9/11 Stories: Beth Chunn

Beth Chunn lived in Neptune, New Jersey but worked for Morgan Stanley on the 64th floor of The World Trade Center in the South Tower. Her train commute was a 5 hour/day ordeal. She remembers texting her boss on the way in, saying, “Is this what it’s all about? Commuting 5 hours a day?!”
Beth says it’s strange what she remembers from that day. She recalls llooking out her office window at work and thinking to herself, “Those are ‘Simpsons’ clouds.” Getting ready for a meeting, she heard a loud boom. From the conference room, it looked like ticker tape parade confetti pouring out of the North Tower. She saw a roll of toilet paper unfolding as it fell. Someone in her office who had survived the first World Trade Center bombing in 1993 instinctively knew it was another terror attack and yelled “Get the hell out of here! Get the hell out! “
Everyone from her office stayed calm, and almost casually walked down the stairs. When they got to the 20th floor, the building rocked. No one knew it but their building had just been hit by the second hijacked plane. Chunn and her colleagues made their way safely uptown before their building collapsed.
Beth’s pregnant sister also worked for Morgan Stanley at The World Trade Center, 8 floors above Beth’s office, but luckily was in Canada with her husband that day, celebrating their anniversary. Beth says had her sister been at work that day, she would have never left the area without her. Her sisters’ anniversary vacation probably saved Beth Chunn’s life.
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[@midwoodcatering2586]

She mentioned that one guy was panicking and running down faster than everyone else. I suspect he saw jumpers, the holes, fires, etc. I can’t say I blame him.

[@kingvicgaming2638]

That would of been me no lie

[@amy109]

@@kingvicgaming2638 same

[@Sandy33569]

Not necessarily. Some people have really bad anxiety and/or panic disorders or a whole slew of other related mental illnesses that can cause that sort of response from 0 to 100 that may not occur in some other people. So was it he saw those things and panicked because of it? Or he panicked regardless of that? Or both? We’ll never know.

[@Justicesfor]

I thought the EXACT same thing!

[@Justicesfor]

@@Sandy33569 what a moot point. Keep liking your own comments too.

[@ripGianinaLeilaniReid]

That's how grief is. My oldest daughter died. Hee remains have not been found. She was right with me on 9/11. Sometimes I am totally fine with her loss and other days I fall apart. Like actually fall apart.

[@jodywho6696]

I'm so sorry for your loss💚💜💙

[@cynthiagilchristaussie_tru8891]

So sorry for your loss. God bless you from Australia ❤

[@JoanLBlack]

❤

[@Gothgalactica]

So deeply sorry 😢❤️‍🩹

[@raviithebabii]

I am really so so sorry.. I watch these videos so much bc I feel for all my ny people so bad! This gets to me.. prayers to you 🙏🏽🫶🏽

[@rscamu]

She was able to live because Rick Rescorla took his job as Security Director for Morgan Stanley very seriously. He saved 3,700 lives but not his own.

[@salfromoregon4369]

God bless him for all that he did.

[@jodywho6696]

I wish he didn't go back up. 💚💜💙

[@favouritemoon4133]

I want to thank Beth and everyone else who gives their account of that day. They are being asked to recount what they recall of what - for many of them - will have been the worst day in their lives. It's so important for the rest of us to listen to them.

[@63fab]

Thank you for saying that. I was there also and found refuge in a very blessed way. My boyfriend was encouraging me yesterday to record my 9/11 story and the synchronicities that kept me safe. Your comment is an additional encouragement to do so!

[@jessecoates1562]

Thanks for acknowledging that. I was very close and a witness to the entirety due to my proximity. Some years it's not too hard, but a couple were rough there.

[@HanW1980]

Well said

[@ruthmartinez2133]

Stay strong the the whole world saw what happened on that day 9/11 many will never forget that day for those heroes we honor them each day and every year that goes by 20 years have passed by and we still remember them

[@lomalee2058]

​@@ruthmartinez2133j

[@dianemitchell1717]

This person sounds like she is living with PTSD. My heart goes out to her.

[@MissHannah2036]

Yes, there’s no way you could not be affected after being through that. Being there seeing all that devastation. All those people there saw horrific things no human should see. How does ones mind process that.

[@blondiex3308]

I think everybody who was in NYC that day has PTSD

[@xino_z]

@@blondiex3308 I agree I still have it and I was on West Coast. It was awful

[@jessecoates1562]

@@blondiex3308 I watched it from my office window 13 blocks away. My colleagues and I traveled around Manhattan trying to give blood after the buildings collapsed, but there were no injured survivors, so no need. My job was cut after and I went thru a low 5-year funk, depressed but didn't deal with it. Last year, a great therapist and I worked through it (and other stuff) and I am so much better.

