(ELEVATOR WORLD continues to receive letters, e-mails and faxes from around the globe expressing the feelings of those in the industry who were affected by the events of September 11. Shortly after these events, EW sent a special report to our ELENET subscribers, to which many of these comments were responding.)
Libero Maspero of Maspero Elevatori s.r.l. We take the occasion to present you and all your staff our deepest condolences for what America and Americans have suffered and are suffering after the tragic events of September 11. We do wish strongly that the guilty are arrested and punished.
Michael Savage of Schindler I am so very sorry about the very tragic occurrences in the U.S. and send you a message of sincere and heartfelt regret. I have had the opportunity to read the special edition of ELENET, and I must congratulate you on the splendid job you are doing at ELEVATOR WORLD keeping everyone advised on the latest status.
Edilberto Almeida of Elevador Brasil Elevador Brasil magazine deeply laments the horrible acts which took place in New York City and Washington, D.C. by these enemies without a face, which ended in the death of thousands. Facing such a big catastrophe, we claim to God in prayer, so that those who are alive may now know how to ordain their steps.
Cece Matot of Matot, Inc. All of us at Matot, Inc. greatly appreciate the updates and good news about all of our friends in New York and Washington, D.C. We thank God that so many who could have been killed or injured remained safe and unharmed. Thank you, EW Editorial Department for the timely information.
Paul Horney IV of Innovation Industries Innovation Industries wishes to express our sincere condolences to those who have been directly affected by the recent attack on America. Our thoughts and prayers are with all who have lost friends, family and colleagues from this terrible act. Thank you for the information and message board. God bless America.
Matteo Volpe of IGV and Elevatori All at IGV and Elevatori, as well as myself, are shocked for what has happened in New York. I just feel like writing you a few lines to express my sorrow and to give my solidarity and support to you and your staff and all the American people. Please give a big hug to all of you from your Italian friend.
A. Gorilovsky of Stein Ltd. In light of the sad events that occurred on September 11, we wish to extend our condolences to the American public and those affected in these atrocities. On behalf of the company staff, let us ask you to pass our deep feelings and readiness for support, especially to elevator industry people and their families.
Birrus Mats of Australia Our thoughts and prayers are with America and its people during these troubled times.
Alistair Pilley of Lift Engineering Society of Australia On behalf of our lift industry members, we express our sorrow and anger at the events that have taken the lives of so many people from so many nations at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. We very much appreciate the advice received via the ELENET. We can be assured that those lost were doing their work and providing essential service that, in turn, saved lives by allowing more people to evacuate the buildings. In appreciation and sorrow.
Hank (Chang-Han Huang) of Taiwan In the wake of the tragic events of this past week, we wanted to take a moment to offer our heartfelt condolences to all those people impacted by the heinous acts against the U.S. We certainly mourn the loss of our brothers and sisters in New York, Washington, D.C. and Pennsylvania. We are, all at once, shocked, saddened and resolute in the support of the efforts to identify these criminals and swiftly bring justice to the situation. In this time of sadness, we are discovering the American courage, the American discipline and compassion of the mass media, and the unity of the American politicians through the Internet. We are watching it every day in the steadfast determination to bear the pain of mourning and gather the strength to rise up and build anew.
Our heart goes out to those who lost family members and friends on September 11. We will continue to lend our support and donations to the American Red Cross. Ignorance and the evil that manifests from its darkness must be fought on all fronts and challenged by people across the globe. Let justice be done! God bless America.
Martin A. Walsh, Sr. of Walsh Associates, Ltd. On behalf of our family and the employees of Walsh Associates, Ltd., thanks to all of the many friends and industry members who expressed concern for us in the aftermath of the World Trade Center attack. We are located three blocks from the World Trade Center and September 11 will always be a day of great sorrow for us. Your phone call, letters and e-mails have enabled us to move forward with greater resolve as we face the challenges before us.
Our spirit is stronger than ever, and New York City is coming back! Walsh Associates is proud to be a part of it! My sincere thanks for all the kindness that has been extended to our family.
Ami Lustig of Eng. S. Lustig Consulting Engineers Ltd. The horrific events witnessed by the world on September 11 are forever impressed in our minds. We will never forget the heroism and courage of the firefighters, police officers and rescue workers. Our prayers go out to the families that have suffered a loss.
(The following messages concerning the events of September 11 were posted on the message board at www.elevator-world.com.)
Posted by John Thomson Our thoughts and hearts go out to all of our American colleagues and friends at this time. Australians are thinking of you.
