Anyone had relatives in New York?

Oscar01 · Sep 12, 2001, 09:04 AM

It's just funny how the entire world can change in an hour.

E-mail from friends in New York has been streaming in over the past few hours, and I was just talking to an acquaintance who was covered in ash from standing 1.5 blocks away from the World Trade Center.

My cousin's wife just e-mailed that my cousin is safe, though stuck in Manhattan because they're restricting traffic.

It's a big shock, and I hope I don't hear of anyone I know actually being in the buildings.

Just when you thought your generation could grow up in peace...

KittyKei · Sep 12, 2001, 10:21 AM

I couldn't believe that, myself! I always wished something might happen in NYC while I was there so I could be a part of history. Like alien invasion, you know, not terrorism matters. Hehehe

Kidding aside, I was shocked to see that too. I live in Houston and at exactly 11pm, we were ordered to vacate the school building because of what happened. Please pray for peace for mankind.

Gangreen · Sep 12, 2001, 11:25 AM

I was just in NY over a week ago on vacation. I'm now in San Francisco and it was shocking to see the second airplane hit the other tower of the World Trade Center live on TV at around 6:15 a.m (Pacific Standard Time). I was just watching the other tower burn after being hit by the first airplane and here goes another one. The scene was surreal, almost like a Hollywood special effects movie scene. And to watch it live!!

There are all kinds of debris and smoke coming from the gaping hole in the building. There are people who are jumping off the building (keep in mind this is a 110-story building). I guess dying sooner is a better option than burning to death. It's a really scary scene to watch live.

I heard that the estimated number of dead people can exceed 10,000. That's really terrible. It's worse than the bombing of the Pearl Harbor.

In San Francisco, they are asking people in the offices to go home. Freeway traffic is terrible. Bumper to bumper, even worse than Manila traffic.

They are also halting all domestic US flights until further notice, and all incoming foreign flights to the USA are being diverted to Canada.

It's like WAR over here. I can't wait to go back to Ateneo to take my finals. Now, that's another thing to be scared of. But nothing compared to what's happening here in the USA.

Please pray for the dead and the suffering and for world peace.

Peace.

angel_ako · Sep 12, 2001, 11:26 AM

wow, i was like still sleeping when it all happened. everything went so fast...para bang di totoo....nyways, my tita works dun sa downtown manhattan kaya nga i was quite worried e. also, my other relatives usually take a day off and go around that area. it's a good thing wala naman nangyari sa kanila.
i pray for those families who lost their loved ones in this terrible tragedy. in this day and age, this type of terrorism should not be tolerated...i heard through the reports that US should have the virtue of tolerance but i disagree...this incident is an uncivilize attack on freedom.
let us pray for those who suffered and their families.
peace

Gangreen · Sep 12, 2001, 12:48 PM

I hope our fellow PExer from NY, trinity, who works in Wall Street, is fine.

Trinity, if you see this post, please let us know you're okay!!!
____________________________________________________

Update: Third Building at World Trade Center Complex Collapses -CNN

Contact Numbers: Help, Information
Apparent Terrorist Attack Hits NYC, D.C.
Officials Fear Thousands Dead

By Alan Elsner, Arthur Spiegelman
Reuters

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Sept. 11) - In the worst attack on American soil since Pearl Harbor, three hijacked planes slammed into the Pentagon and New York's landmark World Trade Center Tuesday, demolishing the two 110-story towers that symbolize U.S. financial might.

The attacks brought normal life across the United States to a standstill, turning the major cities of the nation into eerie ghost towns. All financial markets were closed, millions of workers sent home early, all flights around the nation were canceled and all airports shut in an unprecedented move.

Key landmarks like the White House, the fire-damaged Pentagon, the Sears Tower in Chicago, the CIA building in Washington and the Walt Disney theme parks on both coasts were ordered evacuated and closed until further notice.

No death toll was immediately released but officials feared the number of victims could climb into the thousands --- possibly the tens of thousands -- as 40,000 people alone worked in the soaring steel and glass Trade Center towers.

It was the worst attack on American soil since Japanese war planes bombed the U.S. fleet at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, killing 2,280 soldiers and 68 civilians and forcing the United States into World War Two.

Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger told CNN, ''This is comparable to Pearl Harbor and we must have the same response and the people who did it must have the same end as the people who attacked Pearl Harbor.''

There were a total of 266 people on board the day's four hijacked planes -- two that crashed into the twin towers, one that slammed into the Pentagon and a fourth that crashed in a wooded area near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

''I wouldn't want to say what the death toll could be. It will be a horrible number. I saw people dropping out of windows,'' a shaken New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani told ABC News, adding that 200 firefighters were missing.

