Anger of survivors told to stay inside blazing towers

Guardian Unlimited Observer ^ | September 16, 2001 | Ed Vulliamy

[JoeSchem]

Anger of survivors told to stay inside blazing towers

Workers fleeing in panic were sent back into inferno

Special report: terrorism in the US

Ed Vulliamy, New York

Sunday September 16, 2001

The Observer

There was rising anger across downtown Manhattan yesterday as more and more stories from survivors of Tuesday's assault converged on the horrific truth: that staff had been instructed to remain - or even return - inside No 2 World Trade Centre after the first tower had been hit and was in flames.

Most were turned back by officials of the Port Authority, which had commissioned and supervised the building of the centre in the Sixties.

Workers had looked across the divide after 8.48am at an inferno in their twin tower, and decided to make a run for it. They were told, however, to remain in their seats.

Others, who had made it down stairwells towards - or even out into - the lobby giving out on to the street and freedom, were told to run back upstairs, so that during the crucial 15 minutes of what should have been escape, there was confusion and a two-way rush along the panic-stricken arteries of life.

Meanwhile, the frantic rescue operation amid an apparently endless ocean of rubble continued yesterday, with 4,717 people now listed as missing. But for all their desperate efforts, and the long line of construction and former military volunteers waiting for days to join them, workers faced the grim reality that for many further people to be found alive under the original collapse would be a miracle.

In the flood of statistics that has followed the attacks on Tuesday morning, one stands out: Zero, the number of living survivors of the initial collapse rescued since Wednesday morning.

The last person to be found alive underneath the federal building in Oklahoma City was brought into the light 24 hours after the bomb that wrecked it.

The same is so far true of the World Trade Centre, with rescue workers pinning their final hopes on the system of train tunnels leading underneath the financial district, yesterday being pumped clear of flooding and groundwater.

The evidence that people were instructed by employers and security guards to remain in the south tower, and thus were condemned to death, is spreading this weekend.

Ernie Falk, who delivered packages to the offices of Morgan Stanley, the towers' biggest tenant, said that he was walking into the bank's reception area when he heard a 'horrendous boom' of the first plane's impact, and made a successful run for it.

But he told The Observer that as he ran downstairs, 'I heard people being told, "The building is secure. The safest place is inside; stay calm and do not leave". That's what they were saying. They were telling people to go back up to their offices and their desks, like the building was not in danger.'

A broker with the Morgan Stanley bank said that she had made it out on to the staircase and galloped more than 20 floors when she heard a voice on a megaphone telling her and others in flight to return and go back upstairs to the sixtieth floor.

The woman, who wished to be known as Eileen, said that she was consulting her lawyers with a view to taking the Port Authority to task, and would be in touch with Governor George Pataki - the nominal chief of the authority - to report what she saw.

The bank's employees duly went back upstairs, fighting a tidal flow of people from higher storeys running down, and sat at their desks.

When the second plane hit their own tower minutes later, at 9.03 am, 27 floors further up, all those remaining rose. Some went to windows and perished one way or another; others, like Eileen, ran back to the stairwell to try another dash, and some of those survived.

Another Morgan Stanley employee, Arturo Domingo, told the New York Times that he too had started down from the sixtieth floor, and was told to go back up by a man with a bullhorn. 'I really felt like punching that guy,' he said of the official, after returning to his office and managing a second escape following the second attack.

The announcements urging people to go back up were being made on the fortieth and forty-fourth floors, apparently by Port Authority officials.

People who worked in offices above the ninety-third storey would have been able to reach their workplaces only for the second plane to plough into the tower beneath them - leaving them with little or no chance of survival.

Any workers positioned on floors 87 to 93 would have been sent directly back into the path of the Boeing 767, and at the heart of the fireball.

One of those would have been Mary Thomas, had she obeyed instructions. Thomas worked in an architecture studio on the ninety-first storey, which was entirely taken out by the second plane. The scenes of confusion in the attempted evacuation of the second tower contrast markedly with those in the first, where the terrorists' plane hit higher.

There, the evacuation was orderly and fast, with people obviously managing to walk or run to safety from floors as high as the upper eighties.

Port Authority officials refused to comment on the reports about the south tower yesterday, and there was confusion about who was responsible for evacuation policy.

But the accounts were borne out by firefighters and rescue workers on Friday. They told The Observer unofficially that the majority of the bodies thus far extracted appeared to be towards the southern end of the tower complex - beneath the second tower to be hit, the first to fall.

[JoeSchem]

The government failed to anticipate the attack. The FAA's security precautions did not prevent it. The military failed to protect us.

