literally came through the darkness to find a renewed sense of common ground and patriotism, he said. Looking for U.S. government information and services? AP Photo/Suzanne Plunket Fires raged for hours and smoldered for days in the mass This was partially because I believed that it was an accident and I was in no immediate danger. We exited the mall in the northeastcorner near the Millennium hotel. The other two passenger jets were directed at the two towers of the World Trade Center in New York. One of the towers of the World Trade Center collapses on September 11. Firefighters battle flames at the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001. Despite losing all their national commodity files, records and resource materials, the national specialists, their assistants and the staff in the Customs Information Exchange were ready to get back to work to perform their assigned tasks. American Airlines Flight 77 had crashed into the Pentagon, killing 184 people. I saw a number of people jump to their death, desperate to get away from the heat/flames. Bush had already known about the first plane hitting the World Trade Center, Card wrote in 2002. The color adds to the photo. Learn more at Inside the Collection. I remember feeling completely bewildered by what was happening and desperately trying to make sense of it so that I could continue working. (Photo: AP), The remaining tower of New York's World Trade Center, Tower 2, dissolves in a cloud of dust and debris about a half hour after the first twin tower collapsed September 11, 2001. Thousands of survivors and first responders have been diagnosed with cancers resulting from the terrorist attack, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A lot of people say, 'Well, I don't want to look at that.' He rushed to the scene and parked a few blocks away from the site, where people were watching from afar. Brett Roegiers, Sandra Stevenson and Bernadette Tuazon. FILE - New York City police and firefighters inspect the bomb crater inside an underground parking garage of New York's World Trade Center on Feb. 27, 1993, the day after an explosion tore through it. When I looked at New York City across the river, I noticed that among the wreckage, debris and smoke, the Statue of Liberty stood out on the skyline, holding her lighted torch high.. Grow your brand authentically by sharing brand content with the internets creators. Lederhandler said the terrorist strikes helped him decide to retire a few months later. But it has become much more to him. or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. Almost 3,000 people died in the attacks, while more than 25,000 were left with injuries and long-term health problems. It was a bright, beautiful morning, and you could see seemingly forever out the floor to ceiling windows of the building. I chose to upload it because I feel it has historical importance. The Statue of Liberty can be seen from Jersey City, New Jersey, as the Lower Manhattan skyline remains shrouded in smoke on September 15, 2001. They were lit only by the eerily glowing light of the display case holding cold cuts and cheeses for that days sandwiches.. It was at that point that the relative calmness of everyone evacuating turned into a sense of urgency. I was photographing the building, and an EMT said 'Oh my gosh, look at that,' and then we started seeing people coming down, he said. I could easily see New York City - a big black column of smoke coming out of the city, and as I zoomed in with the video camera, I could see this big grey blob enveloping southern Manhattan. Picture from inside the World Trade Center during the attack. I remember thinking how horrible it was that she was moving through this moment all by herself.. When the World Trade Center was attacked, Marty Lederhandler crossed the street from the Associated Press office at Rockefeller Center, took an elevator to the 65th floor of the General Electric building and photographed the blazing towers in the distance. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. I lost four friends and co-workers that day who will forever be in my heart. Click the AdBlock Plus button on your browser and select Disable on Observer.com. The phrase that kept coming to my mind was Jesus is with you, McGraw told the Catholic Herald. Since we still didnt know exactly what happened we decided to enter the Hotel New Yorker to find out what had happened and to call home. But advertising revenue helps support our journalism. But she died of stomach cancer in 2015. Suddenly (DeFazio) paused on the sidewalk, overcome by grief and worry. I later found out that United Airlines Flight 175 had slammed into the southwest face of the tower, creating an impact hole that extended from the 78th to 84th floors. A cloud of debris envelops pedestrians on New Yorks Beekman Street after the World Trade Center collapse on September 11. He and his wife, photographer Rebecca Norris Webb, were about to leave Brooklyn to head into Manhattan and document the scene of the attack. I spent most of it on the phone trying to account for every employee in the company. There was a certain amount of warmth to the light. Strangely enough, my first thought was that WTC1 somehow exploded and what we experiencing was the impact of that. At sunrise, I made my way to the Hudson River coastal areas of Jersey City and Bayonne, New Jersey, said Dan Loh, who was working for the Associated Press. After walking for almost an hour or so I finally made it to Penn Station. Its hard to tell what color her dress or boots are. She was 28 at the time, working as a legal assistant at Bank of America in the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Another hijacked plane crashed into the Pentagon in Virginia and the fourth one crashed into an open field in Pennsylvania. There will be no earthquakes, there will be no floods, and there will be no threat of missiles here. . Tragically, the towers became one of the targets in a series of coordinated terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001. I looked into my office (office wall was floor-to-ceiling glass) and saw a gaping hole in the south side of WTC1. 