''I looked outside and saw a big chunk of the World Trade Center missing,'' said Verizon employee Ellen Leon. ''Fifteen minutes later I saw people jumping out of the building. Bodies were flying out. I don't know if they were already dead or if they were just going to die.''

WHO DID IT?

No group took immediate responsibility for the attack but suspicions centered on an implacable U.S. enemy -- exiled Saudi extremist Osama bin Laden, whose followers were held responsible for murderous attacks on U.S. embassies in Africa.

Tuesday's attacks triggered scenes of panic, disbelief and heroism in the nation's largest city, where police and firefighters risked their lives to save people from the 110-story twin towers before its 200,000 tons of steel frame came smashing down to the ground covering lower Manhattan in a snow storm of soot.

''It's nuts, there is debris and dust everywhere, and it looks as though a volcano erupted down there,'' said Michael DeVita, a euro-dollar trader.

DeVita was working on the 84th Floor of World Trade Center Building No. 2 when the first plane hit building No. 1. DeVita said once the first plane hit, people were immediately evacuated from building No. 2.

Hospitals in New York were overwhelmed with patients as a black cloud billowed into the blue skies over Manhattan where the city skyline had been dramatically and permanently altered.

''Hundreds of people are burned from head to toe,'' said Dr. Steven Stern at St. Vincent's Hospital in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of lower Manhattan. Rescue workers used commuter ferries to carry victims across the Hudson River to safety in Hoboken, New Jersey, where the scene resembled a war zone, with victims laid out on stretchers, limping on crutches, and others walking without a shirt and with their pants torn.

Dozens looked shellshocked and were weeping in nearby streets. The thick plume of smoke rising from what used to be the World Trade Center was clearly visible in the background.

Bridges and tunnels between New York and New Jersey were closed, making it impossible for parents to return home and pick up their children from school.

President Bush vowed to bring those responsible for the attacks to justice as he stopped in Louisiana to talk to the nation. ''Make no mistake, the United States will hunt down and punish those responsible for these cowardly acts,'' the president said.

Speaking at the Emma E. Booker Elementary School, before the full horror had unfolded, Bush said: ''Terrorism against our nation will not stand. Today we've had a national tragedy.''

He called for a moment of silence. ''May God bless the victims, their families and America,'' Bush said, his voice breaking with emotion.

He went on to Nebraska for a national security briefing.

NOT SINCE PEARL HARBOR

''We have not seen an attack like this, certainly not since Pearl Harbor,'' said Adm. Robert Natter, commander of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet, which was dispatching ships and aircraft for air defense, along with amphibious troops, to Washington and possibly New York.

The twin towers collapsed in a huge cloud of smoke and fire, about two hours after the initial impacts. Desperate people were seen jumping out of the burning towers before they collapsed.

Throngs of people raced up lower Broadway blocks north of the terror attack, yelling ''It's coming for us,'' ''Run,'' and ''We're going to die,'' with smoke wedged between the skyscrapers of the financial district.

''I'm scared and I want to go home,'' said Lloyd Clark, a stunned bus driver who was standing on a corner waiting for his handicapped passengers to be evacuated from a nearby building.

''What are the odds of two planes hitting the same building?'' said one New York City police officer.

American Airlines said two of its jets carrying a total of 156 people were lost. United Airlines said two of its planes had crashed, one in Pennsylvania, with a loss of 45 lives in that disaster.
As international flights were diverted to Canada, the Federal Aviation Administration shut down all flights in the United States.

World leaders expressed shock and horror and foreign financial markets fell sharply on news of the attacks. The London FTSE index plummeted 5.7 percent, while oil prices spiked up. U.S. markets were closed.

The day of horror began just before 9 a.m. in New York, when the first plane plowed into the south tower of the World Trade Center, as thousands of workers were streaming into the building to begin their day.

HUGE HOLE IN TWIN TOWER

It opened a huge hole near the top of the building. TV stations caught the second plane plowing into the second of the twin towers, exploding in a fire ball a few minutes after the first impact.

The two towers caved in shortly after the impacts, one after the other.

A third plane crashed into or near the Pentagon outside Washington, throwing people off their feet inside the building and setting off a massive fire. Later still, a fourth plane crashed -- this time in a wooded near Pittsburgh. A total of 266 people were reported on board the four planes.

