Survival Lessons to be learned from the Victims (long)

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The NY Times on 26 May 2002 collected a five page story on what people in the upper stories faced in their last 102 minutes. Those who live on ghoul need not bother reading. But for those who wish to learn and especially for those who want to be knowledgeable... welcome. Of 2400 people who died, about 1100 survived after aircraft crashed only to die, trapped, in the collapse. Why many did or did not survive is why we want to know these details. Unfortunately, little effort was provided by the 'powers that be' to learn from the rubble. Most evidence was destroyed with total disregard for facts. But we have these testimonies and video footage. It is known that at least 353 communicated out after the crash and before they died. What they saw is telling.

First, the collisions caused major structural twisting in both towers as the buildings vibrated in a wave that was three or four seconds long. Within 20 minutes, many floors far from impact zones were buckling. Many fire exit doors were jammed tight. No tools existed within the building, such as crowbars or axes, to force open those doors. For example many people from the 83 through 86th floor were saved by unknown Port Authority employees from a lower floor who forced open stairway doors. Those PA employees died in their efforts to free the stairways. All stairways were filled with sheetrock, installed only 8 years previously, for fire protection but blown off the wall. Again, no tools were available to break through this destruction.

The towers were constructed assuming certain things would happen. For example, sprinklers were expected to be working. Firemen were expected to be on scene within sufficient time (after 1 hour they had only gotten to the 50th floor). Fire insulation was expected to remain intact. At least some elevators were expected to be working. Reality was different. Each building with over 100 elevators only had three stairways all grouped together. Water for sprinklers, stairways, and elevators were concentrated in the same location meaning that nearly all became early victims.

The first struck, WTC1 (North Tower) at floors 94 thru 98, is known to have two stairways completely blocked at the 92nd floor. Since stairway A was closer to the impact site and adjacent to blocked Stairway B, then it too is assumed to have been obstructed. Below that, only one stairway was clear enough to use. All but 84 victims below the 92nd Floor got out. Some victims were well below where no fire nor smoke existed such as Floors 68, 82, and 83 - for unknown reasons. But no one from 92 up survived.

Carr Futures was on floor 92. Of 68 people, 30 were trapped in a conference room due to a jammed door. They never did get out. Jammed doors with no tools to open them were common throughout both buildings. About 40 others retreated to the far, unfinished end of floor 92. Before collapse, the entire 92nd floor was engulfed in fire.

Fire is only known to have been on floors 88, 92 thru 99, and 104 although others could have been involved. But smoke and heat were the most serious problems. For example, people on floors 106 and 107, Windows on the World, were in trouble within 20 minutes. Even the floors were buckling and ceilings falling over while this was over 1 hour before the building would collapse. A WPIX-TV engineer on 110 had access to the roof but refused to leave his office due to smoke and heat.

Generally, closer to top floors meant conditions deteriorated fastest. Smoke and heat was worst in floors above 100. Fires apparently traveled up elevator shafts and stairways, and may have spread onto other floors. We may never know since evidence was destroyed. Although some are known to have tried for the roof, no one succeed. Not that it made any difference. Helicopters could not land on either tower due to obstructions everywhere.

Many people began evacuating WTC2 when the PA system told them they were safer in their offices. Stanley Paimnath of Fuji Bank had evacuated to the lobby but returned to his desk per those instructions. He was talking to Chicago when he spotted the plane fly past the Statue of Liberty, bank, and aim directly at him. It crashed 130 feet from his desk on Floor 81. Floors 78 through 84 were hit. Some 50 to 200 people are in the Sky Lobby on 78 trying to decide whether to evacuate via express elevators or to return to their desks via local elevators as the PA system suggests. Only 12 are believed to survive when the left wingtip crashes through this floor spewing jet fuel. Many died because they survived the crash and stayed to help others. Although flames spew down elevator shafts, fire is believed to have remained only on floors 78 through 84. Only 18 people below floor 78 are believed to have died (on Floor 73). 602 above floor 77 died.

For reasons unknown, 383 victims were from Aon Insurance on the 98th floor. It would have been higher had many employees all but pushed their collegues out before the second plane crash. But most Aon employees were trapped in Stairways at or above 105 futilely trying to exit via the roof. Among those in the trapped crowd were Aon's fire warden.

For some reason, two Euro Brokers employees, from floor 84 declared the stairs blocked and on fire below 81. Therefore they promoted a movement up towards the roof. Many of these people remained trapped inside the stairway since doors out of the stairway were jammed. Around floor 91, many simply lay down and went to sleep due to heat and smoke. One who saw this became so determined to live that the marched back down - and survived. About 200 people queued to exit via the roof door. One was a window washer who had keys, but the door was also locked by an electronic interlock controlled on floor 22.

Stairway A, which branched away from all other stairways and around express elevator machinery above the Sky Lobby, was the only intact stairway. Machinery is thought to have protected that stairway. An elevator had crashed into Stairway A at floor 76, but the wreakage was pushed aside by two men so that only 18 people would attempt and succeed escape. Apparently too many above had been provided erroneous information and never tried the only escape path.

WTC2 collapsed when fire on 82, within the impact zone, undermined the northeast corner girder where molten steel was seen dripping. WTC1 collapsed 28 minutes later when the center core failed, probably at 92, below the impact zone or slightly higher. Both buildings collapsed due to fire on exposed beams that we now know, as best we can, were insufficiently insulated to protect from fire.