911

Today the collapse of the world trade center became 200% more real for me. I visited a family that lives three blocks away from what is now a gaping hole and heard firsthand of the shocking effect it had on the people living around the center at the time. The lady I talked to was called on the phone by a friend who heard the news on TV. She looked out of her window and saw a gaping hole in one of the towers. She was just about to say she didn't see an airplane, when the second plane burst into the next tower. She grabbed her daughter and ran out of the apartment building with all other inhabitants (thinking the towers would collapse right on top of their apartment) and was ultimately picked up by a firefighters boat and brought over to the New Jersey side of the water. For three months she was not allowed to go back to her home; having to live with friends and in hotels. Afterwards the cleaning process began. Professional cleaning, over and over again, until they had to make the assumption that it was safe to come back. She thinks exposure to asbestos (in the massive black and grey clouds of dust) will be a major concern in the coming years. Already firefighters seem to be having health troubles. Although for me it seemed like a long time ago, today I relived it and learned that in Manhattan it is still a daily topic of concern.