Posted by KONE Elevator Local #2 Chicago and KONE Elevator employees would like to convey our deepest prayers to all our brothers who have lived through these trying times. Thank you for showing us and the rest of the world to walk tall, head up and back straight; in other words, as a proud American.
Posted by Ahmed Ibrahim of SIPS AB & Aritco AB From all of us at SIPS AB & Aritco AB of Sweden, we pray for all those whose lives were lost, and our deepest sympathy goes out to all the families and friends who lost loved ones in this horrible attack.
Posted by Jim Crotty of Fujitec
Letter to Industry Associates in NYC and D.C.
October 8, 2001
Dear Industry Associate:
On Tuesday, September 11, America and the citizens of New York City and Washington, D.C. experienced and witnessed a horror of unimaginable scale and magnitude. Thousands of lives were lost that day, and many millions of lives were forever changed. While Fujitec America, Inc. was relieved to know that all of our employees were accounted for and safe, we know that many of our close friends, business associates and their family members were directly affected. Our sincere prayers and thoughts go out to each and every one.
Fujitec feels a particularly close affinity with New York City and Washington. We not only have branch offices, but more importantly, we have a long history of productive relationships with our business associates in those locations. Over the years, Fujitec has installed elevator and escalator units in some of those cities' landmark locations.
In New York City, Fujitec had nearly 150 elevator units that were affected in lower Manhattan below 14 Street, so a team was formed from the Fujitec Serge Division and our headquarters' Technical Support Group to work together to restore as many of those units as possible. The majority of units were concentrated in the World Financial Center B and D Towers and the New York Mercantile Exchange Building (NYNEX). After restoring operation of 18 of the units in NYNEX prior to the first trading day on September 17, all of the escalators and elevators there are now supporting trading activities. Units in the World Financial Center D Tower, the Merrill Lynch Tower, were restored as of September 26 and, during the first week of October, the team focused on the World Financial Center B Tower, where the most damage occurred, not only to the elevators, but to the building as an entity. An inspection and examination of each has been conducted, but we cannot estimate the total completion date of restoration at this time. There are also three high-rise condominiums that were affected by the incident. The team completed restoration of those affected units on October 2.
Each of our employees feels it an honor to be part of the restoration of these cities and contributing to the building of these symbolic representations of America's strength.
Sincerely,
Dennis DeVos, President
Fujitec America, Inc.
As the world crashed around them, Joe Flanagan and Bob Klaum knew they had to keep calm while disaster unfolded.
Steel beams vaulted through windows, shattering everywhere. Chunks of concrete rained in spaces once safe. And in the face of all that, Flanagan and Klaum kept their heads clear.
Lives depended on it.
Flanagan and Klaum are the resident mechanics at 7 World Trade, a 45-story structure in Manhattan destroyed during the September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.
"That was our home," Klaum explained. "That was where we worked and pretty much lived."
Thirty-nine elevators and eight escalators were running in 7 World Trade at the time of the attack. Flanagan and Klaum knew there would be entrapments. Both mechanics, with a combined 35 years of experience at Otis Elevator Co., were in the back of 7 World Trade, near an escalator between the third and fourth floor before the South Tower collapsed.
Suddenly, it became so dark it seemed like midnight in New York without street lights.
"I couldn't even see my hand in front of my face," Klaum said.
But there was work to be done immediately.
First there was the matter of a mid-rise elevator, Car #11, stuck near the lobby because of a power outage. Four people were inside, and they were understandably panicked.
"We're trained to talk to them and try to calm them down," Flanagan said. "I couldn't even see them from where I was. The car was in a blind hatch just above me, but I talked to them and told them I was going to get them out of there as soon as possible."
Flanagan went to the machine room to reset the car so that it could operate on emergency power.
"It started up and they got out. I never got to see them, but they got out OK," Flanagan added.
Now it was Klaum's turn to respond. Despite being a veteran of Vietnam, there was nothing in his experience that trained him for what was happening. However, he did know how to get people out of elevators.
A low-rise elevator, Car #5, was out, likely because it lost communication with its processor. The machine actually operated the way it was supposed to, safeguarding passengers by stopping when the electricity went out.
Klaum reset the processor, the car moved to the next landing, and the passengers were freed.
With their jobs well done, Klaum and Flanagan were now faced with saving themselves.
The two mechanics made their way through the darkness by forming a human chain with four engineers and two security guards. It took 20 minutes, but the group of eight, the last to get out of 7 World Trade, made their way out and onto Greenwich Street where they ran north to safety. They were finally able to call the office on their cellular phones.