And now we learn the Port Authority sent people back to their deaths.

Psalm 146:3 - "Do not trust in princes, in mortal man in whom there is no salvation."

The Cydonia Files

[okie_tech]

We saw this in interviews all day on Sat. We were furious. I would have kicked some bastard down the stairs in front of me on my way down.

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[monkeywrench]

"The evidence that people were instructed by employers and security guards..." Security guards.

[LoneGOPinCT]

Heard the same from family friends whose father is still missing. Article is HERE. He called them to say everything was OK after the first crash and that they were told to stay put.

[karpach]

I saw the head of Security on CNN. After the first attack, as the first tower was being evacuated, they did tell tell the second tower employees to stay put. Not knowing there was another immenent attack, they thought it safer for the people in the second tower to remain in the building. Remember, at this time, all they knew was that a plane had hit the building (accident?), there was large, flaming debris falling from the building, people were jumping to their deaths, AND they were evacauting the first tower. To evacuate the second would not only have caused additional confusion, but also would have been dangerous with the falling debris (and people). Obviously in hindsight that was the wrong choice. But, they did not have all the facts. They did not yet know the first plane was intentional, nor were they warned by the FAA or NORAD that a second plane was "non-responsive." I'm not sure the Port Authority should shoulder the blame. I don't know why a second warning was not given to the port authority (there was at least 15 min.?). And for that matter, why weren't goverment buildings evacuated when it was known a third aircraft was "unresponsive" and headed toward Washington?

[KSCITYBOY]

My comments on this are: People made the wrong decisions - Stuff like this almost always happens in a caotic environment. Keep your eye on the ball and never forget that these mistakes would never have happened if a bunch of murdering SOBS hadn't flown 2 planes into two buildings where thousands of innocent people were working. They were probably trying to keep people from getting hit by falling debris from plane number one. Hindsite is always 20/20

[dead]

The woman, who wished to be known as Eileen, said that she was consulting her lawyers with a view to taking the Port Authority to task

ChaChing. Bad advice from a $5 an hour security guard should be worth a cool twenty million, with the right bloodsucking lawyer on your arm.

[lavaroise]

CAn you say SHEEPLE for those who did not dare disobey the "law".

[smorgle]

there was confusion about who was responsible for evacuation policy

No there wasn't. If this had gone well, we'd have heard Giuliani thanking them.

[pubmom]

I know this story is true. One of my husband's former work associates had a sister that was told by her employer to go back to work.
She has not been heard from since.

[dead]

No there wasn't. If this had gone well, we'd have heard Giuliani thanking them.

Well it didn’t go well, and the people who urged others to stay inside are now dead for their mistakes. Maybe you can dance on their grave.

[nagdt]

Thanks for the disturbing post. It's amazing that people didn't use their heads. At some point (like right away) everyone in the building that wanted to leave should have ignored the security people. I'm sure the security guards and building people thought they were doing the right thing. Fire and debris falling away from tower one etc... It's easy for us to condemn this guy and that guy from where we sit. Let's stop blaming our own for the tragedy and get on with the task of rounding up the people that want to kill us. FOLLOW THE MONEY.

[Publius6961]

The evidence that people were instructed by employers and security guards to remain in the south tower, and thus were condemned to death, is spreading this weekend.

All of those arrogant (and evidently "clueless") S.O.B.s need to be identified and locked up for years. There are only 3 reasons why someone would order other people to do such a stupid thing:

1. Getting in good with the boss, and minimize idle time.
2. Ignorance coupled with arrogance: Looks OK to me.
3. Ignorance coupled with Napoleon Complex: I am in charge here and I order you back up.(I would run right over this guy)

Terminal stupidity should also be a punishable crime.
Criminal negligence already is.

[dead]

How about number 4:

Their building had not been attacked yet, and there was chunks of the other tower, the airplane, and human bodies crashing to the street outside.

With regards to imprisoning the people who made that erroneous judgement call, you'll have to dig them out of the rubble before you can lock them up.

[Publius6961]

One of my husband's former work associates had a sister that was told by her employer to go back to work. She has not been heard from since.

But I bet she gets a "perfect attendance" ribbon.

Never challenge authority.
Even when your life is on the line, never think for yourself.

[Publius6961]

With regards to imprisoning the people who made that erroneous judgement call, you'll have to dig them out of the rubble before you can lock them up.

I think you will find that, being on the ground floor already, most made it out.
I wouldn't expect them to volunteer that information, however.

Shall we ask the almost-victims? Easy enough to do, I imagine.

