The Start

UNITED STATES
September 2001

A few days before

From Minneapolis to New York
Sent: Fri, 7 Sep 2001 18:48:45
I'm coming to NY for a meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday

From New York to Minneapolis
Received Sat 9/8/2001 11:03 AM
Can't wait to see you on Monday … we can just chill out and relax...and eat blueberries


Tuesday

From Dallas to New York
Received: Tuesday, September 11, 2001 10:39 AM
Subject: Please
Would like to hear from you ASAP

From New York to Dallas
Sent: Tuesday, September 11, 2001 11:02 AM
Subject: RE: Please
We could see the towers burning -- some people saw the 2nd collapse.

From New York to entire company
Received: Tuesday, September 11, 2001 11:28 AM
By now you have heard of the terrorist attacks and terrible tragedies in New York and Washington. Our primary goal is to account for the well being of all our people. We are in the process of doing this.

From New York to Manhattan and Pittsburgh
Sent: Tuesday, September 11, 2001 12:35 PM
Subject: I'm OK, are you?
I just tried calling you guys but couldn't get through.

From New York to Queens
Sent: Tuesday, September 11, 2001 4:19 PM
I just happened to be in NY today for a meeting… are you and people you know OK?

From Pittsburgh to New York
Received: Tuesday, September 11, 2001 4:25 PM
We're okay. The plane that went down here was in Somerset County about 80 miles SW of Pittsburgh. The local channels have shown the impact point...and there is nothing left of it...just a crater. We are having a lot of military air traffic here. Fighter planes flying over to the east and a whole bunch of military transport planes landing and taking off.
Forwarded from Washington to Pittsburgh
Sent: Tuesday, September 11, 2001 11:16 AM
I drove by the Pentagon this morning to get to work before the explosion. I was in the section that was hit 2 weeks ago gathering some data. Everyone here is walking around in a daze. They have CNN playing in the auditorium. Lots of people have friends/family who work in Manhattan. People are walking around with cell phones, trying to call their loved ones.


Wednesday

From New York to company headquarters
Sent: Wednesday, September 12, 2001 1:44 AM
To: WTC@ company_name
Subject: people from taxonomy meeting 1633 Broadway
This may have already been reported but attending our meeting today and accounted for are: …

From New York to Minneapolis
Sent: Wednesday, September 12, 2001 2:09 AM
Subject: NY terrorist attacks
Just wanted to ask you to double your efforts at prayers on this and the other attacks today. It's just unbelievably horrible. Our conference room had a clear view of the first tower that was hit and burning. And then it was just gone. We have no word yet on what's happened to our colleagues. One of our colleagues was in a meeting down there -- he was saying people were jumping out of the buildings or perhaps falling. He thought the buildings melted from the heat.

From New York to entire company
Received: Wednesday, September 12, 2001 8:04 AM
Subject: Disaster Recovery Plan
In light of the unfolding situation in New York, our World Financial Center PBX and voicemail will be out of service for an unknown amount of time.

From Philadelphia to New York
Received: Wednesday, September 12, 2001 8:19 AM
We are thinking about you and hoping you are safe and okay under the circumstances. I hope and pray that you get home soon.

From Minneapolis to New York
Received: Wednesday, September 12, 2001 8:53 AM
Subject: Re: NY terrorist attacks
Lots of prayers are indeed being said - you can be sure of that.

From New York to Philadelphia
Sent: Wednesday, September 12, 2001 9:35 AM
NY was very errie -- completely quiet, no traffic, just people walking quietly. When we were walking back last night to my hotel, we passed a man, probably a national guard guy, coming from helping out down there. All covered with ash, carrying an airmask. The smell of smoke coming off his clothes was horrible.

From New York to Dallas
Sent: Wednesday, September 12, 2001 9:43 AM
I've got a couple of possibilities for getting home: Amtrak to Minneapolis via Chicago, perhaps a ride to Chicago. I'll keep you posted.

From New York to Entire Company
Recieved: Wednesday, September 12, 2001 10:07 AM
An update on our overnight activities to contact our people who are assigned to our New York and Washington locations or who were working on projects in these cities on Tuesday morning. Through Wednesday morning, we have been able to locate and verify the well being of the vast majority of our people.

From Minneapolis to New York
Recieved: Wednesday, September 12, 2001 10:20 AM
Subject: Re: NY terrorist attacks
It sounds like quite an experience you've had. Everyone is shocked, of course, but to be so close to the event must really make you think. We are having a prayer service here tonight and we'll be saying a prayer for you and your safe travel.

From Queens to New York
Received: Wed, 12 Sep 2001 06:23:29
It’s so good to hear from you. We are so happy to hear that you are safe! I can't believe that you're here in NYC! We are all in shell shock… Her cousin was in Fairfax, VA for training. His area at the Pentagon was destroyed and his boss and co-worker are missing.

From New York to entire company
Recieved: Wednesday, September 12, 2001 7:29 PM
Subject: Wednesday Evening U.S. Tragedy Update
On Wednesday evening, after approximately 36 hours, we have been unable to contact only a few of our people. We will continue our efforts to locate these remaining individuals throughout the night. We believe we will complete the contact process soon.


Thursday

From Minneapolis to Minneapolis office
Received: Thursday, September 13, 2001 6:50 AM
Subject: Air travel update
Last night, the FAA resumed management of our skies from the military (with restrictions). Commercial flights today (Thursday) will be very limited. The FAAs first priorities will be returning aircraft to American airports (from overseas and NA) as well as unsnarling airline operations (moving people and equipment to places where airline operations can resume). These priorities will likely consume any available capacity in the air traffic system for today.

From New York to New York via Dallas
Received: Thursday, September 13, 2001 9:50 AM
All of you know [her] and I thought you would want to know that she is OK.
Sent: Wednesday, September 12, 2001 8:40 PM
There are 2,000 friends of Cantor employees here and we will be here praying for the next few days. I have lost friends. I have friends who have lost parents and children.

From New York to entire department
Sent: Thursday, September 13, 2001 11:04 AM
Subject: FW: update on NY
There is no way escaping from what happened. Just when you forget for a moment, there it is again. While checking out of the hotel this morning, these 2 guys… asked for a number of rooms for their colleagues coming in. They said they were from AT&T Wireless working at ground zero. And sure enough, even though they were showered and shaved, their boots were coated with ash. We passed a fire station …there was a huge pile of flowers in front and candles. As close as I am to this it's still not even close to what these people see. I'm just in awe of them. Last night, the wind had shifted and everytime you'd go around a corner, the smell would filter up -- it's a mixture of dust, soot, burned plastic. People are sneezing and coughing even though you can't see anything in the air. Last night, even the elevators in the hotel smelled of this.