disaster recovery

Tragedy Strikes Close to Home  
New York, New York. It appeared to be a perfect late summer morning. From the Marriott World Trade Center lobby, Theresa Williams saw blue skies and sunshine. She had just completed breakfast with an insurance adjuster and her son, Charles Johnson, an electronics specialist in the Navy. Now she was waiting for Bernard Poole from BELFOR's New York office. He would accompany her to a morning presentation on the 100th floor of the World Trade Center where BELFOR had numerous clients. Later, Theresa would speak to the Reinsurance Association.

"Suddenly there was a loud noise and the taxicabs outside began crashing into each other,” Theresa said. "Some of them had been hit by debris. We ran out into the street to see smoke and fire but we didn't realize the falling debris was from an airplane. Someone said the WTC had been bombed again. My cell phone was still working so I called Mark Davis to let him know I was all right."

Then Theresa saw the second plane, ominously low. She remembers
thinking that the plane was going to hit the building and then it did. "It was surreal, she said. "The plane was swallowed by the building and for a moment nothing happened. Then it exploded."

Not long after, Theresa witnessed people jumping from the upper stories. She speaks in a quiet voice, "I've spent years working in disaster recovery. I've seen unbelievable sights. This was different. There's no way to adequately describe the enormity of this situation. From a professional perspective, I realized I could do nothing except keep myself safe. by getting away as quickly as possible.”

Running from the WTC, Theresa was struck by falling debris. While in searching for a subway station, the first tower collapsed. "There was a huge roar followed by a blast of smoke and debris so thick you couldn't see. When I finally reached the subway, I had to crawl down the stairs. " Inside, she found the entrance to an office building. The basement cafeteria was filled with people waiting, not knowing what to do or if it was safe to go out.

"My cell phone wasn't working but I was able to use a phone there to call Dallas. I was desperate to find out if my son was okay, so l asked Kirk Lively if he could try to find out for me. I didn't know how long I'd be trapped in that building.” Then the second tower fell.

Finally, Theresa and two attorneys decided to try their luck outside. "The air was filled with millions of tiny glass shards. I wore my sunglasses to protect my eyes and gave my two pairs of reading glasses to the attorneys. We covered our faces and started running down the street. When we stopped, our feet were bleeding.”

Shortly after that, Theresa's cell phone rang for the only time during the 24 hours that followed the attack. It was Kirk Lively calling to say that her son was safe in New Jersey.

Exhausted and still reeling from the chaos, Theresa needed to find a place to stay. Her clothes and other belongings were in the Marriott WTC and obviously gone. She called a friend in New York and he directed her to friends in mid-town. They took her in like family and gave her a place to sleep. During the days that followed, Theresa met with others who were fortunate enough to escape the carnage.

Some of Bernard Poole's friends were not so lucky. When the second plane hit, Bernard was just stepping out of the subway beneath the WTC on his way to meet Theresa. He felt the impact as the building shook all the way down to the lower concourse.

On the street, chaos reigned. Fire trucks and police were all around. Debris was falling. Fire and smoke poured from the towers. He saw people jumping. "I went to a client's office. One of them had a car so we decided to try to get home. We didn't know what was happening or if we were in any more danger.”

As they pulled out of the parking garage the first tower collapsed. "It was like an earthquake. We got out of the car but before we could go anywhere, that huge cloud of debris you saw on television was coming toward us. We jumped back into the car, It was all around us. We couldn't see.”

Eventually, they reached the Brooklyn Bridge. "We were the only car on the bridge, Bernard said. "It was filled with people trying to get away. We were about halfway across the bridge when the second tower fell."

Bernard is a voluntary EMT in his own community so he was immediately put on alert and informed his services may be needed at Ground Zero. By Saturday, September 15, Bernard was back on the site, first as an EMT and then as a BELFOR employee, trying to help his clients get through what, at times, seemed an impossible task.

"I've been here every day since then, he says. "It's not just that this is my home territory. The entire New York area insurance industry is located in and around the twin towers. I visited the WTC at least twice a week and during some periods, every day. I've lost track of how many funeral services I've attended. I don't really want to know."

Bernard spends each day coordinating cleanup, performing assessments, and looking at losses. What's truly devastating is the realization that so much was lost in the rubble that just cannot be calculated. That's what's hard for everyone down here. I try not to think about it. I try to be there for my clients, but it's tough.”