A parting thought: there is a certain symmetry to people who die because they lack the "common sense" gene.
When they cause others to die, it is entirely a different matter.

You wouldn't by any chance be one of the #s 1-3 would you? A bureaucrat perhaps?

[dead]

Me too. Staying in the building was a bad idea, and I would have ignored anybody who suggested it.

It's just the fact that people are trying to figure out how to sue Americans over this incident that pisses me off.

Just once, I wish the lawyers could walk past the graveyard with grace, instead of jumping the fence to pry open coffins.

[Fred Mertz]

If I was in the lower half of the 2d Tower hit, I would probably have stayed put and watched the news via FR and tried to find out what was going on in the 1st Tower. I probably wouldn't have evacuated unless the order was given to do so.

This might have cost me my life, but that's how I war-gamed this in my mind, after the fact. Frightening but true.

[dead]

You wouldn't by any chance be one of the #s 1-3 would you? A bureaucrat perhaps?

No. Are you a lawyer?

Anybody who was in the building telling people to stay is most likely dead. Anybody stupid enough to listen to them is most likely dead.

But who are you and your lawyer buddies going to sue, if Bin Laden won't pay? There's gold in that thar wreckage.

[VRWC_minion]

If there were no second plane this was probably good advice.

[dead]

It wouldn't be an insane choice, given the facts at hand at that time.

I, on the other hand, would have jumped at the excuse to leave my desk and go home.

[KSCITYBOY]

Your right the lawyers have finally decided the can start talking about making some money off this tragedy. SAD SAD SAD.

[CaptRon]

This doesn't surprise me.

I worked at 2 World Trade for a time back in '94, starting shortly after the bombing of the garage. Many of my co-workers had survived that ordeal. On the very day that the bombers were to be sentenced, some idiot holds a fire drill. The people who had been through the bombing knew of the sentencing. When the alarms sounded we all thought there was reprisal coming from friends of the bombers. People who had been through it once were literally shaking.

I always wished I could have met the moron who scheduled a fire drill for that day.

[al_c]

The military failed to protect us.

How do you suppose the military could have protected us from this?! By the time officials figured out what was going on and called the military to action, it was over. Don't blame our military for the actions of these suicidal idiots.

[Hildy]

The country will go bankrupt on all the lawsuits. Lawyers will walk away with all the money.

[ctdonath2]

"The evidence that people were instructed by employers and security guards..." Security guards.

At my previous employer's building, a security guard had murdered a girl and stuffed her body in my building's air coolant tank. Since then, my faith in security guards has gone negative.

YOU are responsible for your security.

[geaux]

Bingo. That was my thought as well.

The American Trial Lawyers Association sent out a request that lawyers refrain from filing suit after the attack. Guess we see where lawyers put *that* request.

[wny]

Until the 2nd plane, it was just perceived - BY EVERYONE - as a freak accident. So why shouldn't people in another building return to their office? Without the 2nd plane, the FDNY would have evacuated the 2nd building as soon as they determined it was necessary. And contrary to rumors, there is no effing way FDNY sent people back into either building after it was hit.

[Alberta's Child]

Two things here:

1. (in defense of the orders to remain in the building) Until the second plane hit, the last thing anyone expected was a second plane to crash into the WTC. You have to remember that in NYC skyscrapers, the standard procedure during a fire is to NOT evacuate a building but to descend several floors below the fire and wait for instructions. The reason for this is simple -- emergency stairwells are not designed to accommodate 20,000 people fleeing a building at one time.

2. On the other hand, I have no sympathy for the Port Authority in this incident. I know someone who was in the first building when it was hit (he survived with no serious injuries), and because he was also there when the WTC was bombed in 1993 he had no intention of doing anything except evacuate. In 1993, his group actually walked down 73 floors and came to A LOCKED EMERGENCY EXIT, so as far as I am concerned the Port Authority deserves whaever it gets.

[monkeywrench]

I don't doubt it's true. There have been a number of threads since Mcveigh about foreign owned security companies. Mcveigh himself worked for Burns.

[Spiff]

Now is NOT the time to be pointing fingers and making recriminations. There are people at fault here for lapses in security, bad judgement, etc. Our own government made mistakes in handling bin Laden and other terrorists.

But that is all in the past and we should not dredge it up until the war is over. If there is enough spare energy to be assigning blame and whining, then people aren't busy enough supporting the rescue/recovery effort and the war effort.

[Conservababe]

At some point (like right away) everyone in the building that wanted to leave should have ignored the security people. I'm sure the security guards and building people thought they were doing the right thing.

