Soaring Golden Eagle
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GET DOWN! EVERYBODY GET DOWN! - A Personal Brush with Tragedy
by CFAITH Staff
On the morning of September 11, 2001, CFAITH Subscriber Trudi Valdivia arrived for work at about 8:40 a.m. - her usual time. High atop 2 World Trade Center (2WTC), she sat down and began her daily tasks as an administrative assistant to one of the executive vice presidents at Fiduciary Trust Company International (FTCI), an investment management firm which encompassed the 90th and 94th-97th floors of the south tower of the World Trade Center complex. About 10 minutes later, her life was changed forever.
Within minutes of her arrival, Trudi was thrust into a new realm - a surreal but terrifying world she later described as "pure disbelief…like a Hollywood movie." She ducked under her desk just seconds before a sudden explosion in 1WTC rocked both buildings.
Immediately, Trudi and her coworkers could see and smell the smoke from their offices on the 95th floor of 2WTC. Confusion and panic followed. That's when Trudi grabbed her keys and joined the multitudes in a high-rise evacuation effort.
Miraculously, Trudi escaped. Unfortunately, her supervisor and 86 more FTCI coworkers…did not.
Now, more than four weeks after the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers - and from the safety and security of her home in Brooklyn, New York - Trudi spoke to CFAITH about the events of September 11. In an exclusive interview, she calmly described her personal experience and what it was like to find herself at ground zero of the worst terrorist attack in American history.
CFAITH: How many people work at FTCI?
| There
was
another
gentleman
in
the
office...all
of
a
sudden,
he
started
to
scream
"Get
down!!
Get
down!"
- Trudi Valdivia |
Trudi: There are about 650 people who work there.
CFAITH: How many of those made it out safely?
Trudi: I don't know how many people were at work that morning, but at this point, there are about 87 people from my company who are still missing - including one of my bosses.
CFAITH: From your office on the 95th floor, did you see the plane strike the first tower?
Trudi: Yes, I saw it. There was another gentleman in the office, and he was looking out the window toward 1 World Trade Center. All of a sudden, he started to scream "Get down! Get down!" And then I heard it. It was a loud explosion. At first I thought the plane hit our building because everything shook so much. In a matter of seconds we could see and smell the smoke. I just grabbed my keys and ran.
CFAITH: Can you describe the smell?
Trudi: It was like burning plastic…and rubber. There was another smell, like kerosene, but it didn't burn your throat. It just made your eyes sting a little bit. I found out later it was probably jet fuel, but at the time, I thought it was kerosene.
CFAITH: You said that you believe God directed your thoughts and actions during the evacuation process. How so?
Trudi: When everything started happening, I just ran towards the elevators and jumped in the first one that opened - it didn't matter to me whether it was going up or down. It actually went up - to the 98th floor. When we got there, people in that office were screaming at us to get off the elevator and take the stairs, so many of us got off. But I just felt an uneasiness about taking the stairs. It's almost like I had a moment of clarity and thought to myself "the elevators still work; our building wasn't hit…it's okay," so I turned around and squeezed back into the elevator just as the doors were closing.
CFAITH: What happened next?
Trudi: The elevator went down to the 78th floor, where we had to make a transfer to a different set of elevators which could then take us all the way to the bottom. It was strange, but on the way down, people were actually talking about going back up - thinking all of this was just a brief interruption in the day. When I got to the bottom, there were probably 30,000 people being evacuated from buildings, but when I got to the front doors, out of all the people running around, I met one of my bosses…and I just knew at that point that I was in God's hands. There's no question; if I had taken the stairs, I would not be here now.
CFAITH: From the 95th floor, how long would it take for an average person to take the stairs down to the street level?
Trudi: Probably more than an hour.
CFAITH: How long would it take someone in an elevator?
Trudi: Elevators - with the transfer on the 78th floor - would take around five to six minutes.
CFAITH: Why didn't more people take the elevators down?
Trudi: I think people were just afraid of them - they were already scared and probably didn't think the elevators would work.
CFAITH: What happened to those people who decided to take the stairs instead?
