The following letter was written by a member of Hatzoloh
from Brooklyn who was sent over to help after the first
moments, when it was thought that it was "only" two airplanes
crashing into the two World Trade Center towers. The writer is
not a professional author, but we have left his words intact
for the most part, making only minor corrections.
Dear Yossi,
I write this with thanks to the Ribono Shel Olom, to be
able to write it and not be written about!
As we were dispatched to the Twin Towers for a fire, not
knowing what we were getting in to, I rode in the Hatzoloh
ambulance to Manhattan. We were able to clearly see the upper
portion of the towers on fire from the Prospect Expressway on
the way into the Battery Tunnel.
As we came out of the tunnel [at the Manhattan exit several
blocks from the WTC] and turned onto West Street I saw body
parts all over the street. I saw a part of the airplane, it
looked like an engine, behind a burned car.
As we got closer, we were first told to park the ambulance
right near the towers. I think we were originally right behind
the towers. Then there was a report that a third plane may be
coming into the building, so we got back on the ambulance and
started to drive a little further away. Then we were told it
was all clear and that we should park the ambulance on the
street behind the towers.
We were parked and waiting for directions from the Command
Center which was being set up in the lobby of the towers.
While we were waiting, a lot of Hatzoloh members gathered near
the ambulances, watching the towers burn. All that was between
the towers and us was one building.
As we waited, we started to see people jumping out of the
windows of the towers below the fire floors. I guess their
choice was frying in the building or jumping to their deaths.
[It was] a sight I don't think I we'll ever forget. We just
started to say Tehillim. How helpless we all felt
knowing that there is nothing that we can do, besides watching
them fall to their deaths. [Editor's note: Some people may
have been sucked outside by air pressure as windows shattered
near them.]
As we were waiting for instructions we heard this loud rumble.
I looked up and saw the tower starting to come straight down
on itself. I along with everyone else ran for our lives.
About a half a block down there was this tremendous cloud of
smoke, dust and debris that caught up with us. At that point
it became dark, so dark you couldn't see an inch in front of
you. I wasn't able to breathe, the smoke and debris was so
thick. I can only compare it to putting a vacuum cleaner bag
full of dust over your head and trying to see and breath with
it on.
It was impossible to keep my eyes open. They were burning from
everything in the air. As I was running I started to get very
short of breath. The air was so thick you could cut it! It was
like Makkas Choshech.
As we were running another Hatzoloh member tripped. I stopped
to help him get up. B"H he was able to get up. I think
he would have been stampeded on by the masses of people
running. At the same time I noticed a 2-way radio on the
floor. In all the chaos for some reason (Hashgocho) I
picked it up.
About a half a block down, the smoke and debris caught up to
us. We couldn't see a thing nor were we able to breathe. I
knew that I had to find shelter somehow, not knowing what was
coming off the [collapsing] tower or how far it was flying. I
considered hiding under a fire truck, but it was getting hard
to breathe.
I was getting out of breath and knew I had to get into a
building. I ran into an alleyway and stopped running. It was
getting very hard to breathe and I was breathing very fast,
from running. I sat myself down and thought to myself that
this was probably going to be the end! I figured if I keep
running I will definitely not survive. I will need too much
oxygen and there wasn't much.
I knew there was a building somewhere in this courtyard I just
had to calm down and find a window to break and climb in. At
this time I heard people yelling if any body was around and I
answered. We were still unable to see a thing. It was so
quiet, not a sound.
Some big guy tripped on me while I was sitting trying to calm
down. He asked if I am a person. I told him to hold on to me
and together we will survive. We held on to each other and
felt our way to a wall of a building. We were able to feel a
big window and then followed it, hoping to find a door.
There was a big plate glass door. It was locked. I went to
grab my Hatzoloh radio and break the window but couldn't find
it. I grabbed the radio that I found in the street which
"happened to be" also a Hatzoloh radio that someone else lost
and started to bang on the glass hoping to break it. It
wouldn't break. B"H I had that radio, 'cause it was
approximately twice the size of my regular radio. I don't know
if anybody would have heard me banging on the glass with that
[regular] radio. Somebody came to the door from inside and
motioned to me to stop banging. He opened the door and let us
in.
The lobby of this building was a little better than outside.
There was light and water. We were all choking on the debris
and smoke. We stayed in this lobby approximately 15 minutes or
so, until the second tower collapsed. B"H I had picked
up the radio and I was able to communicate to let the other
Hatzoloh members know which building I'm in and that I am
alive (it was 300 Albany Street).
It was horrendous listening to fellow Hatzoloh members yelling
for help on the radio not knowing exactly where they were or
if they will survive. One member was yelling and crying that
he was trapped and surrounded by fire all around and he
doesn't know where he is. Thinking back this was a period of
time, just listening to the Hatzoloh radio, that we knew that
we were being judged up Above.
