sweetnpetite
Intellectual snob
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2003
- Posts
- 9,135
The house shook.
I'm not kidding, there was a loud boom and everything shook, as though something very heavy had fallen from the upstairs apartment. Or as if a vehicle had hit the building.
I ran out on my porch, to see what the hell was going on and there are police cars everywhere. Maybe someone was shot- and I had better stay inside. People are begining to gather. I call to the neigbor- what happened?
"There was an explosion." I still don't understand. A bomb? I hear that a man ran into the building and then back out or something to that effect from the babbling onlookers. Next thing I know I see smoke and decide to go out and investigate what is going on- and find out if I should get the hell out.
This happened two days ago, at my appartment complex. There was no bomb. A man purposly reved his engine and slammed his car into a neigboring building's gas main. The main exploded and the building erupted in flames.
It turnes out that a woman in the building had seen the cars smoking tires and thought it was on fire. She called 9-11 and police, ambulance and firefighters were dispatched. They arrived on scene within minutes of the collision.
A maintanance man also happened to be nearby when the car struck the building. He ran in and began pounding on doors telling people to get out, that the building was on fire. One woman jumped off the second or third story balcony, breaking her arm. Everyone made it out of the building alive-approximately 30 people. There were only two injeries. A little girl's guinnee pigs also burned in the fire. The man in the car passed out and was taken by police to the hospital. The center of the appartment buidling burnt too the gound, creating a hole right through the charred remains. A light snow fell the next day, assisting in the extinguishing efforts, and now the heavy equipment is sorting through the damange.
Watching the three story building burn was a horrifying experience. I can't even imagine how New Yorkers and visiters must have felt on September 11th watching that massive structure go down in flames. I saw it on the news, of course, over and over. Yet it still did not compare to standing right there and watching the flames devour your neighbor's homes and hoping that no one is inside. Hoping that it doesn't spread to your own home, feeling sadness and relief that you're own building wasn't struck instead- feeling guilty about that even while knowing it's normal. Realizing how easily it could have been you instead. Clutching your children close, thanking god that they won't have to go thriough what the others will.
I didn't know anyone well in that building, but was aquainted with quite a few. I was so relieved that no one was killed or hurt badly, and cry for all that they have lost. I wonder what this man's motives where, why he would do such a thing, and why he picked such an odd time- around 3:30. High school was out- but many elementary schools were not and day workers were likely to be gone. He refused to leave his car, so it is assumed that he was suicidal. People are shocked by this- I am not. I am shocked that it happened, yes and that it happened here but I am not shocked that someone would kill themselves and destroy others in the process. I'm upset by it, but not shocked. Some people are fucked up- why is this a suprise?
I kissed the baby a hundred times or more that day.
I really am happy to be alive.
Sweet.
I'm not kidding, there was a loud boom and everything shook, as though something very heavy had fallen from the upstairs apartment. Or as if a vehicle had hit the building.
I ran out on my porch, to see what the hell was going on and there are police cars everywhere. Maybe someone was shot- and I had better stay inside. People are begining to gather. I call to the neigbor- what happened?
"There was an explosion." I still don't understand. A bomb? I hear that a man ran into the building and then back out or something to that effect from the babbling onlookers. Next thing I know I see smoke and decide to go out and investigate what is going on- and find out if I should get the hell out.
This happened two days ago, at my appartment complex. There was no bomb. A man purposly reved his engine and slammed his car into a neigboring building's gas main. The main exploded and the building erupted in flames.
It turnes out that a woman in the building had seen the cars smoking tires and thought it was on fire. She called 9-11 and police, ambulance and firefighters were dispatched. They arrived on scene within minutes of the collision.
A maintanance man also happened to be nearby when the car struck the building. He ran in and began pounding on doors telling people to get out, that the building was on fire. One woman jumped off the second or third story balcony, breaking her arm. Everyone made it out of the building alive-approximately 30 people. There were only two injeries. A little girl's guinnee pigs also burned in the fire. The man in the car passed out and was taken by police to the hospital. The center of the appartment buidling burnt too the gound, creating a hole right through the charred remains. A light snow fell the next day, assisting in the extinguishing efforts, and now the heavy equipment is sorting through the damange.
Watching the three story building burn was a horrifying experience. I can't even imagine how New Yorkers and visiters must have felt on September 11th watching that massive structure go down in flames. I saw it on the news, of course, over and over. Yet it still did not compare to standing right there and watching the flames devour your neighbor's homes and hoping that no one is inside. Hoping that it doesn't spread to your own home, feeling sadness and relief that you're own building wasn't struck instead- feeling guilty about that even while knowing it's normal. Realizing how easily it could have been you instead. Clutching your children close, thanking god that they won't have to go thriough what the others will.
I didn't know anyone well in that building, but was aquainted with quite a few. I was so relieved that no one was killed or hurt badly, and cry for all that they have lost. I wonder what this man's motives where, why he would do such a thing, and why he picked such an odd time- around 3:30. High school was out- but many elementary schools were not and day workers were likely to be gone. He refused to leave his car, so it is assumed that he was suicidal. People are shocked by this- I am not. I am shocked that it happened, yes and that it happened here but I am not shocked that someone would kill themselves and destroy others in the process. I'm upset by it, but not shocked. Some people are fucked up- why is this a suprise?
I kissed the baby a hundred times or more that day.
I really am happy to be alive.
Sweet.