Trudi: Most of the people still missing are the ones who took the stairs. After our building was hit, it took about twenty minutes for people to go down just ten flights. I heard stories of people running over others trying to get out.
| Most
of
the
people
still
missing
are
the
ones
who
took
the
stairs.
I
heard
stories
of
people
running
over
others
trying
to
get
out.
- Trudi Valdivia |
CFAITH: The first building was struck at 8:48 a.m. EST. The second tower - your building - was struck at 9:05 a.m.? Where were you by this time?
Trudi: I was out of my building about 10 minutes after the first tower was hit. I was only about two blocks away from my building when it was struck.
CFAITH: Describe what it was like outside?
Trudi: Pure disbelief. It felt like a movie. None of it seemed possible. All kinds of stuff was falling on my head and shoulders. It was like a white powdery substance - just like you've probably seen on TV. There was broken glass, paper, smoke, and dust.
CFAITH: Did you see the second plane hit your building?
Trudi: No, I was heading east, away from the building. But I heard the explosion; it was so loud! I actually thought the first tower was collapsing and falling toward us, so I ducked into another building for safety.
CFAITH: It's amazing that so many people in 2WTC did not evacuate when they had the chance....
Trudi: A lot of them stayed behind. Many people just kept looking out their windows, thinking it was all just an accident. There were some who were telling others to go back to their desks. There was even an announcement in the building that everything was fine and that people should go back to their desks…and many people did.
CFAITH: You escaped with one of your bosses, but another one of your supervisors is still missing?
Trudi: Yes.
CFAITH: What are some of the things you will never forget about that day?
Trudi: People crying. The terror. People running everywhere. The way it shook the ground. When you think of the Fourth of July and the sounds…nothing could compare with this…it was so loud. I really thought the building was falling over at one point. I saw a person fall from the building.
CFAITH: How are you coping now?
Trudi: With God's help. He has been my source of support throughout all of this.
CFAITH: How important has your faith been to you in this ordeal?
Trudi: That's been the most important thing. I mean, I just thank God everyday that He allowed me to survive. I now have a testimony for others. My church in Sunset Park has made up tracts with my testimony on them; they've been passing them out to people all over, including in New Hampshire.
CFAITH: How has this event changed New York City?
Trudi: People are a lot more unified…friendly. There are flags out - I mean, you can't go one city block without seeing a flag on cars, buildings, everywhere. I've seen people outside praying together, holding candles and praying. People are more open to hearing about the Lord.
CFAITH: Any final thoughts you'd like to share with your Online Faith Family or anyone else reading this story?
Trudi: This just goes to show how important it is to keep God first in your life. You just don't know what will happen. Thousands of people met God face to face on September 11, and I can only pray that they were saved. Anyone who still does not know God must get to know Him; He's our comforter in times of trouble. He's our total support. I know He's mine….
Editor's Note:
On September 12, 2001, Trudi Valdivia sat down to describe the unimaginable events of her experience in 2 World Trade Center during the terrorist attacks the previous day. What follows is a personal account of what it was like to be caught in a high-rise sea of chaos and fear. However, as you will read, Trudi also describes how God directed her steps in the midst of confusion.
CFAITH has decided to post her letter in its entirety.
I work(ed) on the 95th floor of 2 World Trade Center. [On September 11, 2001] I arrived at work around 8:35 - 8:40 a.m. About 5 or 10 minutes later, a man who was looking out the windows at the city, started screaming "Get down! Get down!" over and over. I ducked down behind my desk and heard a major rumbling explosion sounding like glass shattering. I thought it was in my building, and it felt like it was below my floor.
As I looked up over my desk, all I could see was fire and smoke pouring out of Tower 1. All I could say was "Jesus!" I was praying and asking for guidance. Everyone started screaming, "Get out of here! Get downstairs!"
Instantly, we could smell the smoke and fire. The air circulation from the buildings brought it right in. One of my bosses and I ran to the elevators and got into the first one that opened. It went up. It stopped at the 98th floor and all the people there were screaming for us to get off the elevators. They were saying we had to take the stairs.