[@kathleenwindsor5679]

@@jessecoates1562 Totally understand. My sons best friend was eating at our house a couple of months after the attack and I noticed he was having trouble swallowing his food/drink. He was suffering panic attacks at 11yo. The kids saw the dark skies from which paper and ash was raining down and smelled the horrible smell of burning. Two months later on 11/12/2001, a large commercial airliner crashed in Rockaway/Queens. He and my son saw the plane go down from across the water. They came home screaming that we were being attacked again. It was a horrible accident. His mom brought him to counseling. All the best to you.

[@amywhite9972]

She mentioned her parents flying home from Germany on 9-11 and getting rerouted to Canada. If anyone here hasn't already heard or read about the airport in Canada or Newfoundland maybe where many planes were grounded, please look it up right now. Amazing story about amazing people. I believe it's Gander Airport but it's been a while.

[@mothershelper1981]

Yes, it was Gander although there may have been other airports that were the same. It's a wonderful wonderful story of human kindness and support. Someone wrote a book about it that goes into a lot more detail and there have been a couple of tv specials about it, I think there was even a movie about it. There was one couple that met while they were stranded in Gander and they ended up getting married! He was from the UK and she was from the US. He moved here.

[@shivinunitholi2493]

@@mothershelper1981 That story of the couple is interesting. Happy to hear stories of people form new relationships in the event of a disaster as well. Humanity is supposed to triumph with such examples of love than throwing hatred on one another. Thanks for sharing.

[@DeniseNL-yj8kq]

It was Gander (town) Newfoundland (province) Canada. I am from Newfoundland and still live here. There was also a broadway show based on this story called Come From Away. It wrapped up last year but ran for many years.

[@amywhite9972]

@@DeniseNL-yj8kq As someone who had studied 9-11 for years and watched every video and read every book i can find on it, this story is one of the few truly great stories of that awful day. Everyone in that town are heroes. 💞

[@annauzarowska507]

I was in Montreal that time, scheduled to return to Germany on the 13th. But this didn't happen due to NY planes grounded in Montreal Airport... I think I got out 3 days later...

[@mikemadden3967]

Absolutely The Most Riveting 1ST Person Account On An Emotional Level Of A 911 Story That I've Heard. Thank You And God Bless You Beth.

[@Goldrefinedthrufire]

I'm canadian and one thing that always gets me about 9/11 stories is how amazed the survivors are a out how kind and helpful people were that day. The things these people did, like let someone in for shelter, or to use their cell phone, is an everyday thing where Im from. I hope that kindness lasted beyond that day in New York.

[@jessecoates1562]

I'm from the friendly American Midwest but have lived in NYC for 30 years, now. I was 13 blocks away from the WTC that day. New Yorkers are good people, all the time. We're a city of small communities who are really no less welcoming than other places. That said, Easterners can be BRUSQUE! But it's full of heart, like "Are you crazy? Of COURSE you can take shelter here! Stanley! Get this lady a cuppa of watah!" Get the difference? It took me 2 solid years to really understand people here.

[@Goldrefinedthrufire]

@@jessecoates1562 That's awesome, thank you for sharing..I do wonder if people changed a bit more and started trusting more after 9/11.

[@jessecoates1562]

@@Goldrefinedthrufire One lasting effect was a feeling of being connected. ❤

[@MF-ty2zn]

I'm from the south in the USA, and when my battery would go dead in my car, someone would always help jump it within 10 minutes. I must've had my battery die half a dozen times over 20 years. When I was in NYC in 2016 near Central Park, my car battery died and not one person would stop and help. They would just look at me and keep going. People were very much in a hurry, and no one would even smile. I had to call my insurance company to send a person out, who took 30 minutes to get there.

[@Goldrefinedthrufire]

@@MF-ty2zn Yes I have heard people in NY, are like that but I'm sure not everyone. Winter here can be very bad and when you drive you slip and slide on the first day of snowfall if you don't have winter tires this has happened to me and I get many people from all over helping me pull my car out and I can't go anywhere without my brother stopping and helping someone, he actually went all over the city just helping pull people out because he had a truck. He is one of those people that will do that and there are a lot of us. My city has over 300,000 people so it's definitely strangers helping strangers for common things.

[@OfficialLeahJude]

I loved the part about how we were holding doors and looking out for each other after that terrible day. It was truly amazing how loving we all became. The country was truly united. It’s sad that we are so divided now, we forget that we’re all on the same team.

[@marie-evamarinatwerkzone2810]

This lady is still very much in need of healing 💔 Thanks a lot for sharing this

[@beauty4u132]

Bless you Beth. Your emotions are very honest and human. I appreciate you sharing your story. I know the pride you felt in those buildings! As a New Yorker who cut school to have breakfast there! Lol Hanging in Manhattan and looking up for a sense of direction. 🙏🏽💕

[@Frances-wv9xv]

It's true how your mind goes in different directions when faced with tragedy. I remember being in a car accident and while my car was spinning and spinning out of control on the highway, the most trivial thought in my mind was like... "oh geez, how much money is it going to cost to fix my vehicle", rather than... holy crap I might die. Must be survival mode, but I was detached from fear.

