OH+Interview


 * Oral History Topic:** The World Trade Center and Pentagon Attacks of 9/11: From the Eyes of a New Yorker

**Interview Subject:** Lori Kahn (my mother)


 * What was life like in New York prior to the events of 9/11?**

In general, I felt much more relaxed. Terrorism was not even part of my consciousness, and I didn’t have to, in the back of my mind, worry that there might be another attack. Life was great. I worked as a creative executive at Showtime. Unlike post-9/11, I was able to freely walk in and out of my office building with out being required to show company ID each and every time I would enter the building. You went to a wonderful school and a fun day camp that did not have barriers and cement barricades in front of it to thwart a vehicle laden with explosives from plowing into and destroying the building.


 * Can you describe what you were doing when you first heard news of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon?**

I was sitting outside of your kindergarten class. You had some separation anxiety and I was with a group of mothers whose kids also were going through the same things. I tried to call my boss on my cell phone to let him know that I would be late to work, but I couldn’t get through. I thought it was because your classroom was in the basement of the building and perhaps reception was poor. So I walked up to the lobby of the school, and when I still couldn’t get reception, I walked out of the building, down the block, and still nothing. At this point in time, most people watching television around the country knew what had happened just miles from where we were, but I had no idea. I went back and sat outside the classroom, when the security guard told us that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center, and we all though it must’ve been a single engine plane that had an accident. Shortly after that came news that the Pentagon and the second tower had been hit.


 * What was your initial reaction to the news of the strike?**

My initial reaction was one of utter shock. I was the one to tell your teacher about the Pentagon being hit, but I was concerned that she would think I was crazy because it just seemed so implausible. After learning what had happened, we took our kids out of school and since we lived just around the corner, a small group came over to our house. We were all in such shock and just tried to process what had happened.


 * In the first days after the attacks, how were you affected? What was the atmosphere like in New York City during the period following 9/11?**

I mean, we were just in shock and felt extremely vulnerable and even though we lived on the Upper West Side, there was a rancid smell to the air, and the city was just absolutely silent. The silence was deafening. You could walk down the streets of Manhattan and hear a pin drop. The atmosphere was one of collective shock. There was also a real, strong feeling of solidarity because as corny as it sounds, we were all New Yorkers and all felt that whether we knew someone who was killed in the attack or not, it was a personal affront to our lives and well being. I was fortunate not to have had any friends or acquaintances killed in the attack, but a number of my friends did. I used to pass strangers on the street and think that anyone of us could have been a victim of the attacks on the World Trade Center.


 * Were there any precautionary measures you took in the event of similar happenings?**

Well, the day after the attacks, newscasters had warned of rumors that Central Park might become a target. Given the fact we lived on Central Park West, that was incredibly unsettling. Schools were closed down and our small group of mothers and kids, who would routinely go to Central Park for play dates, walked across Manhattan to Riverside Park in order to avoid any possibility of that threat becoming a reality. And I remember, they were two of the most gorgeous days in fall in New York. Months after 9/11, the specter of biological and chemical warfare in the city was raised and local politicians and the media debated the seriousness of the risks. Like many other New Yorkers, I heeded these warnings and followed the advice of creating a “mini safe house” within our apartment. We were told to designate an interior room with the least exposure to outside elements as a “safe haven.” We duct taped your bedroom windows (duct tape was a hot commodity at this time; it flew off the shelves and was hard to find) and I created a Cold War-like food and supply center in your closet i.e.. canned foods, water, other nonperishables and essentials. This was NOT an extreme reaction to the circumstances; it was commonplace in New York at this time. Another precautionary measure undertaken by all the apartment buildings in Manhattan was special training for the doormen to spot potentially dangerous packages delivered by UPS. There was a citywide threat that apartment buildings could be selected as soft targets and the packages could contain bombs or anthrax.


 * Is there a particular memory or memories you have about 9/11 and being in New York during that time?**

I remember looking out onto Central Park West, which was closed to traffic, from our windows on 9/11 and for hours upon hours, witnessing a sea of ash and soot covered people walking home in shock. There was no public transportation, so people had to walk to get home. The following day, when we were in Riverside Park, I remembered seeing what must have been one of the first caravans of dump trucks and diggers making their way down the Henry Hudson to Ground Zero to begin the task of removing the rubble. There had to have been at least 75 trucks and each one had a small American flag in its antenna and almost immediately thereafter, every apartment building and establishment hung huge American flags over their entrances. I remember the stillness of the city for months after the attack and the smell of electrical fire that lingered in the air. I remember going up to our rooftop garden and videotaping the black, billowing smoke rising above the city, and unfortunately, that videotape is in a box someplace in our house that I wish I could’ve found for you. I also remember the big New York CIty float that was part of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade that year and on the float was one of the flags that was ripped and tattered from the attacks, but saved as a testament to the survival of the city and the country, and I have some of those pictures. I also remember attending a candlelight vigil with you and Dad at our local firehouse in memory of the firefighters who had lost their lives and it was an extremely moving evening.


 * How has 9/11 had a long term effect on your life?**

I think most importantly (and without sounding corny again) it really made me appreciate what it means to be a New Yorker and an American and it made me appreciate the ideals and values of being an American. While I hate to think of allowing to be terrorized, I have adopted an awareness of my surroundings and precautions that I never would have dreamed as being necessary pre-9/11.


 * How do you see 9/11 as being a turning point in American history?**

With the exception of Pearl Harbor, we’ve never been attacked on our own soil before, and for the first time, it forced us to confront an enemy with no known geographical borders but with the common intent of destroying the American way of life. And I would say, in spite of this unthinkable tragedy, I believe 9/11 has unified, if not our politicians, certainly the American public. I believe the events of 9/11 made us all proud to be Americans and no matter what political persuasion, we all have the same common goal of protecting our great country.