2023 Getty Images. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. AAP has won the Delhi mayor polls. It was clear a tremendous number of people had died, and it was clear that the level of tragedy was enormous. ngel Franco was covering a politician for The New York Times when the attacks started that morning. It was all about the light that day, he said. I will never forget the surreal moment of sunlight that was making its way through all the destruction and chaos on that clear September day. Niles connected with DeFazio the year after her husbands death. White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card whispers into the ear of US President George W. Bush as Bush was visiting an elementary school in Sarasota, Florida, on the morning of September 11. A man stands in the rubble and calls out, asking if anyone needs help, after the collapse of the first World Trade Center Tower. I asked them why, out of all the thousands of people who worked there, would they be calling me? On Sept. 11, 2001, hijackers caught U.S. authorities by surprise with a bold attack on New York City's World Trade Center. Much of the ceiling had come down, and I could feel the breeze from blown out windows on the other side of the floor. A plane hits the south tower of the World Trade Center., Smoke and debris fill the airas the south tower of the World Trade Center collapses at 9:59 a.m. "Clearly, not even the police and FBI who had flooded the area were worried about collapse," said George Hackett of Newsweek. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS There was debris falling off the building, and my boss suggested we get out of the area. It was one of the happiest days of my near-forty year career. Even though I was in shock, I kept going, knowing that what had just happened needed to be documented.. He later told me that I was speaking very quickly and not making much sense. The first step was to contact all employees who worked at the World Trade Center to make sure everyone evacuated safely. I remember the smell of the pulverized debris. I have not spoken to her since, yet I think of her often, especially each September.. The album contains photos of the North Tower of the World Trade Center seconds after impact and then smoke billowing from both towers. I think I collapsed for a couple of hours, and then one of the guys that worked for me picked me up and we headed to Philadelphia, where my company had a smaller office. (LockA locked padlock) This Now famous photograph has becoe iconic and ispired an article and documentary movie. My route took me up West Broadway. The publication of this photo, taken by Associated Press photographer Richard Drew, was not received well by everyone. At that point I wasnt really sure what to do. I was with a colleague and my boss at the time. It was, without a doubt, one of the most moving presidential moments Ive ever witnessed.. Click the AdBlock Plus button on your browser and select Enabled on this site. I was only out of the subway a few minutes, trying to negotiate police barriers, when someone shouted The towers are coming down! she recalled. WebA place for pictures and photographs. WebThousands of photographs taken at Ground Zero in the wake of the 9/11 attacks have come to light after they were purchased at an estate auction. Those iconic images, especially of the World Trade Center as it was hit, burned and collapsed, live on. Sancetta took the photo from an open parking garage. The Secret Service has shared two pictures from inside a garage associated with its New York City field office that were taken after the 9/11 attacks. Mychal Judge, 68, away from the base of the north tower. In the year after she took this photo, she received thousands of emails from people all over the world. And it was scary to see so many first responders in the midst of reconciling with the overwhelming nature of the situation. Priest Stephen McGraw prays over a wounded man outside the west entrance of the Pentagon as emergency workers help the wounded just outside of Washington, DC. It was a strange and surreal experience. (Photo: Reuters), A group of firefighters stand in the street near the destroyed World Trade Center in New York on September 11, 2001. Marcy Borders stands covered in dust as she takes refuge in a New York City office building after one of the towers collapsed. The Twin Towers were destroyed when Al Qaeda terrorists hijacked two passenger jets and crashed them into the towers and brought them down in never-before-seen scenes of mass tragedy that caused thousands of deaths nearly 3000 people. Firefighters George Johnson, Dan McWilliams and Billy Eisengrein raise an American flag at the site of the World Trade Center on September 11. The rest of the night was mostly a blur. Access the best of Getty Images with our simple subscription plan. I continued to photograph, but the smoke blocked out the sun and it became like night. In the clip, he recalls: "I raced around and found a video camera and a window facing in the right direction. And then it got shattered.. People carry the Rev. Lower Manhattan disappeared from view in a cloud of dark smoke.. They had been married for only two and a half months. NASA showing smoke pouring out into the sky. (Photo: AP), A group of firefighters walk amid rubble near the base of the destroyed south tower of the World Trade Center in New York September 11, 2001. Everyone was just standing outside on 7th and 8th Avenues completely filling the streets. Webworld trade center attack 2001 29,761 World Trade Center Attack Premium High Res Photos Browse 29,761 world trade center attack stock photos and images available, or search for world trade center attack 2001 to find more