[@greenliter1]

@Frances-wv9xv I completely understand. I was leaving my gym one night, looked left to the stoplight down the street since I was turning right, and didn’t see anyone. I pulled into the right lane and started to merge into the left lane by the yellow lines when I was hit. Came out of nowhere and the impact spun my car in a 180 facing towards the stoplight, and first I thought “what’s happening “ then thought “well that’s probably another car totaled” then as I pulled into the parking lot of the gym again I thought “thank god no one else was coming down the road because I would have been caught in a head on collision and probably been hurt, a lot”. Only after that did I get the adrenaline rush. By the way, they totaled that car and said it was my fault (only one I’ve had to be my fault in 11 years though). It was not the best night.

[@susanstaples6171]

Your honesty is healing

[@Olubumni]

Thank you so much for sharing your story, Beth. Blessings to you🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽. It’s still crazy to me how you all had no idea what was going on inside the Towers while we were watching it unfold in real-time. We were trying to call everyone we knew who worked on Wall Street to make sure they were safe. My mother worked at the Pentagon, and I didn’t reach her until 5pm.

[@broomstickcowgirl]

One of the most emotional interviews on 9/11. Thank you for sharing your experience with the world,

[@lindagardener855]

Thank you for telling your story, Beth. God bless you, and each and every soul who experienced that apocalyptic horror that day. And God please give rest to all those souls who lost their lives🙏❤️

[@katvonmew8306]

Thankyou for being so brave and honest about such a horrific day. I really do hope you find some peace and calm in the world. My friend was a volunteer fire fighter who worked ground zero after the day and he couldn't talk about it even until he passed away a few years ago. We wept together for all the lost souls that day and those that followed. I am so happy you and your sister weren't in those tears. Love and light x

[@63fab]

I am so sorry for your friend Kat...... and all those who didn't make it to safety... physically and/or emotionally... definitely it is a process to navigate the healing... and transmute the darkness into light as best as possible... Love!

[@leesher1845]

❤️

[@juliamarin4896]

Thank you for sharing your story. Be Blessed...

[@leaflover3497]

Thank God you started to evacuate the South Tower right away. You got out safely.

[@paulhynes170]

you can not help think about those poor people who were told to stay and remain at there desks

[@Bbyb00gangsta]

She was in the north tower

[@clicketysplit1817]

from NJ also and worked in the World Financial Center in the early 90's. Was in my mid-twenties and had the times of my life working there, -Christmas-time musicales in the decked up Atrium, springtime symphonies on plaza during lunchtimes and just the just great vibes of working in such an exuberant place. I too have very little desire to go to there now. Grew up marveling at the towers. Construction began the year I was born. Miss them so much.

[@adampike6117]

Thank you so so much for sharing your account of that day Beth. You are so very brave. I am from the UK and I am bowled over by the details of what you witnessed that horrible day. Take care. Xxx

[@parkeranderson7599]

How surreal it must be to have felt and heard that strange effect of her building being hit and then only see and learn of the reality later. What a nice lady she is too.

[@b0borden437]

Thank you for sharing your story. It helps those of us who only saw it on TV, to understand how it unfolded by those who were there.

[@em-loof-tonnac]

Something I have noticed from watching 9/11 stories since it happened is that those who were not injured or near the impact zone or those who exited the building without delay, seem to have more trauma from 9/11 than those who were the most affected that day, like those that survived from above the impact zone or the few that survived the collapse. It's strange how PTSD affects those in or near a tragedy so differently.

[@victoriamckinley7487]

Yes for sure! It’s called survivor’s guilt. When someone comes out on the other side relatively unscathed but feels that they shouldntve in lieu of someone else!

[@valerija.legasov548]

Great, brave woman, I deeply bow down in front her! I was 15, when 11th September happened. I could not believe my own eyes, what was on screen. God bless You all, greetings from Czechia, stay safe and healthy!

[@boogitybear2283]

What’s insane is that the South Tower had only 17 minutes to get out of there before the second plane hit them! I’m sorry to those that stayed put once the North Tower was hit.

[@oldschool8330]

Yeah it’s crazy isn’t it. When you think it hit lower down in the south tower, Catching the people on the way down 😢

[@real_MacrocosM]

And yet, tbh very lucky. If it had been less time/same time .. the amount of people trapped above the impact point would have been almost double the deaths.

[@drengr2759]

​@@real_MacrocosMat least 15,000 people escaped, and if the first attack was closer to 9 a.m. it would have been over 40,000 in the towers. While the attacks were the worst in American history, it would have been exponentially worse a half hour later when most people would have been there.

[@BackrowErnie]

@@real_MacrocosMpeople were able to escape the South tower from above the impact point. But no one from the North Tower was able to escape from above the impact point.