Ray Moncini, vice president and senior area executive for Otis' North America area, said the two mechanics' actions are testimony to their skill and training.
"They kept incredibly calm during what was nothing less than a catastrophe," Moncini stated. "I am proud to be associated with Joe, Bob and all the employees of the New York office who have worked long hours throughout this tragedy."
"Bob and Joe personify the spirit and strength of the Otis global family. I am proud of how they and all our NYC associates performed for our customers and friends under extreme pressure. I know they are proud, as I am, to be a small part of the greater Otis team, and to contribute to rebuilding this great city," added Erv Lauterbach, regional vice president of Otis' Greater New York region.
Flanagan and Klaum said the days following the tragedy have been a time of recovery, time spent resting and trying to make sense of what happened. The days and weeks ahead will require getting back to work to help New York heal, clean and rebuild.
When will they be ready? In unison, they responded, "Right now. Right now."
Reprinted from the Otis Bulletin
Employees of Fujitec America, Inc. pledged more than US $10,000 and, with the company's match, a total of US $20,880 was donated to the American Red Cross in support of the relief efforts for the victims of the September 11 terrorists attacks. Additionally, Accountemps, a temporary employment agency used by Fujitec, provided matching funds for the donation bringing the total to US $41,760. The Fujitec organization and Accountemps can be proud of the fact that they were able to help by making this donation to the American Red Cross.
Fujitec Co., Ltd., the parent company of Fujitec America, made a corporate donation of US $25,000 to the United Way's September 11 fund.
There are heroes among us. We don't often know who they are until they are called upon to spring into action and thus display the qualities of remarkable courage and selflessness. We only get a chance to thank them after they have experienced terrible tragedy and during a time when it is often difficult for them to accept our expressions of gratitude. It is time, in addition to paying tribute to the fallen heroes of our industry, to pay tribute to those that tried up to the last minute to help others survive the terrible events of the September 11, 2001 attack on America. The following report is offered in tribute to all of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PA) operations staff that were involved in the collapse of the WTC Twin Towers. We thank those that survived and honor those that did not. . . . Robert S. Caporale
New York City, September 11, 2001, 8:45 a.m.
Initial Moments of Confusion and Terror
Dave Bobbitt was in his office on the west side of the 35th floor of the South Tower of the WTC when the first plane hit the North Tower. The revving of the jet's engines made him think of a precision flying team, perhaps passing in low formation overhead. "Were the Blue Angels in town?" The sound of a loud thud changed everything. He got the feeling something bad had happened in one of the towers. As he looked out his west-facing office window, the area outside filled with papers which appeared to be falling from above. To get a better look, Bobbitt moved to the north side of his office floor to see the North Tower. Looking up at the North Tower and then down at the Plaza below, he could not believe what was unfolding before his eyes. The upper floors of the North Tower were on fire with smoke billowing in all directions and flames leaping out toward the north and west. The Plaza was strewn with debris. There had to have been an explosion in the North Tower, and Bobbitt knew that he and the other PA Operations staff would have to spring into action to help evacuate the towers. Bobbitt and Don Parente grabbed their two-way radios, flashlights and a digital camera, which had pretty much become their standard equipment in the WTC.
Bobbitt, Jim Barbella and others from the 35th floor then proceeded to make their way down to the South Tower ground floor lobby. They kept in radio contact with Bob Lynch and Joe Amatuccio, who were outside the building, as well as other PA operations staff.
As the WTC occupants became aware of the terrible event that had occurred in the North Tower, they began to evacuate either by means of the elevators or stairs. Everyone felt they should get out of the building and crowds were beginning to gather in the buildings' lobbies.
Arriving at the South Tower lobby, Bobbitt and Barbella first went to the Plaza. The area was full of debris. To their horror, desperate people trying to escape from the burning upper floors were leaping out of the building and landing on the Plaza. The sight stunned them; they stopped in their tracks. Bobbitt, who by this time had gotten as far as the revolving glass doors opening onto the Plaza, was under the doorway overhang and barely out of harm's way. Seeing the danger ahead, he called to those that had gone out onto the Plaza telling them to come back into the South Tower. The Plaza was very quickly becoming a very dangerous place to be.
The group rushed back into the South Tower and instructed a lobby full of people to keep away from the Plaza area and back from the glass windows and doors. They next turned off the escalators so that people could walk down them and exit out through the below grade mall level. "Keep away from the Plaza," they cautioned as they themselves began to work their way down to the 310 lobby level. Parente and Francis Riccardelli made their way to the sub-grade Operations Command Center (OCC) from where they knew the entire WTC complex could be monitored. After reaching the OCC, Parente and Riccardelli felt that they might be of more help at the Fire Command Center (FCC), so they proceeded to the North Tower FCC.