Like some, I have been glued to media almost 24/7 since the attack. I remember the scene on Tuesday of the people who had evacuated the towers running down the street. I still cringe of it as I see the surreal pictures. Anyway, this was live. One woman said that her employer ordered her back to her desk and she did not obey. She also went on to say that a few of the fire escape doors were locked when they tried to flee. I am thinking, from experience, that fire escape doors are locked to discourage smoking on the premises. But, whatever the cause and whatever that we were attacked...we still should question if someone died needlessly, always.

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[colorado tanker]

I agree that the Port Authority could not have known in those minutes the first hit was intentional or that a second plane was on the way. On the other hand, there is a huge problem in this country with fire and evacuation plans for high rise buildings. I work in one. In case of a fire alarm, I'm to walk down two flights of stairs and wait in an emergency holding area near the elevators, which automatic plastic doors will enclose. Estimated time those plastic doors will hold back a fire? Twelve minutes. In theory, we will be rescued during those twelve minutes by fire crews coming up the elevators. Being a free born, free thinking American, I'm going straight down the stairs. The problem here is that, like the builders of the Titanic, the builders of these high rises don't think the buildings can burn and collapse.

[Brian Allen]

I would have kicked some bastard down the stairs in front of me on my way down.

The roof took care of that for you. And the 110th floor And the 109th and the 108th and the 107th and the 106th ......

[SarahW]

Why shouldn't they have returned to their offices?

Because of the crash might have made the the first tower hit unstable, and the cause of the crash was unknown. Until it was known, the rule should have been, everybody out. NOW, and don't go back until it is known what happened.

Given that the tower had already been the target of terrorists, the worst should have been presumed, that it was deliberate. And security should have had a disaster plan that called for complete evacuation of both towers, if a serious incident ocurred in the other.

Given that it is so difficult to exit the towers without elevators, all who were on the ground should have been directed to an exit away from the first building, and instructed to go home until further notice.

Evacuation plans should assume the worst and err on the side of caution.

[sonjay]

From http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2001/9/12/170102.shtml

quote:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Executives have known for some time after the attack of 1993 that engineers believed that if one building collapsed, the other tower would likely collapse. Still, emergency officials first told occupants of the second tower to be remain in their offices and not to evacuate.

In view of this, the instructions to those in building 2 to go back to their offices was insane, and tantamount to murder.

[f.Christian]

bttt

[ambrose]

Just once, I wish the lawyers could walk past the graveyard with grace, instead of jumping the fence to pry open coffins.

I find it amusing that some woman, who isn't a lawyer, said she'd see a lawyer (at some future time) about a possible claim against the Port Authority... yet you blame the lawyer who hasn't even been hired yet!

[Ditter]

After the first plane hit the first building NO ONE would have sent this hard headed girl back to her desk! What a bunch of sheep.

[dead]

All lawyers tell you to say you haven't spoken with a lawyer yet. It's part of the game.

If no lawyers take part in any lawsuits over this tragedy, I'll take back every bad thing I've ever said about any lawyer ever. In addition, I will dance naked in Times Square with an Easter bonnet on my head.

[Alberta's Child]

Well, I've done some figuring here. Suppose that during a building evacuation a single column of people passes a point on the stairway at a rate of one second per person. If two people can walk side-by-side down a single stairway, then a single stairway can process 120 people per minute. If there are four emergency exits, then 480 people per minute can evacuate the building.

At this rate 7,200 people would be able to evacuate in 15 minutes, 14,400 would be able to evacuate in half an hour. These numbers must be cut in half if only one column of people can walk down the stairs (as is the case if there are emergency workers coming up, as the photos from inside the WTC indicated).

If we assume that one column of people can evacuate on each stairway but double the number of stairways from 4 to 8, I figure it would probably take about 50-55 minutes to evacuate a building the size of one of the WTC towers.

[Ratatoskr]

Officials did the right thing with the information they had.

They could not possibly know there was a second plane coming. There were upwards of ten thousand people in both towers and the priority at that point had to be evacuating the burning tower first and fast.

My first thought when I saw both towers engaged was that there were going to be a slew of crushing deaths during evacuation. There have been many, many instances of crowds pressing in one direction until the chests of some are so compressed they can't breath and they suffocate. This is a particular danger on stairways, where one tumble can lead to a pile up and nobody would be using the elevators in a fire.

Some days, every path is awful.

[Askel5]

I trust every individual who works in a box office building has checked to make certain fire doors are unlocked and has practiced more than one way to get out.