Bin Laden, a Saudi millionaire and Islamic militant, believed to be in exile in Afghanistan, was blamed for the 1998 bombings of the U.S. Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in which 224 people died.

An Arab journalist with access to bin Laden told Reuters in London the renegade Saudi had warned three weeks ago of an ''unprecedented attack'' on U.S. interests.

Washington has offered a $5 million reward for his capture. George Tenet, director of the CIA, said this week the tall, thin Saudi was the most immediate and serious threat to U.S. security.

Beside the embassy bombings, U.S. officials link bin Laden to last year's bombing of a U.S. Navy ship in Yemen and with foiled plots in the United States and Jordan at the turn of the millennium.

The previous worst act of terrorism in the United States was the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah federal building in Oklahoma City in which 168 people died. Timothy McVeigh was executed for that attack earlier this year

The earlier bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993 resulted in six deaths and hundreds of injuries.

Reuters 15:12 09-11-01

Copyright 2001 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

tr|n|ty · Sep 14, 2001, 04:39 AM

uy another thread with ppl looking for me

i'm overwhelmed with the amount of concern from ppl who don't even know me from adam. I am fine, alive and kicking. fortunately, i was at our midtown office and i live in the upper west side as well.

let's just pray for those who weren't fortunate enough. i know several ppl still unaccounted for.

***uptowngirl*** · Sep 14, 2001, 06:02 AM

*hugs* grass

We also have a pexer whose sister works at world trade center. Buti na lang she was late for work that day. When tragedy struck, she was in a bus on her way to work.

tin28 · Sep 17, 2001, 06:39 AM

nakakalungkot talaga yung nangyari sa new york..napapaisip tuloy ako na sana nung summer when pinapili kami where to go between Florida or New York,pinili ko florida..wala naman ako napala sa disneyland..kalyo lang sa paa sayang talaga..nagkapicture sana ko sa wtc...anyway regarding the thread title..i have two second cousins there and both are thankfully safe and still alive

red_door8 · Sep 18, 2001, 08:20 PM

Yeah I have relatives in New York. It is good to hear from them that they are safe. I just wish that nothing like that would ever happen again.


Sep 12, 2001, 09:04 AM	#1
Oscar01 Member Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: UP College of L	Anyone had relatives in New York? It's just funny how the entire world can change in an hour. E-mail from friends in New York has been streaming in over the past few hours, and I was just talking to an acquaintance who was covered in ash from standing 1.5 blocks away from the World Trade Center. My cousin's wife just e-mailed that my cousin is safe, though stuck in Manhattan because they're restricting traffic. It's a big shock, and I hope I don't hear of anyone I know actually being in the buildings. Just when you thought your generation could grow up in peace...


