I was a second year law student. I got to Roger Williams University around 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. My class started at 9 a.m. Because I hate to be late, I went upstairs and took my seat around 8:45 a.m. The class was Professor Eberle's Constitutional Law. We went through the entire class. Finally during the last five minutes, someone came in and told the Professor something. We all left and went downstairs to the law school cafeteria. It had one television that everyone was glued to. I remember the confusion and the overload of information. By the time we got out of class one tower had already collapsed. I sat in that cafeteria for a good hour or two watching the news report. I remember going back to my apartment and sat watching television for hours on end that day. I was somewhat newly dating Mr. Allan and went to his apartment that night where we watched news reports all night.
this was the image that we saw over and over and over on that day
It was one of those days where you'll never forget where you were, how you couldn't grasp the information the news was telling you and the impact it would have on the country. I remember growing up I'd hear my parents talk about where they were when they heard the news that President Kennedy was shot and how they'd never forget since it was such a national tragedy. Unfortunately September 11 is the tragedy that marks this generation.
In the days after so many stories emerged about the unfathomable loss of life, the heroes who risked their lives, and the despair of those looking for loved ones. Today, ten years later after the most horrific attack on America, we remember those who lost their lives. To put 9-11 in perspective, here are some figures from the NY Magazine that hit home for me.
The initial numbers are indelible: 8:46 a.m. and 9:02 a.m. Time the burning towers stood: 56 minutes and 102 minutes. Time they took to fall: 12 seconds. From there, they ripple out.
•Total number killed in attacks (official figure as of 9/5/02): 2,819
•Number of firefighters and paramedics killed: 343
•Number of NYPD officers: 23
•Number of Port Authority police officers: 37
•Number of WTC companies that lost people: 60
•Number of employees who died in Tower One: 1,402
•Number of employees who died in Tower Two: 614
•Number of nations whose citizens were killed in attacks: 115
•Ratio of men to women who died: 3:1
•Age of the greatest number who died: between 35 and 39
•Number of people who lost a spouse or partner in the attacks: 1,609
•Estimated number of children who lost a parent: 3,051
•Percentage of Americans who knew someone hurt or killed in the attacks: 20
•Tons of debris removed from site: 1,506,124
•Days fires continued to burn after the attack: 99
•Jobs lost in New York owing to the attacks: 146,100
•Days the New York Stock Exchange was closed: 6
•Point drop in the Dow Jones industrial average when the NYSE reopened: 684.81
•Days after 9/11 that the U.S. began bombing Afghanistan: 26
•Economic loss to New York in month following the attacks: $105 billion
•Estimated cost of cleanup: $600 million
•Total FEMA money spent on the emergency: $970 million
•Estimated amount donated to 9/11 charities: $1.4 billion
•Estimated amount of money raised for funds dedicated to NYPD and FDNY families: $500 million
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