Remembering September 11th . A story of how one Latina survived America ’ s worst disaster .
LT : What is your name and where are you from ? My name is Judith Victoria and I ’ m originally from The Bronx , New York .
LT : How long have you lived in Florida ? What made you move here ? Judith : I ’ ve lived in Tampa , FL for two years . I moved here because I wanted to escape from the stressful life and some terrible memories I experienced in New York .
LT : Tell us about what the date September 11th means to you , what you remember about that day . Judith : September 11th to me means the end of many lives , but to me it ’ s also “ my second birthday ”. I remember the day being the one of the most beautiful days I have ever seen in New York with the clearest blue-sky , warm , crisp air ; just a perfect day . I bought my coffee not knowing what the day would be like and just enjoying the walk into WTC 1 . I was at my desk on the 29th floor , bringing up a document on the computer when I heard a loud noise that sounded like a lion ’ s roar and the floor moved back and forth under my seat . I looked out towards the office windows and saw fiery debris falling . My boss was screaming from the top of his lungs , “ Get away from the windows ! Everybody get out of here .” I was in shock . I took my purse and my cell phone and ran towards where the rest of the people were running . When I got to the stairwell it was already full of an eerie green smoke that burned your eyes and nostrils . My friend was screaming and crying in Spanish , “ It exploded ! It exploded !” I grabbed her by the arm and asked her , “ What exploded ?” She told me , “ The freight elevator exploded behind me and Tony was in it ”! I said , “ What ?!” She kept repeating the same sentence and cried all the way down the stairs . On the 27th floor , I saw two co-workers . One was in a wheelchair . I asked him , “ What are you
still doing here ”? He said he was waiting for the flow of people to ease up . The wheelchair would take up the whole stairway ”. I told him to hurry up and get out .” Later I found out , they didn ’ t survive . I tried to contact my husband who worked a few blocks away , it was a miracle that the call went through , but I got his voicemail . I said , “ Honey , I ’ m on the 22nd floor . Something really bad has happened . I don ’ t know exactly what , but I ’ m trying to get out .” With a bit of doubt I ended my message with , “ I hope to see you again . I love you .” As we got to the down escalator , we could look out to the fountain area . I saw the most horrific site of blood , flesh and bones splattered all over the windows and people lying there lifeless . I was running out of hope . I was convinced this was my last day so I said to God , “ I thank you for everything you have given me . Please have my family take good care of my children . Thank you for all the blessings .”
We went down the escalator and got to an exit door leading outside . There , cops gave evacuees food trays to cover our heads as we ran out of the building . By the time it was my time to exit , they had run out of food trays and I ran with my hands covering my head . I lost my balance and fell , twisting my right ankle . I looked up at the Towers and saw both of them burning . I said , “ God , you gave me the strength to get out the building , please don ’ t stop helping me now .” I got up and ran towards Battery Park . Miraculously another call came through to my cell phone , it was my husband . I told him I was OK . He asked that I go to his job . He was waiting for me in front of his building and when I saw him I collapsed in his arms . He took me to his desk and sat me on a chair with my foot up . Then we heard a loud boom . It was the collapse of WTC 2 . We looked out his window and saw Chase Plaza disappear in the cloud of dust . There was another evacuation ; total chaos . When we got outside , there was a deadly silence , one
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I ’ ve never heard in New York City in all my life . No cars , no people , no noise . We walked through the cloud of dust holding hands , but we couldn ’ t see each other . We could only hear each other .
LT : Tell us about the people that you knew that were lost in this tragedy . Judith : My Company lost 9 people . But I really only knew one of them , Vivian Casalduc . When I had started at Empire BlueCross BlueShield , she was the only one that really helped me out . Every time I had a question , Vivian could answer it . Every time you saw Vivian , she had a new hair-do and / or hair color . She was full of life and she always had a smile . I last saw Vivian on September 10th at 4:30 pm
LT : How do you feel now – as the 5th year anniversary approaches ? Has the memory faded – or does it feel just as painful today , as it did 5 years ago ? Judith : I still continue to feel very sad . I still have nightmares . I just had one about a bomb in Madison Square Garden . Every time I have these dreams , in the end I always survive . However , in this dream , my daughter had perished . The memory will never fade . It hurts everyday . I was hoping my move to Florida would ease it , but it hasn ’ t . Moving to Florida has eased the stress of riding on the buses and trains and not feeling terrorized , but it ’ s always in the front of my mind , not the back of my mind . And maybe , that ’ s the way it should be , because all those people that lost their lives should never be forgotten .
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