Sep 12, 2001, 12:48 PM	#5
Gangreen Member Join Date: Mar 2001	I hope our fellow PExer from NY, trinity, who works in Wall Street, is fine. Trinity, if you see this post, please let us know you're okay!!! ____________________________________________________ Update: Third Building at World Trade Center Complex Collapses -CNN Contact Numbers: Help, Information Apparent Terrorist Attack Hits NYC, D.C. Officials Fear Thousands Dead By Alan Elsner, Arthur Spiegelman Reuters NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Sept. 11) - In the worst attack on American soil since Pearl Harbor, three hijacked planes slammed into the Pentagon and New York's landmark World Trade Center Tuesday, demolishing the two 110-story towers that symbolize U.S. financial might. The attacks brought normal life across the United States to a standstill, turning the major cities of the nation into eerie ghost towns. All financial markets were closed, millions of workers sent home early, all flights around the nation were canceled and all airports shut in an unprecedented move. Key landmarks like the White House, the fire-damaged Pentagon, the Sears Tower in Chicago, the CIA building in Washington and the Walt Disney theme parks on both coasts were ordered evacuated and closed until further notice. No death toll was immediately released but officials feared the number of victims could climb into the thousands --- possibly the tens of thousands -- as 40,000 people alone worked in the soaring steel and glass Trade Center towers. It was the worst attack on American soil since Japanese war planes bombed the U.S. fleet at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, killing 2,280 soldiers and 68 civilians and forcing the United States into World War Two. Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger told CNN, ''This is comparable to Pearl Harbor and we must have the same response and the people who did it must have the same end as the people who attacked Pearl Harbor.'' There were a total of 266 people on board the day's four hijacked planes -- two that crashed into the twin towers, one that slammed into the Pentagon and a fourth that crashed in a wooded area near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. ''I wouldn't want to say what the death toll could be. It will be a horrible number. I saw people dropping out of windows,'' a shaken New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani told ABC News, adding that 200 firefighters were missing. ''I looked outside and saw a big chunk of the World Trade Center missing,'' said Verizon employee Ellen Leon. ''Fifteen minutes later I saw people jumping out of the building. Bodies were flying out. I don't know if they were already dead or if they were just going to die.'' WHO DID IT? No group took immediate responsibility for the attack but suspicions centered on an implacable U.S. enemy -- exiled Saudi extremist Osama bin Laden, whose followers were held responsible for murderous attacks on U.S. embassies in Africa. Tuesday's attacks triggered scenes of panic, disbelief and heroism in the nation's largest city, where police and firefighters risked their lives to save people from the 110-story twin towers before its 200,000 tons of steel frame came smashing down to the ground covering lower Manhattan in a snow storm of soot. ''It's nuts, there is debris and dust everywhere, and it looks as though a volcano erupted down there,'' said Michael DeVita, a euro-dollar trader. DeVita was working on the 84th Floor of World Trade Center Building No. 2 when the first plane hit building No. 1. DeVita said once the first plane hit, people were immediately evacuated from building No. 2. Hospitals in New York were overwhelmed with patients as a black cloud billowed into the blue skies over Manhattan where the city skyline had been dramatically and permanently altered. ''Hundreds of people are burned from head to toe,'' said Dr. Steven Stern at St. Vincent's Hospital in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of lower Manhattan. Rescue workers used commuter ferries to carry victims across the Hudson River to safety in Hoboken, New Jersey, where the scene resembled a war zone, with victims laid out on stretchers, limping on crutches, and others walking without a shirt and with their pants torn. Dozens looked shellshocked and were weeping in nearby streets. The thick plume of smoke rising from what used to be the World Trade Center was clearly visible in the background. Bridges and tunnels between New York and New Jersey were closed, making it impossible for parents to return home and pick up their children from school. President Bush vowed to bring those responsible for the attacks to justice as he stopped in Louisiana to talk to the nation. ''Make no mistake, the United States will hunt down and punish those responsible for these cowardly acts,'' the president said. Speaking at the Emma E. Booker Elementary School, before the full horror had unfolded, Bush said: ''Terrorism against our nation will not stand. Today we've had a national tragedy.'' He called for a moment of silence. ''May God bless the victims, their families and America,'' Bush said, his voice breaking with emotion. He went on to Nebraska for a national security briefing. NOT SINCE PEARL HARBOR ''We have not seen an attack like this, certainly not since Pearl Harbor,'' said Adm. Robert Natter, commander of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet, which was dispatching ships and aircraft for air defense, along with amphibious troops, to Washington and possibly New York. The twin towers collapsed in a huge cloud of smoke and fire, about two hours after the initial impacts. Desperate people were seen jumping out of the burning towers before they collapsed. Throngs of people raced up lower Broadway blocks north of the terror attack, yelling ''It's coming for us,'' ''Run,'' and ''We're going to die,'' with smoke wedged between the skyscrapers of the financial district. ''I'm scared and I want to go home,'' said Lloyd Clark, a stunned bus driver who was standing on a corner waiting for his handicapped passengers to be evacuated from a nearby building. ''What are the odds of two planes hitting the same building?'' said one New York City police officer. American Airlines said two of its jets carrying a total of 156 people were lost. United Airlines said two of its planes had crashed, one in Pennsylvania, with a loss of 45 lives in that disaster. As international flights were diverted to Canada, the Federal Aviation Administration shut down all flights in the United States. World leaders expressed shock and horror and foreign financial markets fell sharply on news of the attacks. The London FTSE index plummeted 5.7 percent, while oil prices spiked up. U.S. markets were closed. The day of horror began just before 9 a.m. in New York, when the first plane plowed into the south tower of the World Trade Center, as thousands of workers were streaming into the building to begin their day. HUGE HOLE IN TWIN TOWER It opened a huge hole near the top of the building. TV stations caught the second plane plowing into the second of the twin towers, exploding in a fire ball a few minutes after the first impact. The two towers caved in shortly after the impacts, one after the other. A third plane crashed into or near the Pentagon outside Washington, throwing people off their feet inside the building and setting off a massive fire. Later still, a fourth plane crashed -- this time in a wooded near Pittsburgh. A total of 266 people were reported on board the four planes. Bin Laden, a Saudi millionaire and Islamic militant, believed to be in exile in Afghanistan, was blamed for the 1998 bombings of the U.S. Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in which 224 people died. An Arab journalist with access to bin Laden told Reuters in London the renegade Saudi had warned three weeks ago of an ''unprecedented attack'' on U.S. interests. Washington has offered a $5 million reward for his capture. George Tenet, director of the CIA, said this week the tall, thin Saudi was the most immediate and serious threat to U.S. security. Beside the embassy bombings, U.S. officials link bin Laden to last year's bombing of a U.S. Navy ship in Yemen and with foiled plots in the United States and Jordan at the turn of the millennium. The previous worst act of terrorism in the United States was the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah federal building in Oklahoma City in which 168 people died. Timothy McVeigh was executed for that attack earlier this year The earlier bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993 resulted in six deaths and hundreds of injuries. Reuters 15:12 09-11-01 Copyright 2001 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL. Last edited by Gangreen : Sep 12, 2001 at 02:01 PM.