[@luigyabreu9938]

@@drengr2759Yea thats true I’m surprised the terrorists didn’t think of that or maybe they couldn’t hijack later flights

[@JL-zn7me]

Thank you Beth. Your story is so important, all the stories are so important. 🙏🏻🇺🇸

[@IMSTRAIGHTUP150]

I remember the head or, the CEO on television crying that evening. He was saying that he lost 701 employees. I was still in shocked as I was watching because, I was working for the City as an Officer Manager at 2-26 Washington Street. I was so happy to have been able to get my kids from school and, get home. It didn’t hit me hard until the next day. I was able to see the 2 plumes of smoke from my apartment windows. There’s nothing insignificant about anything you’re saying. I remember some wild and, crazy things that took place and, happened down on that day too.

[@northshorelight35]

Moving forward, "always evacuate!" I can't believe Port Authority would advise the people to stay.

[@SweetLolita]

To be fair debris and people were falling over the plaza and exits and nobody suspected the second plane

[@LweissTTU]

I saw on another 9-11 related video that the first fireman who was killed!!ed was from a jumper. I ca see why they were told to stay in the second tower, but if I was in the first one, I would have left

[@coachangatwell9010]

Bless this woman's heart and everything she went through. Thank you for sharing your story.

[@LLandP]

I was very touched by your story. God bless you!

[@kathleenwindsor5679]

So sorry for what you went through Beth. I applaud you for being able to go back to the city to work. ❤️❤️

[@jaymeseaston8117]

I don't think people can appreciate or understand the scale of the WTC tragedy if one had not seen how large these buildings were. I was fortunate to have stood in the plaza and looked straight up at those towers. Standing there and looking up, any architectural details had vanished into a smooth metallic reflection before halfway there. I'm phobic about heights and you couldn't have paid me to ride to the observation deck. My wife paid the $20 toll to the observation deck and when she walked up to the windows and looked down, was on the next elevator down. So when Beth Chunn talks about her love of the Twin Towers without the dread reveals a sense of faith and confidence that is sorely missing in our present state. I hope those qualities never abandon her.

[@janets1973]

Thank you for sharing- you are courageous and real. May blessings of continued healing come to you.

[@beverlybalfe6998]

💕 Thank you for sharing your experience.

[@jocelynsprouse1325]

Thank You for sharing Beth and being so open about your experience. I listened because I wanted to hear from someone what that day was like instead of what Ive heard from TV. I really hope you are healing each day and I believe too that family is the most important thing. Wishing you some joy each day!

[@steveosterling9993]

Thank you for sharing. You are very brave.

[@barbaramills4508]

Your story is amazing. The thoughts that went through your head. So descriptive. Its so strange how the mind works to help you cope at the moment. Continue taking care of yourself. God bless you. Thanks for sharing.

[@paulloveless4122]

What a tough lady and she is incredibly eloquent.

[@jeff503pdx]

Thank you for sharing.

[@jessicaaguilar6435]

Miss beth chunn thanks for this incredible recollection of that terrible tragedy...I know you haven't gotten over that bad nightmare and we all do and we cry listening to all your testimonies and all those pictures, videos and audios...

[@bluelyricscat]

Maybe it will help you to go back to that place to find closure and healing. I can only imagine how much it must hurt inside to remember the tragedy and what you went through. On the other hand, you as a survivor have also the chance to keep all the good times and experiences during your work in mind and heart. I send you best wishes from Germany

[@KrystyneY]

This poor woman. Thank you for your story

[@karenmbbaxter]

It's a good thing that all the people in the stairwells couldn't see what was going on.......Imagine going to the windows and looking down at hundreds of fire trucks and everyone looking up at you and people running in the other direction. That would have caused a stampede. Fire stairwells are often enclosed in concrete.......I am sorry she had to experience this.

[@jessecoates1562]

I never thought of it that way. You're so right, it was a blessing for them. They were relaxed, other stories I've heard are from people who saw carnage and walked down after her group. Their stories are dramatically different, full of fear and urgency.

[@jessi9775]

Maybe if they could’ve seen what was going on they would’ve went down faster and more people would’ve been able to get out. I saw some stories where people were just casually walking down talking

[@kathleenwindsor5679]

Not only couldn’t see. Most had no idea what was really happening. I guess it really was better that many didn’t know because as you said, it would have caused panic and chaos.

[@kathleenwindsor5679]

@@jessi9775 i thought that way at first. Most of the people that perished didn’t have a chance. Almost 700 people from Cantor Fitzgerald gone. Then over 500 first responders. Anyone over the impact floors could not get out. Its amazing how people helped each other. God bless them all. I wish they would have evacuated the south tower when the north was hit. I know a few people that would be here today if they had. I know they didn’t think a second plane would crash, or that the buildings would fall. Tragic

[@jessi9775]

@@kathleenwindsor5679 I saw a few videos and some survivors said the fire door were locked. One man said floor 78 he didn’t saw which tower and one woman said on 34 in the north tower both door locked and they had to wait on bldg security to come unlock the door.

[@jaxsally]

I remember a large caravan of emergency service vehicles heading east on route 80. Meanwhile, most people were heading west. Look for the helpers! Thank you for sharing your story. 🙏🏼

[@wood8715]

Thank you for this story. I love hearing these stories. Wish nobody had survivors guilt. There is no making sense of such a senseless act.

