I'm a New Yorker and I think this is worse than 9-11

[MyMission]

41. Your story is my story too!!

I too was working in the village, at NYU, and I stood on W 4th and Mercer, a straight line view to the towers, and watched them fall. I too remember the march of survivors covered in debris, the ash and particles in the air and sky for days, the sirens. It was a Tuesday.

I had come up from the subway at Lafayette, just after the first plane hit. 3 people were standing there, looking up; I looked up and saw smoke streaming from one tower, asked "what happened?" and was told a plane just plowed into the tower.

I walked across Broadway to Mercer, and the street was lined with people staring at the smoke pouring out. Then I saw a plane approaching from the right, and as it flew behind the tower there was a huge explosion. I assumed the explosion had come from the tower that was smoking,
And I said a prayer that the plane hadn't been hit by the exploding building. Then we realized a second plane had hit the 2nd tower.

I walked into student services, where I worked. I was babbling a bit, saying "I saw it" but otherwise not able to form coherent sentences for several minutes. We had 2 large TV's mounted on either side of the the counter, and I saw a replay of what I had just witnessed in person. My shift (sitting at the counter) was from 9-1. It was not busy, so I and others kept taking smoke breaks to walk to the corner and stare down Mercer street, and I was watching when the first tower fell, which was the 2nd one hit. At that point the giant hole in the tower was visible, and I wondered how they would repair it, since it was still standing.

Then I turned away to walk back to my office, and heard a collective gasp from the many people on that corner, and knew the second tower had fallen. It was so eerie. I went in to my office and watched it on TV.

Meanwhile, many co-workers were concerned about getting home, with suspended subway service, and many left to start their walks home. At 1 pm I took my lunch, went to a friend's apartment nearby, where survivors were stopping by to get water and comfort. When I got back to my office at 2 pm only 3 people (out of dozens) remained. I lived in Brooklyn, but had friends and family downtown and thought I might stay there. Then the subway started running and I took the train to Brooklyn

I got off before my stop, planning to stop at my favorite library, which is a comfort spot for me, but it was closed. I walked to Coney island Ave to catch bus, and remember seeing particles floating, or really permeating the sky, shining and glimmering, heading towards the ocean. It was eerie but also felt like I was watching their souls in the sky. That avenue is a straight line view to the city, and I also saw the pillars of smoke rising from the spot the towers had been.

I was born and raised in NYC and remember as a child going to the markets in lower Manhattan with my parents, every month, and the markets moving because they were building the tallest buildings in the world on that spot. I watched them go up and watched them go down.

I had PTSD for quite some time. Planes were not flying for a while, but when they started I'd get goosebumps whenever I saw one flying from right to left. Sirens would also bring on assorted reactions.

I'd been thinking of leaving NYC to move closer to my widowed mom, who lived in NC, and did move here in 2003.

19 years later. I still remember it vividly. I always will.

The traitor in the white house has hurt US in a different way. An attack from within. I pray we will repel and remove that threat, which is 45 and his minions.

I've said enough here.
Blessed be!