Sep 12, 2001, 10:21 AM	#2
KittyKei puuurrrrrr!! Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: not_in_the_Phil	I couldn't believe that, myself! I always wished something might happen in NYC while I was there so I could be a part of history. Like alien invasion, you know, not terrorism matters. Hehehe Kidding aside, I was shocked to see that too. I live in Houston and at exactly 11pm, we were ordered to vacate the school building because of what happened. Please pray for peace for mankind.


Sep 12, 2001, 11:25 AM	#3
Gangreen Member Join Date: Mar 2001	I was just in NY over a week ago on vacation. I'm now in San Francisco and it was shocking to see the second airplane hit the other tower of the World Trade Center live on TV at around 6:15 a.m (Pacific Standard Time). I was just watching the other tower burn after being hit by the first airplane and here goes another one. The scene was surreal, almost like a Hollywood special effects movie scene. And to watch it live!! There are all kinds of debris and smoke coming from the gaping hole in the building. There are people who are jumping off the building (keep in mind this is a 110-story building). I guess dying sooner is a better option than burning to death. It's a really scary scene to watch live. I heard that the estimated number of dead people can exceed 10,000. That's really terrible. It's worse than the bombing of the Pearl Harbor. In San Francisco, they are asking people in the offices to go home. Freeway traffic is terrible. Bumper to bumper, even worse than Manila traffic. They are also halting all domestic US flights until further notice, and all incoming foreign flights to the USA are being diverted to Canada. It's like WAR over here. I can't wait to go back to Ateneo to take my finals. Now, that's another thing to be scared of. But nothing compared to what's happening here in the USA. Please pray for the dead and the suffering and for world peace. Peace.


Sep 12, 2001, 11:26 AM	#4
angel_ako Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: not_in_the_Phil	wow, i was like still sleeping when it all happened. everything went so fast...para bang di totoo....nyways, my tita works dun sa downtown manhattan kaya nga i was quite worried e. also, my other relatives usually take a day off and go around that area. it's a good thing wala naman nangyari sa kanila. i pray for those families who lost their loved ones in this terrible tragedy. in this day and age, this type of terrorism should not be tolerated...i heard through the reports that US should have the virtue of tolerance but i disagree...this incident is an uncivilize attack on freedom. let us pray for those who suffered and their families. peace


Sep 14, 2001, 04:39 AM	#6
tr\|n\|ty the queen bee Join Date: Aug 1999 Location: never neverland	uy another thread with ppl looking for me i'm overwhelmed with the amount of concern from ppl who don't even know me from adam. I am fine, alive and kicking. fortunately, i was at our midtown office and i live in the upper west side as well. let's just pray for those who weren't fortunate enough. i know several ppl still unaccounted for.


Sep 14, 2001, 06:02 AM	#7
*uptowngirl* Moderator Join Date: Nov 1999 Location: in suburbia	hugs grass We also have a pexer whose sister works at world trade center. Buti na lang she was late for work that day. When tragedy struck, she was in a bus on her way to work.


Sep 17, 2001, 06:39 AM	#8
tin28 comeback queen Join Date: Feb 2001	nakakalungkot talaga yung nangyari sa new york..napapaisip tuloy ako na sana nung summer when pinapili kami where to go between Florida or New York,pinili ko florida..wala naman ako napala sa disneyland..kalyo lang sa paa sayang talaga..nagkapicture sana ko sa wtc...anyway regarding the thread title..i have two second cousins there and both are thankfully safe and still alive


Sep 18, 2001, 08:20 PM	#9
red_door8 PExer Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: Paranaque	Yeah I have relatives in New York. It is good to hear from them that they are safe. I just wish that nothing like that would ever happen again.