[@sherryirbvin7448]

So tragic. Ty for telling ur story. The world needs to know.

[@RobinMayhall]

I know it’s a cliché, but I’ll still say it: We must never forget that day. 🇺🇸

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

@@tinkletink1403 Get lost creep

[@tarahays5829]

I was working for the Forest Service in Oregon when this happened. We were very remote and had no T.V. to watch. We listened to it on the radio. Heard everyone screaming and the panick. Maybe it's weird, but I can't get enough of these videos. I went to ground zero last summer. It is a peaceful beautiful place.

[@sharoncrawford1975]

It's just a good thing she started evacuating when she did.

[@Wackedout]

Thank you! ❤

[@helenmary9628]

Thank you for sharing your story and perspective on life. Plz enjoy your children; they grow up so fast. Thank you for reminding us to enjoy every moment and your family. God bless you.

[@Rollimggiant]

Her kids are teens already. Hopefully she enjoyed raising them they are headed to college soon

[@MissBe737]

Thank you for sharing. May God heal and comfort your soul.

[@feldy86]

Beth, thank you so much for sharing your story.

[@joycedallas1579]

I don’t think I could ever forget about this. My baby was 4 now he’s 24. I’m glad she didn’t know. I’m sure I would panic.

[@jessecoates1562]

Until the buildings fell, those of us in the surrounding area didn't worry about the others getting out- and we were only beginning to realize that the jumpers were people. It took time for my brain to accept that those shapes were people; I was a few blocks away.

[@dpguinee]

I have lived in NJ my entire life. on 9/11/01 I was almost 3 and it was my first day of preschool that day. My mom dropped me off and went home, put my then 1 year old sister down for a nap, and turned on the TV to pass the time. she turned it on exactly the minute the second tower was hit. immediately she woke my sister up, jumped in the car, and picked me up from school. at the time my dad worked in North Jersey but for my mom it was too close to home to let me stay at school. my uncle had actually been in WT7 that morning but got out when the first plane hit.

[@elisae.h.7725]

9/11 i think is the only day in recent history where everyone old enough that day remembers exactly where they were or what they were doing no matter where in the world they were...

[@mothershelper1981]

Those who were alive when Kennedy was assassinated say the same thing. We all remember exactly where we were when we heard the news.

[@californiahiker9616]

Beth, first of all, thank you for sharing your story! Just because your own experience, bad as it was, may not have been the worst out there, doesn’t make it any less horrible. What you experienced that day is something nobody ever should experience! And as you said, it will never go away, it will always be part of you. You haven’t finished grieving. Grief can get interrupted.. only to return at some other time with a vengeance. I can also understand you grieving the building, the physical space that was a big part of your life. The other day I was listening to a survivor who said his grandfather had been putting phone lines into the WTC when it was being built. That’s when I thought, oh my goodness, there are so many people who worked on those buildings in the beginning, they contributed to creating a marvelous place! How must it have felt… not just the horror of loosing thousands of people, but also loosing something they worked on, possibly for years, all that hard work gone in seconds! Likewise, you worked in there, you were part of a vibrant community, you worked with many like minded people. You relocated to another space with many of those people… but all of you have forever lost something very precious. You probably can’t even look back at your happy memories you made in there over the years… without them being tainted by the horror of that day. You really won’t be able to think of the WTC in any other way than to know what you and everybody else lost. Another big deal is the loss of security, the loss of innocence. You had to start looking at the world with different eyes. You started looking for monsters. Monsters have always been out there. But they came very close to you that day. Grieving loss is an individual thing. People grieve in different ways, and there is no time limit, nor is there a right or wrong way to grieve. Some people go to the cemetery every day to visit a departed loved one, and others rarely or never visit. Neither way is wrong. That’s life! My heart goes out to all who died, to those who lost loved ones, to those who are struggling and will continue to struggle. I hope you will find much joy and peace in your lives. May the periods of happiness increase and your periods of grief get shorter!

[@kellyszejnar1807]

People can be so insensitive.This is and was tragedy for anyone that went through it.PTSD can be a life long trauma.

[@agirlisnoone5953]

Trials are so unfortunate and scary, but we do focus on whats important during them, typically. All the best to you Beth ❤️

[@meadowlane79]

Thank you for sharing your heart. May peace be with you.

[@lss74]

Thank you Beth. Love from the UK 🇬🇧❤

[@keithcanfield6519]

Thank you for sharing your story beth chunn. so sorry for everyone that lost someone that horrible day and for all the souls may they rest in peace.godbless you Beth.