great stock photos and pictures. Inside, he was surprised to discover a trove of never It, too, was shut down. One should have seen brilliant sunshine streaming in on that beautiful September morning, Fremson said. Its hard to put into words what I feel for the firefighters who sacrificed everything that day in order to try to help others. An official website of the United States government. Smoke was pouring out, and while I dont recall seeing much in the way of flames, it was clear that there was a raging fire going on inside the building. I was standing in the hallway outside my office talking to a co-worker, when I heard a tremendous explosion at 8:46 a.m. Pictures, as always, told more than 1,000 words. User account menu. (Photo: Reuters)], On Sptember 11, American Airlines Flight 175 closes in on World Trade Center Tower 2 in New York, just before impact. The yellow color is from the digital camera being set for daylight or outside light; the indoor light comes across as yellow. I finally got to make a phone call home, but my wife was teaching in school at the time so I just left a message that I was safe but didnt know when Id get home. We eventually had our office space renovated to accommodate all our needs. What will become of our division? Since 6 World Trade Center was right under tower one I knew then that we probably lost our building. It was shocking to me.. As I left the area and started to walk up West Broadway I noticed a medical doctor standing in the doorway of his office looking at the towers. Since I was located on the fourth floor of 6 World Trade Center I couldnt tell what just happened. "Our prayers and thoughts go out to all the people there and everywhere else. The next several weeks resulted in several amazing accomplishments through the coordinated efforts of various offices in the Customs Service. I mentioned previously I was definitely in some form of shock at that time and not thinking rationally. Finally, the relative captured various points in the immediate recovery effort at Ground Zero. It's not just the Western Hemisphere's tallest building it has also become a symbol of American pride. I quickly apprised her of the situation, and told her that within a few minutes there would probably be pandemonium as people learned what had happened. (Photo: Reuters), At 9.59 AM, after burning for 56 minutes, the South Tower of New York's World Trade Centre began to collapse after a terrorist attack. His identity has never been officially confirmed. How do you go from being healthy to waking up the next day with cancer? she said in an interview with the Jersey Journal before her death. Judge, the New York Fire Department chaplain, died in the line of duty when struck by debris from the south tower while administering last rites to a firefighter. I kept watching all through the night for any new developments. I could see the fearless intensity in their faces. We began walking north. After the building collapsed, the crowd urgently resumed the evacuation with an escalated sense of alarm. First responders assist people in the immediate aftermath of the World Trade Centers collapse. FBI investigators comb the crater left by the previous day's crashof United Airlines Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pa., on Sept. 12, 2001. It was an ironic twist for Lee, who grew up in South Korea in the 1970s. One woman had a severe laceration on her arm. May God Bless those who we lost on that terrible day.". The hijacked plane crashed about 80 miles southeast of Pittsburgh after first flying near Cleveland and then turning around. note: This gallery contains graphic images that may be disturbing. Had I decided to stay up on 78 instead of returning to my office when I did, I would not be alive today. Girls were going to school for the first time. Im saying to myself, Did (the towers collapse) ignite cancer cells in me?. Web(Photo: Tom Hannigan/Flickr) This piece originally appeared on Quora: What did it feel like to be inside the World Trade Center at the time of the 9/11 attacks? As soon as the second tower was hit, the clarity of the situation became enormously clear, and fear struck in a way I will never forget.. Im devastated at what has happened in Afghanistan now, and cant help but feel that people there have been abandoned by the US and its allies.. Thats where I saw wave after wave of New York City firemen rushing to get to the towers. They had a full set of gear on, and they looked weary and frightened, yet they continued up past us. Standing right near tower one and looking up I saw what appeared to be the outline of a plane right through the side of the building. With the White House in the foreground, smoke billows from the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001, after an airplane crashed into the U.S. military headquarters. New Yorkers stand silently on board the first Staten Island ferry to approach Manhattan after the World Trade Center attack. We were standing on the street and it was chaos. We arrived in Philadelphia later that morning to ensure that we had accounted for all of our employees to the best of our ability, and then to set about the task of trying to resurrect a business that was basically in tatters. Unfortunately, this is a day I will never forget. Plans were already underway to explore possible relocation sites. The garage started to fill up, so I ran to the back of the building and then down a metal staircase to the lower level to find some breathable air, she said. I also spoke with the president of the company, who was down in Florida at the time. My company had offices on the 77th and 78th floors. This website follows the DNPAs code of conduct. All we needed was to have our employees return. Based on what I was seeing, I figured it might be days or weeks before we could return to our offices, so there were many things I needed to attend to so that operations could be moved to an off-site location.