The First Rendezvous
Amatuccio and Bobbitt both agreed that they would meet at the mall level by the South Tower where they caught up with Riccardelli, Lynch and Parente. This group of PA staff had been working together for some time and, in addition to being close business associates, were also very good friends. They worked well together and discussed how they could help with the building evacuation and rescue of people from the North Tower.
Springing into Action
Arriving at the North Tower FCC, the PA staff began to assist the arriving firemen in orienting within the North Tower and the rest of the complex. A first priority was to communicate with people that might be stuck on the elevators. Being familiar with the operation of the elevator intercom system, Bobbitt and Parente began to communicate with those on the elevators. Riccardelli answered firemen's questions helping them to find their way throughout the building.
"It was quite hectic, and we did what we could to stay in contact with the elevator passengers while helping to direct other people out of the building and direct firemen to the stairs and the elevators," Bobbitt remarked. "When entering the North Tower, we saw the marble on the walls was severely cracked, and Riccardelli told everyone to stay back from the walls. Don (Parente) noticed that the doors of elevators number 6 and 7 had been blown out."
The team continued to work with the firemen hoping to be able to help get as many people as possible safely out of the North Tower. Working with the Fire Battalion Chiefs who were stationed at the FCC, the PA Operations staff were compiling lists of the number of people on each of the stalled elevators to help the firemen develop an evacuation plan to get them out. Suddenly and shockingly, they got word that the South Tower had been hit.
The group knew right away that their efforts would have to be increased to assist with evacuation of the South Tower as well. They split up into two groups with Bobbitt and Parente continuing to work in the North Tower, and Amatuccio going over to the South Tower. By this time, Lynch had gone elsewhere in the building to help with the evacuation and WTC Director Alan Reiss had taken up a station at one of the WTC command posts to oversee other rescue and evacuation operations that had begun.
From the South Tower FCC, Amatuccio now joined by Riccardelli established two-way communication with Bobbitt and Parente who were manning the North Tower FCC. They continued to work with the firemen in both towers, in spite of the danger to which they were exposed from debris that was falling from the tower floors above. The smell of burning jet fuel was becoming more and more prevalent at the FCC levels in both buildings. The PA staff in both towers continued to work alongside the firefighters, talking to passengers on stalled elevators in an effort to help keep them calm and let them know that rescuers were on site and doing what they could to get to them.
Bobbitt, who was on the phone with Amatuccio, had just signed off with his partner, when moments later, Bobbitt recalled, they began to hear a loud rumble. As the sound built in intensity, the whole place trembled and vibrated. Firemen instructed everyone to get out of the building as the South Tower, only a few hundred feet away from Bobbitt and Parente and over Amatuccio and Riccardelli, was starting to collapse on and around them all. Bobbitt recalls a firemen yelling, "Run!!"
Bobbitt headed for what he felt might be the only possible safe haven an arch-shaped area leading into the WTC Building 6 lobby. The structural integrity of the arch was what drew him to this area. He and Parente barely made it out of the North Tower lobby as the mezzanine came crashing down behind them. They were soon engulfed in concrete and sheetrock dust and surrounded by falling debris and then, utter and total darkness. The WTC South Tower had collapsed, and a huge dust and debris cloud was billowing out in all directions and making its way toward Bobbitt and a group of firemen that had worked their way over to an escalator and up against the exterior wall of the North Tower to which they clung for safety.
In the mayhem of the South Tower's collapse, Bobbitt lost communication with the rest of his friends and was terrified, not only for his own safety, but for that of his friends and all of those around him. In the total darkness, Bobbitt and the firemen were soon covered in dust, surrounded by debris, and the air was thick with the smell of smoke and barely breathable. They did not yet know the extent of the collapse, as the South Tower continued to come down around them.
When things started to calm down, Bobbitt found that his radio still worked and was able to make contact with Parente, who indicated that he had made it to the top of the escalators that lead to the bridge across West Street to the Winter Garden, a shopping mall to the west of the WTC towers. "Work your way toward me, and look for my light," urged Parente. Bobbitt had been trying to work his way back toward his colleagues. When he encountered a huge wall of debris that prevented him from moving toward the towers, he began to work his way toward Parente.