[@LillianArch]

We came to NYC that next summer just to do as the major suggested. Everywhere letters and signs posted by families still looking for loved ones. Your mention of how nice people were in the months after brought the same memories. If people on the Subway found out you were visiting they gathered round wanting to know why and what we thought of The City. Last year on a visit I sadly realized most people weren't smiling. Serious and seeming focused on work or looking for work. Just trying to get through the day. I love that you were proud of those Towers and working in one. That June (before Sept. 11, I flew from Dallas to Kennedy. The pilot told everyone what a sight they would see looking out the left side windows . It was a about 5 in a soft early summer evening. The City was illuminated by the setting sun. Cool after a day of hot weather and there standing proud, glorious, reddish gold in the sunset were the 2 Towers.

[@kathleenwindsor5679]

Thank you for sharing that. Those towers were in a credible site, weren’t they? I remember when they opened in 1973. I was a child, I didn’t know much about them at the time. Every time I’m on the belt parkway I’m going over the Verrazano bridge, I really miss seeing that silhouette. #neverForget

[@gailweber1104]

God Bless You And Your Family

[@mikem3875]

She hears the loud boom of the first plane hiting and thinks, "that's odd" 😅. I would've been freaking out like WTF?!

[@jarodwaldron21]

White people 😭

[@Bailey2006a]

Remember: No one would have been able to conceive that commercial airliners would be used as bombs to attack the WTC. Second, we New Yorkers were programmed to believe that the buildings could withstand ANYTHING save a nuclear bomb. The fact that they collapsed and pulverized everyone left in them was just incomprehensible. It took years to stop looking for those buildings when crossing over bridges , riding trains , or looking at the Manhattan skyline from downtown Brooklyn. Yes, it was a beautiful, blue sky morning in New York on September 11, 2001 until… it wasn’t .

[@EKL-qu7ih]

Why? In New York loud construction noises wouldn't be uncommon, sometimes someone dropping a table or something might play with your ears where you can't figure out where the noise comes from and it sounds more dramatic than it was etc. It's easy to look back in hindsight, but early in the morning as you turn up to work on a beautiful day it would be very far from your mind that anything like 9/11 would be about to unfold. You'd be concerned but unlikely freaking out unless you had actually seen it.

[@CSarge]

You had every right to be hateful! Look at the disaster you all endured. I lost a firefighter that day and my aunt made it out. I hated too.

[@nanwood7294]

One of the greatest, vivid, down too earth stories I have heard from someone surviving this tragedy. God bless EVERY PERSON who ran towards towers,ran away,and died or survived this.💯❤️

[@meredithjones4740]

Thankyou for sharing your story Beth I am a Australian and it happened our time late at night and I feel so compelled to hear these stories out of respect ❤️I am so sorry this happened and these stories really need to be heard

[@willmack5909]

Bless your heart Meredith :)

[@Tanzman78]

I was at Taco Bills at Mornington, an hour from Melbourne, got home and turned on Sandra Sully on Ch 10 on the late news and watched the whole thing unfold.

[@westaussie965]

We were watching Rove Live in WA when it just cut off and went straight to the news, everyone was quiet on the bus in the morning 😢

[@cynthiagilchristaussie_tru8891]

I thought it was a movie 😢 my husband rang me and said what had actually happened 😳

[@taffycat5049]

I REALLY like the way this woman tells a story.

[@iandawson3171]

Agreed.

[@iandawson3171]

Are you a New Yorker?

[@taffycat5049]

@@iandawson3171 I am not a New Yorker, but in fact from Vegas. Lol! 👍

[@iandawson3171]

@@taffycat5049 Nice. Passed through there in 2015. I'm in Adelaide.

[@BirdsOfGlass]

The way Americans bound together was truly remarkable & for as terrible as this tragedy was & I will always think about the victims, I choose to remember America united. The drastic turnaround from then to today is almost worse than 9/11. Today it feels like the terrorists won, in 2001/2002 it felt like America truly was the greatest country EVER.

[@ratboyninja]

The last year and a half has been obscene. I agree, I feel like we were tested and we failed miserably.

[@davidfigueroa2979]

I’m so Honored to here her story thank you God bless her

[@devensaiz7039]

Not to take away from the story but I love how she used Simpsons clouds as an analogy because I use that as well when I reference certain clouds

[@kristinahovig1598]

This is a moment I'm history we could never forget. I can't imagine what each person went through. It's so traumatic. I was 17 at the time and woke up to this on my radio clock and ran to my dad to wake him up and turned on the TV and we saw everything going on. It haunts me to this day and I wasn't there, I can't imagine what the people are going through who were. It hurts me so much and more for them

[@rebeccalowe-hodges8162]

I am so grateful for these 9/11 personal stories. Each person's story. Individual accounts. Thank You so much for sharing your story.

[@willmack5909]

21:00, nothing terrible about wanting to forget that awful experience. Thank you Beth for sharing your story. I still weep for all those who perished, AND for all those who lived through that dreadful horrific experience that day and having to try to learn to live with that.

[@shrimptempuraasmr3742]

Its so crazy because her building collapsed 1st... RIP to all who did not survive

[@robin5380]

You are Human , Thank you for Sharing. I can see myself doing this , being protected by my mine eye to what my eyes see.