My boss and some of the others got off, and I followed. But I looked back at the elevators and had an uneasy feeling. I turned around as the doors were closing and put my shoulders and arms in between the doors and shoved them open and got on, holding the doors for the others that worked with me. I continued praying this whole time. The elevators then went down to the 78th floor, where we transfer to the other elevators. It was absolute pandemonium at this point. The word "packed" was an understatement.
We missed several elevators before we finally got on one. I asked my boss if we would be going back up that day or if we would be sent home. At the time, it seemed as if the crash was an accident. Everyone was talking about it all around me. Was it purposeful? Was it an accident? How was it possible that this could happen?
When I look back at the point where I made the choice of whether to take the elevator or the stairs, there's no question - had I taken the stairs, I would not be here now.
- Trudi Valdivia
Once we got downstairs, the security guards were directing everyone how to get out. We went around and out on the Liberty Street side. As we were walking through the doors to the street, people were stopping in shock. The streets were completely covered - full of paper, glass and just a look of pure destruction. I felt like I was in a movie, asking myself in my mind, "Is this for real?" It didn't seem possible!
As we started to hurry away, my other boss arrived and said, "Thank God you're alright! I saw it happen! I looked up and saw the plane! It looked like a 727!" That's when we felt like it must have been an accident. It was a commercial plane. Everyone was saying to get out of the area, get away from the smoke, and as we went away towards the east of Manhattan, I used my boss's cell phone to call my husband to tell him I was ok. We were disconnected, but at least he knew I was alive. Thank God!
A couple of blocks away, we stopped for a moment to look at the Towers. It was an unbelievable, horrific sight. Horrified, I saw a body fall from the building and immediately we decided to keep going east. All of a sudden I heard another, but much larger explosion! All I could think was that Tower 1 was collapsing and falling like a tree to the side, on top of where we were. It was so loud!
Everyone was running and screaming even more. Glass was everywhere. My boss told us to get inside a building - any building - for shelter. We ran into a pizzeria and waited for a few minutes. Long enough to know that the building hadn't fallen on top of us. Then we hurried back into the street and kept heading east. I called my husband again and was able to talk with him and he calmed me down.
Once we reached the City Hall area by the Brooklyn Bridge, I felt a little safer. I looked back at the World Trade Center. I felt so numb and dazed. From there I got on a train into Brooklyn and went home. But as soon as I got home, I learned the tragic news that Tower 2, where I worked, had collapsed. What heartless humans of horror! I was in such shock. And immediately after that, I saw on TV Tower 1 collapse as well.
Thank you Jesus for sparing my life! The Lord had completely directed my steps. From the first incident to the second, everything I went through was all in an 18-minute time frame. It felt like hours, not minutes. There's no doubt about it when I look back at the point where I made the choice of whether to take the elevator or the stairs, there's no question - had I taken the stairs, I would not be here now.
I thank God that I know Him and can lean on Him in a time like this! If you don't know Him, or are away from Him, now is the time to give your life back to Him.
- Trudi Valdivia
All the glory to the Lord! God had the Holy Spirit guiding me from the beginning to the end. Even to catch the last batch of trains leaving Manhattan. Most people had to walk home from there. But in about an hour I was home, hugging my husband and watching the second Tower collapse.
God is so good. His mercy endures forever. And how blessed we are to know that though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we will fear no evil, for You are with us dear Lord. AMEN & AMEN! PRAISE GOD!
I thank God that I know Him and can lean on Him in a time like this! If you don't know Him, or are away from Him, now is the time to give your life back to Him. He is our true Savior from the worst destruction - Hell. Please, you never know when your time will be to meet God face to face - are you ready? If not, please repent of your sins and ask Him into your heart. He will save you. He loves you. You realize that? HE LOVES YOU! And He will be your comfort in such a time of pure tragedy. He's mine. I know from experience. Praise the Lord!
Please pray for all the people affected, their families and friends. Thousands were killed and thousands were injured - a worse situation than Pearl Harbor. America is a praying nation and Satan is attacking. One of my bosses is still missing and his wife is in need of prayer. This tragedy will affect the world but God will give back sevenfold of what Satan takes of His children of faith. Praise be to the glory of the Lord! God bless you all and thank you for your prayers.
Trudi Valdivia
Brooklyn, New York
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