Bobbitt focused on the continual urging from Parente and moved in the direction of Winter Garden. Eventually, he saw Parente's flashlight. Still in the darkness and barely breathable air, Bobbitt moved toward that dim light coming from across the bridge over West Street and eventually reached his friend. Covered in dust and gasping for fresh air, the two shared a brief and grateful reunion before walking toward the Hudson River in an attempt to find fresher air to breathe. They proceeded toward the river having survived what they thought must have been the falling of part of one of the towers. They would soon be surprised to find out what had actually happened and what they made it through.
Realization of the Horror of It All
Walking south along the Hudson River walkway, Bobbitt and Parente reached the north side of the marina and looked back at the WTC towers to view the damage. They couldn't believe what they saw. "It's gone!" Bobbitt exclaimed. Gazing up at the towers in disbelief and horror, the two friends stared at the gaping hole beside the North Tower which just moments earlier had been Tower 2 of the World Trade Center. It had now been replaced by billowing smoke and a huge dust cloud.
They began to walk back toward the site when someone yelled, "The other tower is starting to fall!" To get away from the falling North Tower, they, along with others around them, began to run north alongside the river and through the park trying to find a safer area. While on the run, Bobbitt thought, "I survived the collapse of the South Tower, but I might not be that lucky again." Making it to the rear of Peter Stuyvesant High School, they again heard the horrible rumbling and felt the same trembling of the ground that they had experienced not too much earlier. Realizing what was about to happen to the North Tower, they stopped behind the high school north of the WTC site, where they were shielded from the collapsing North Tower.
There was sheer and utter panic as the rumble grew in intensity, and people squeezed into the area between the rear of the high school and the railing of the river walk. The ground shook beneath their feet as the horror that had unfolded less than an hour before played out again. Fearing that they might be crushed against the river walk railing, Bobbitt and Parente considered jumping into the Hudson River. However, the crowd calmed down as they realized that they were all OK. Being further away and behind the school building, Bobbitt and Parente were safe.
Survival and Aftermath
In the end, Bobbitt and Parente made it to safety. Once what they had experienced sunk in, they knew they had to contact their families and let them know they had survived what was by now surely being reported on TV and the radio as one of the worst catastrophes of all time. They continued to walk north on West Street, and then eastward toward Broadway. The entire area was covered in dust from the collapsed towers and against a backdrop of the burning WTC complex, they moved on in search of a telephone they could use to call their loved ones. Eventually, Parente made contact, told his family that he was OK and that he would begin to work his way home. Bobbitt, on the other hand, could not get in touch with his wife who he thought was at work in midtown. Little did he know where she was. What follows is an amazing close to his remarkable experience.
A Remarkable and Grateful Reunion
Upon hearing of the attack on the WTC, Nicole Bobbitt, knowing that her husband was probably in one of the WTC buildings when the planes crashed into them, left her office, jumped into a cab and headed down to the WTC site. Only able to get within a few blocks of the complex, she got out of the cab, for which she was not charged, north of the towers and began to walk south to get closer. She began looking for her husband. In shear terror of what might have happened, she circled the area, as did so many people that day, hoping against all odds to find her beloved husband. Meanwhile, her husband and Parente had made their way further uptown, with Bobbitt still trying whenever he could to call his wife at work. He continued to call Nicole's office as did she with both leaving messages for the other indicating their approximate location. All three, Dave, Don and Nicole reached the area around Il Ponte Restaurant at the same time, all trying to remain calm and gather their thoughts on what to do next.
Using the telephone in Il Ponte, Nicole left word with one of her coworkers that she would wait for Dave in the restaurant. A reunion now appeared imminent until numerous warnings of potential natural gas leaks in the area forced the evacuation of Il Ponte. Nicole was now back out on the street and searching in vain for her husband and his partner. The three continued to wander about the area around Il Ponte with lessening hope of finding each other. Stopping to rest and with tears in her eyes, Nicole looked up and to her amazement saw Dave and Don coming toward her. A joyful reunion followed, and the three were finally and safely reunited just a few blocks from the intended rendezvous point.
After walking around to settle down, they began to make their way home. "We walked to the Holland Tunnel and met up with other PA survivors. We split with Don around the Holland Tunnel, and my wife and I headed uptown to take a ferry across the river to New Jersey." Upon reaching the Jersey side of the Hudson River, emergency medical personnel checked out Dave and Nicole and helped them get to public transit systems. Parente picked up a ride through the tunnel and over to the PA Tech Center in New Jersey where he met up with other PA survivors. They were all grateful to have made it out of the WTC collapse. He got safely home to his family by 5:00 p.m.