[@amgalvin2989]

Bless you and your courage ❤

[@alicehonestymanson1798]

Beth, yesterday you were a victim, today you are a survivor! You defeated tragedy by out thinking that situation and trusting your instincts. That, my friend is a very power weapon in this game we call life. You are a survivor in the 'stay alive game' ALWAYS remember that and draw from that.

[@theresaann7388]

You're right Beth, You don't need to go back there. Everybody's closure is different in how we deal with it. Like you said you may never have closure, How can you when it's still in your mind. You Went through something very devastating. I pray it gets better. From michigan.

[@niviagomez4712]

They should’ve evacuated immediately.

[@donnaanderson2]

Something you said really struck me, I felt it cause I lived it. Not with this tragedy but with my own traumatic horror story. What happened doesnt define me, but it was a very defining moment. I really get that. I never understood before how completely one single moment in time, without warning, can absolutely change everything about you, change you to your core, change how you look at the world, change how you see colors, how you hear music, even if you hear music. One tiny little moment, and everything changes. The very foundation that life and the world is built on, can instantly shift, the ground becomes unstable. Ever walked thru the fun house at Fair or Carnival? Where the floor moves, the walls move, but in a different direction, and everyone and everything shape shifts like they do in the funhouse mirrors. Instant trauma takes away the safety of the ground, the steadiness. Cause you cant fall off the ground right? And then every day forward, you have to learn to walk again, when you never stopped walking. You never stopped breathing but now you must make yourself take breaths. I find myself sitting, trancelike, rocking back and forth, blank......when I will realize time has passed. And I dont remember it, I find I have somehow checked out for hours, and I have no memory of it. I had no thoughts, I didnt sleep, I just checked out. I guess the mind has to have a break from the trauma at times too. A single moment in time, one moment changed who I am. The person life had made of me was halted mid step, and that person ceased to exist. A new person replaced her, with a new personality, a new view of the world, of family, of friends, of what's important. And mostly what is not. Most of the old struggles and worries are now silly. My life is measured in a before and an after. There is the before me, a before world......and there is an after. But most of all, the one thing I am absolutely sure of, that one moment is not me. It does not tell the story of me. I was so much more as the before me, and I am so much more as the after. That defining moment does not define me. It is not who I am or the whole of my story. Though it is a moment that must be told in order to know who I am. While I dont need to explain my particular traumatic horror, anyone who has experienced this level of traumatic upheaval will understand what I just described. You read those words and you feel it, you re live it. And you are part of the unfortunate club of people who truly understand the sentence that drove me to comment all of this. What happened doesnt define me, but it was a very defining moment. One simple, single moment in time. It can slip by unimportant and unremembered, or it can be the biggest 60 seconds to ever have existed since time began. Hug your loved ones every day, make sure they KNOW they are loved unconditionally. Dont waste your time, your moments, on worry, on fear, on anger, or on complacency. Make sure you make moments that you can and want to remember. Because you have no idea how fast one single moment in time can change everything. And then you will regret those moments you wasted with everything you once thought important. It can all be taken away, without warning, without your consent.........and it happens in one single moment in time. 💔

[@hivemindconcussion2173]

Beautiful! I think of my trauma as a second birthday or my rebirth day. PTG Post-traumatic growth.

[@annmariegerasimchik456]

Thanks for sharing all of that And thank God you. were spared ❤

[@janblackman6204]

Yes I definitely understand. My daughter was taken in a moment. Have always wondered if she screamed my name

[@jamesdobson7052]

For me, - this story was the most evocative. Every word of it hits

[@leanneadams2549]

I found it very disrespectful of all the stories !

[@dakota5671]

@@leanneadams2549 Disrespectful to what? These are her experiences.

[@CMinorOp67]

@@leanneadams2549I agree. This was the only 911 testimony I’ve heard, thus far, that hit me weird. I’m so glad she survived, but I guess it’s her personality that makes me go “whoa.”

[@Rollimggiant]

I got the opposite feelings.

[@Rollimggiant]

​@@leanneadams2549me 2 Karen vibes . Her behavior to others cold and disturbing at best

[@oufukubinta]

I can't imagine being this emotional and keeping my sanity

[@aileenwagner2576]

Thank u for telling ur story. It is entirely understandable that ur mind focused on what u could comprehend. So glad ur sister was in Canada. Thank u again for ur story!!

[@westaussie965]

You can’t type “you” and “your” in full?😂

[@michaelski8001]

I was working about 4 miles as the crow flies from wtc. It still hurts to hear these stories as I was directly connected to people inside the towers. We heard on the am radio a plane hit the towers. We thought it was a small plane. I remember us all thinking we heard them say it was small. And then our second appointment of the day, the client a mom, said I have to cancel. My son is in tower 1 and my other son is in tower 2. One made it. Still hurts to this day. My girlfriend at the times mom was there. PTSD made her take up smoking again. The next day I was in alpine also a couple miles as the crow flies and a fighter jet flew over, I was on the roof and literally hit the deck.