At that point we were told to get out of the building for fear
that it also may collapse. Someone handed out dust masks they
found. I grabbed a shirt and wet it and ripped it in half. I
gave one half to a fireman so that we would have something to
try to filter our breathing.
As we ran out into the street back into this chaos, we didn't
know what would fall on us. I saw an Hatzoloh Ambulance. I
jumped into it. There other members on it already. We all
needed oxygen badly. We were covered from head to toe by this
debris. The ambulance was covered inside and outside with all
this matter. The ambulance I was on was the one I came with to
the city. I had my paramedic equipment on it which was also
covered with this stuff. (I have no idea where my equipment is
now. Approximately 30 thousand dollars worth.)
We all put on oxygen masks, we had to share it since we all
needed it and there was only so much. We took turns, each
wanted the other one to have it, each saying you need it more
than I. Mi ke'amcho Yisroel! I put a pulse oximeter on
myself to see how much oxygen I was getting. It read 93-94. A
little low. Normal is 97-100.
The ambulance wasn't able to go any farther. We were at the
waterfront, a block or two from the towers. The police brought
in boats to ferry people off Manhattan to Liberty Park in
[New] Jersey. I knew I had to get out of there. I had a hard
time breathing.
I got off the ambulance and went towards the boats. They were
allowing woman and children on first. I went to the front of
the line and told them I was a paramedic, and they let me on
the boat. The helplessness I felt standing there without any
equipment trying to help people.
There was a fireman who couldn't see. He had so much debris in
his eyes. I found a bottle of water on the boat and tried
flushing out his eyes. There was a woman from the Chief
Medical Examiner's office on the boat. She had a broken leg.
The Chief Medical Examiner had some lacerations to his hand. I
told him I am glad I can meet him standing up! There was a
person having an asthma attack. I tried my best to help the
ones I was able to.
When we got to Liberty Park, there was a huge tent set up to
triage patients coming off the boats. I helped some firemen.
There was Fire Chief Murphy who was having chest pain. I gave
him some oxygen and got an ambulance crew to get him to a
hospital. He was very thankful to myself and Hatzoloh. I
helped with some other patients for about an hour, when it all
started to catch up with me.
I hadn't eaten all day. I had been in shul in the
morning and was up to Borechu when I answered a
Hatzoloh call. From the call I took my sons to yeshiva and
then went straight to the city. On the way into the city I
reminded my self to say Shema. I said Shemoneh Esrei
about 1 or 2 in the afternoon, while I was being treated
for exhaustion and smoke inhalation. They took me to Bayonne
Hospital where the staff was unbelievable. They couldn't
believe that we survived. One Jewish doctor walked into the
room and looked at me and said Boruch Hashem!
My roommate in the hospital was a paramedic from Metro Care,
who was in their Command Center when it got hit from debris
from the building as it collapsed. He doesn't know how he got
out of it. After all the dust settled, that Command Center was
on its side in flames. He was banged up, but will be OK,
iy"H.
At the hospital, I was quickly assessed in the emergency room
and then sent up to a room, where they did blood tests and
chest X-ray. B"H all looked ok. I was discharged about
4 p.m. Some Hatzoloh members made their way to the hospital
and we were more than happy to see each other alive. Two of
these guys were on the way into the building when it
collapsed.
We had to get back to Brooklyn, but all the bridges and
tunnels were closed. We went up to the cops and told them we
are paramedics that were just heading back to the city. They
asked for some ID and then let us through all the way to
Brooklyn.
The nissim that we all experienced as individuals and
as a group of Chevra Hatzoloh are indescribable. The chesed
we all saw from the Ribono Shel Olam is boundless.
B"H all Hatzoloh members are accounted for, some with
broken limbs and scratches and bruises -- NONETHELESS
ALIVE!
We should all say Tehillim and daven for those
injured, and those still trapped and unaccounted for, as of
yet.
Rabbi Price, a Hatzoloh member, said yesterday that now we
have some understanding of Ovinu Malkeinu Kosveinu Besefer
Zechuyos!
There are numerous stories of nissim and chesed
that we were zoche to witness and be a part of, in
this unfortunate situation.
Chasdei Hashem ki lo somnu; Ki lo cholu Rachamov!
When I got up this morning and said Modeh Ani, It had a
whole different meaning. The brocho of Mechayei
Hameisim has a different meaning. Modim took a lot
longer than usual. I wasn't in a rush to leave shul
this morning. Life is too short and precious.
Unfortunately it sometimes takes a situation like this to wake
us up.
May we all have a Kesiva Vechasima Tova, and may we
know of no more tragedies and be witness to bi'as Goel
Tzedek bimeheira veyomeinu, Omen.
S.