Soon after the events of September 11, Parente told his friends who had inquired about his safety, "Everyone has a story to tell. I'm telling everyone who will listen, you don't hear this on the news, and I don't know why. The WTC Operations staff evacuated some 15,000 people from the buildings that's 15,000 lives saved and we were still in the buildings when they came down. Many of the Operations staff gave their lives doing a job that they loved and in a building that they felt was their own. I am proud and honored to have worked with these friends and coworkers." The PA Operations staff and their families, friends and coworkers cannot believe what they went through that day.
We've described in this report the specific experiences of Bobbitt, Parente and the other PA Operations staff who were all working right up to the last moments, alongside the firemen, to help rescue people. These men are without a doubt among the heroes of September 11.
Many people got out of the buildings because of their efforts. And those building occupants that did not, were surely comforted in their last moments by the PA engineers. These are remarkably selfless individuals which we can all be proud of and for which we can all be grateful to have or have had in our presence.
We thank all of the PA Operations staff that showed strength and courage during this tragedy and admire them for their ability to gather up unimaginable amounts of courage and selflessness to help their fellow beings.
The following made the ultimate sacrifice:
Joe Amatuccio , Bob Lynch, Jim Barbella, Pete Negron, Ed Calderon, David Ortiz, Carlos Da Costa, Gene Raggio, Frank De Martini, Frances Riccardelli, Ken Grouzalis, Anthony Savas, Doug Karpiloff, Ed Strauss
Enclosed are photographs of the hoist motors for the World Trade Center (WTC) shuttle cars.
On an earlier occasion, I had the pleasure of consulting on WTC matters and photographed one of the shuttle car hoist motors. I was consumed with pride when I saw these giants of our industry, truly the pinnacle of American endeavors. At 1,600ft/m, these babies would lift 10,000lbs with ease from the 350hp Otis #339 H.T. gearless machines. The application utilized eight 13/16in. hoist cables and two 1-3/16in. compensation cables.
Recently a GMA consultant, Gerry Cavanagh, was at ground zero and took a photo of the fallen giant. When we saw the dichotomy of the two photos, we came to a stark realization of not only our own mortality, but how devastating the evil actions of radicals can be.
George Murray, president
GMA Consulting, Inc.
60 Fire Island Avenue
Babylon, New York 11702
In a story reported by the New York Times, Jan Demczur, an inside window washer for 1 World Trade Center, had a favorite old green bucket that he used, and no one else liked. Its flat sides were perfect for his squeegee, which was with him that fateful day as he waited for an elevator on the 44th floor sky lobby. At 8:47 a.m., Demczur and five other men entered car 69A, an express elevator that served floors 67-74.
Before it reached its first landing, the building shook, and the elevator swung from side to side. After about 10 minutes, an announcement was made about an explosion, then went eerily quiet. Smoke entered the cabin. The passengers pried open the car doors, using Demczur's squeegee, only to be faced with a wall. They were on the 50th floor, not a stop for this elevator.
Demczur, a former construction worker, recognized sheetrock and knew they could cut through it, but with what? The metal edge of his squeegee. They took turns cutting through the sheetrock, breathing through handkerchiefs dipped in milk one of the other passengers had just bought. They cut an inch, two inches until they completed an irregular rectangle about 12 by 18 inches. They hit a layer of white tiles, a 50th floor bathroom. One by one, the men worked through the opening. Even the bucket made it out.
Astonished firefighters watched the six men emerge and then quickly ushered them to the staircase. A single-file descent began, interrupted by a "thunderous metallic roar" at the 15th floor. They did not know it at the time, but the south tower was collapsing. Demczur dropped his bucket when the firefighters told them to get out of the building quickly.
At 10:23 a.m., the six men ran out of the north tower, beating its collapse by five minutes. One of the men on the elevator with Demczur, Shivam Iyer, Port Authority engineer, said, "It took up to one and a half minutes to clear each floor, longer at the lower levels. If the elevator had stopped at the 60th floor instead of the 50th, we would have been five minutes too late. And that man with the squeegee. He was like our guardian angel."
The Chicago Tribune reported on an October 15 meeting of international structural engineers, architects and building experts to discuss what can and should be done to make tall buildings terror-proof. Opinions varied from "no one will want" to "work in skyscrapers" to rethinking the design and construction to "new code requirements."
"Whenever a building falls down, there's a lesson to be learned," remarked William Baker, structural engineer with Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. According to the experts, there are plenty of lessons learned about the World Trade Center towers' collapse: wider fire stairs, refuge floors, firefighting elevators, no underground parking garages.