[@marymorenomariposa]

my heart breaks for this lady, she is still so truamatized. BUT.. so glad she made it 🙏🏻

[@patrickclapp4082]

her comment about coffee spilt in the wrong direction reminds me of the shoe standing straight up in the movie NOPE. in short, there's a traumatic scene where a character focuses on a shoe that is somehow standing upright on its toes. "The shoe represents a moment where we check out of a trauma," he told the Happy Sad Confused podcast. "Jupe zones in on this little shoe - that's Mary Jo's shoe - that has landed in a precarious, odd situation, and this is the moment he dissociates."

[@mariaramirez4357]

This horrendous day of being attacked by terrorists was the worst day in history with horrific stories can never be forgotten.

[@kturby5489]

I freaking love watching these videos where people explain their own accounts of that day! I’ve watched probably hundreds over the years, but there was one thing in this woman’s account that I’ve actually *never* heard of… When she talks about the hazmat people waiting for people getting off the train. To ask questions & to “hose” people down! I’ve never heard any other person mention that!! It made my eyebrows raise…. They knew to wash the horrible dust/debris off those people? But tried to say that the area around ground zero wasn’t dangerous for the people afterwards!? Makes you go hmmmm

[@michelle-xh3fz]

I think it was to get the bodies off of them that had just turned basically to dust

[@katvonmew8306]

It will have been to male sure there were no immediate contaminates as at that very early point they didn't know if the planes has been loaded with anything or if they had anything flammable or cancerous on them.

[@Goldrefinedthrufire]

The people know the truth, the government/insurance etc didn't want to take responsibility

[@kathleenwindsor5679]

@@michelle-xh3fz it was more than that though. The smell travel 12 miles at least. My good friend died of lung cancer five years after. He came home covered in dust, in shock. He walked from Manhattan to Brooklyn. My ex brother-in-law died five years ago of 911 related cancer. He was a first responder. Fireman. So horrifying, I’ve never heard of the hazmat suits either, and I live here.

[@michelle-xh3fz]

@@kathleenwindsor5679 oh my im so sorry for your loss. We lost so many to that day but so many more have lost their lives from that day years later. It seems like it will never atop. My fear is something else will happen soon. America is not doing good right now we appear weak a d thats not good. I thank you for telling me this part and again i am so sorry you are still going through loss of 9/11 it has effected so many. I also hope these people get the right insurance so much of it is not covered under 9/11 and thats not right. All those people should have full coverage provided at no cost in my opinion but it will proba it be like our Vietnam vets some of them are 80 yrs old now and are just now getting checks cut to them their life is gone they can't enjoy that money now and their quality of life is no good because of the Asian orange they have. Its just a a bad situation all together. Sweety if you ever need a listening ear I'm always here if you ever need to talk I'll give you my phone number. You always have someone. Take care

[@poetscane8492]

To survivors of this event..we here the praise of all the people that helped each other..many sacrificed their lives saving others. I salute and respect all of them. There's another type of situation that I notice doesn't get much coverage if any. I'm talking about those that ran..The ones that probably knocked people over. The ones who saw people in danger or injured, and kept on going. I heard a story where an elevator to escape one of the Towers was too crowded to move. So people kicked others out of the elevator, making it light enough, and got them out safely. While those kicked out did not. All of you that had tunnel vision for protecting your own self, and hearts of your loved ones.. I salute and respect you too. It's not your fault. It's your right-fully-kicked in instinct. You didn't begin your day inciting or asking for any of that terror. I hope this helps anyone in that unspoken group that may feel guilty. You're no less of a man or woman than any of the survivors who may get praise for their actions. Or the ones that died with a moment of praise to be remembered by. We may not here your story as much. You may not even want it told. But there was no wrong way for you to react to that situation. If you're still here, you did the right thing.

[@Mike-wf1nm]

Very personal and very eloquent lady!

[@austinlouis9962]

I find it so hard to wrap my head around that kids now dont really know 9/11 unless through these videos. Even know I was only in 6th grade 7th grade it was embedded in my head. I was confused and scared so to be a family member of someone who was in the building or to be in the building 😯

[@teodelfuego]

Very compelling

[@40ounce58]

I listen to all the survivors tell their stories and it’s like I’m there experiencing what they experienced. Their stories are so intense and heartbreaking.

[@rebeccalowe-hodges8162]

Oh my gosh. You are so amazing. to go thru that AND do all the trains and getting home.

[@NarnianLady]

Wow this just leaves ne speechless.

[@kyleharvey7622]

That is so funny that she calls the clouds the Simpson clouds because that’s what I called them all the time ever since the Simpsons came out do you know how they are batched up perfectly right at the beginning of the Simpsons!!❤️❤️😂🙏🏻

[@firemantim9601]

So much damage on so many levels that were no where near the plane impacts is crazy.

[@chipbroadhead4445]

People who live today who was inside those 2 building still live it. 2 buildings swaying, swaying. Then when coming out via the doors see in person see Jumpers. What a thing to see.