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The 9/11 Comission Report: The Twin Towers

by Joseph Carlson

Like most of the notes and testimony from this report the events of what happened in the towers after the plane hit was no different.  The fact that the radios that the FDNY used were short range and a repeater tower was needed, only made it more difficult for the units to talk to one another during the evacuation procedure.

The civilians trapped in the buildings calling 911 had a hard time getting through.  Most of the operators told them they should stay put when some of the stairwells located in both buildings were clear of smoke and debris.  Some people were just in shock, or helping other civilians, those that were elderly or disabled.  Unfortunate for some of them they were told to stay on the top floors and then the buildings collapsed, killing them.

When the FDNY did get on the scene some of the battalion commanders saw that there was working elevators in the building and began using those to get as high as possible to rescue people trapped.  Some people were able to get out while others felt that they had become trapped because of the smoke and the lock doors located at some of the stairwells.

The helicopters in the air could not land on the roof because of the fire and smoke.  So many of the civilians inside either had to go down or were trapped.  As one FDNY chief told the commission, that people sitting at home watching TV had a better view of the destruction then the commanders in the lobbies of the two towers making decisions difficult or nearly impossible.

It seems that there was really no clear plan that would make anything that just happened to people in these towers easier or make getting them out of the buildings go smoothly.  This was the worst of all situations.  I do not think the terrorist could account for our lack of planning, butthey had already accomplished their goal.

The 9/11 Commission Report is available digitally and at bookstores.

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