Currently, codes address emergency situations requiring escape from fire that is confined to one or two floors. The dilemma facing experts is: should codes incorporate requirements for larger fires and structural damage or was September 11 a one-and-only-time event? Adrian Smith, also of Skidmore, Owing & Merrill, commented, "Everything depends on whether you are planning for a terrorist attack. If you're planning for that, then there a whole host of things you have to do."
One thing the experts do agree on is that the construction design of tall buildings was already changing. "This new generation of tall buildings was already headed in a different direction," cited Joseph Burns of Thornton-Tomasetti Engineers. "If properly detailed, they might perform better than the World Trade Center (WTC)." The WTC towers were built in tube-like construction with closely spaced exterior steel columns. The latest Asian skyscraper consists of a concrete core, several feet thick and perimeter super columns that provide additional stability. Such cores might have withstood an impact better and provided longer escape time. Refuge floors are heavily fortified floors designed to keep fires from spreading throughout a building. They can also be used as gathering points for people to reduce panicked escapes.
Thomas Fridstein of Tishman Speyer probably summed it up best, "We've just awakened to the fact that life isn't as casual as it used to be."
Larry Silverstein, leader of the consortium that recently signed a 99-year lease on New York's World Trade Center worth US $3.2 billion, is considering rebuilding. He commented that he is looking at an architectural design with four 50-story towers in place of the 110-story twin towers. He also stated that he has received a number of e-mails and letters regarding rebuilding with the majority in favor of it.
Silverstein, whose company lost four employees in the terrorist attacks, feels he should rebuild for both emotional and economic reasons. "The people who have inflicted this upon us are clearly out to destroy our way of life. It would be a tragedy to allow them their victory. Also, lower Manhattan needs office space." The twin towers comprised about 10% or 10-million square feet of the financial district's total space.
"I don't envision building a carbon copy of what was," Silverstein added. He has just begun assembling a team of planners and architects to consider options.
Until recently, we were both members of the Property Management Team for the World Trade Center complex as employees of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. As we struggle to come to terms with the incomprehensible terrorist attacks of September 11, we are compelled with heavy hearts and an extreme sense of pride to offer the following tribute to our fallen Port Authority brothers whom we feel have not received enough mention amid all of the heroic acts of the extraordinary firefighters, police and civilians who assisted in the rescue.
Joe Amatuccio, Jim Barbella, Carlos Da Costa, Frank DeMartini, Ken Grouzalis, Doug Karpiloff, Bob Lynch, Pete Negron, David Ortiz, Gene Raggio, Francis Riccardelli and Ed Strauss, all members of the Port Authority's Property Management Team, are just a few of the courageous men who gave their lives so that others could be with their families one more day. They, too, had families to go home to, care for and love. Each of them was full of life, too young to die and too young to be mourned.
A separate story could be written for each of their lives, families, adventures, loves and successes. Significantly, each of them was directly involved with the restoration of the World Trade Center after the terrorist bombing in 1993. Their entire careers were based on the immense responsibility of ensuring the safe and smooth operation of the World Trade Center complex and its magnificent Twin Towers. The satisfaction they had in their jobs was measured both by the awe of people from all over the world who visited the towers, and their work in enhancing the buildings' features after the 1993 bombing that likely saved lives during the September 11 attack.
Their efforts, along with those of many others, led to the safe evacuation of thousands of people on that devastating September 11 day. They were not trained firefighters, police nor military. These were ordinary civilians who did not sign up for this type of duty. Some of our Port Authority team were actually able to get out of the building well before the first collapse, but their noble hearts prevented them from saving themselves first, and they went back inside to help their coworkers and others to assist with the rescue efforts.
For those of us who survived or were not there on that fateful day, there is a deep pain in our souls, knowing exactly what each of these men were doing to help out those in need. We feared for their lives, watching the horrific events as they played out and cannot separate the pain from the pride or the anguish from the guilt of not being there to help out.
For over a decade, we grew up with these men, professionally and personally. They made us better people before and after September 11, 2001. They taught us to be committed, generous, courageous and understanding. To our dear brothers, we say farewell. We will never forget you or the ultimate sacrifices you made.
Leandro Zucchi and Theodore Stom
lzucchi@galewent.com
While this tribute was for the heroes of the Port Authority Property Management Team, Mr. Zucchi and family also grieve for a missing family member. His brother in law, Neil Dollard, is one of the missing from the Trading firm Cantor Fitzgerald, located on the upper floors of what was One World Trade Center. . . .Editor
A group of architects have expressed their feelings regarding the future of super skyscraper building. American Institute of Architect Chairman Bob Frasca commented, "For now, I don't think anyone wants to build trophy buildings. Even if they were built, there's a lot of people who don't want to be in them."
Eugene Kohn of Kohn Pederson Fox Associates said, "I think we do need some buildings that define a skyline. I think it would be sad if the skylines of cities were boring." His firm is designing the Shanghai World Financial Center which will be the world's tallest building. Although Kohn did acknowledge, "It's going to be a while before people propose that we build another very tall building."
New York developer Douglas Durst noted that buildings more than 50 stories tall are less efficient because of the extra space needed for elevators and other mechanical equipment. He added that really tall buildings are "an expression of vanity."
On the other side, Alan Chimacoff, director of design at the Hillier Group, stated, "I don't see how the urge to make tall buildings will subside. It's in people's psyches."
Perhaps Frances Halsband of Kliment & Halsband Architects said it best, "Architecture gives form to values. Those buildings (World Trade Center) came out of a moment of incredible optimism about American technology and superiority. With any hope, the Ugly American will be erased and what will result is not the world's tallest building, but something much more humane and connected with the needs of the city around it."
The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) has evaluated the economic impact on the construction industry resulting from the recent terrorist attacks in New York and at the Pentagon and concluded it will be dramatic.
"Overall, construction is likely to decline from its recent peaks as the economy absorbs the shock from these attacks," explained Ken Simonson, AGC chief economist, "but the industry will lead the recovery in the hardest-hit regions by providing the recovery and rebuilding that is needed. In addition, high-paying construction jobs will pump money into local economies wherever government and private employers invest in making facilities more secure or in building backup capacity for critical functions."
According to the AGC, the construction industry will be affected by the current slowdown in the economy, although a drop in interest rates could spur some additional construction spending in the near future. There is also an immediate need to provide office space for workers displaced from lower Manhattan and the Pentagon, which will provide a small lift for regional markets. It is expected additional construction spending will come from strengthening security at government and some private facilities.
However, airport construction is likely to decline, except that related to security. Other travel-related construction, such as hotels, will also suffer a sharp downturn, particularly in those areas mostly reached by air travel.
"We are going to rewrite the book as far as how we're going to handle incidents like this terrorist incidents in large mega-structures," noted Glenn Corbett, technical editor of Fire Engineering and professor of fire science at John Jay College in New York. Two of the current guidelines for safety in high rises proved ineffective and tragic in the recent attacks at the World Trade Center (WTC) firefighters are to enter the high rise and fight the fire from inside the building, and high-rise workers are expected to remain inside unless told to evacuate.
The focus of ongoing, long-term discussion will be how to get people out and reduce the firefighters' risk. Rae Archibald of Rand Corp. emphasizes the need for faster egress. He and others will look for ways to make elevators more available in emergencies. Jake Pauls, an evacuation consultant, has long advocated immediate and complete evacuation. It is certain part of the debate will center on the need for building high rises. Charles Harper, chairman of the American Institute of Architecture's disaster response team, has studied high rises after tornadoes, earthquakes and hurricanes. He feels no building should be above the reach of the firetruck ladder, about seven floors.
Ultimately, the resulting solutions will not only influence future high-rise firefighting and evacuation guidelines but will likely be incorporated into building codes.
Schmit Machine Inc. has in its possession equipment from the World Trade Center (WTC) vertical transportation system. The Long Island City, New York business was in the process of regrooving a large sheave and machining other parts as part of the renovation of the system by ACE Elevator Co.
According to India Abroad, which was focusing on the story because the owner of Schmit Machine is from India, the elevator equipment came from 2 WTC. The sheave, a secondary traction sheave, "weighs between two to three tons."
Owner Abraham C. Mathews plans to either donate the machine parts to a museum or keep them on site as a memorial to the Twin Towers.
"It is painful to think of the towers and the people who lost their lives there," Mathews told India Abroad. "It was a pleasure to go to the top of the towers to work on the elevators. It is really sad to think they are no more."
Mathews came to the U.S. in 1973 and was hired as a supervisor at an elevator company, "despite a lack of technical background." After losing his job with the elevator company, he was persuaded by friends to purchase Schmit Machine, which was on the verge of going out of business.
He had difficulty getting business at first, but then began receiving orders from Centennial Elevators, a Long Island company, which helped him get started. Today, Schmit Machines and a sister company, North American Elevator Products, employ some 60 people and have 800 customers.