Memories remain fresh for those who lived through it

Bill Abramson 

Bill Abramson was out campaigning for his friend June Eisland early on Sept. 11, 2001. She was running for the office of Bronx Borough President and Mr. Abramson was the chair of Community Board 8, as well as vice president of Chelsea Piers.

“By the time I got to my office I saw the second plane hit the towers,” he said.

In an emergency, Chelsea Piers acts as a supply center for ambulances, as a triage center and, if needed, the ice skating rink is turned into a morgue.

“For some reason, we had one phone in one of my offices that was working. I remember one guy who was late to work that day, he was calling his office on the 100th floor,” Mr. Abramson said, adding that the man had been working out at the gym that morning. 

“I just remember we were both very emotional,” Mr. Abramson said. “He couldn’t get ahold of anyone.”

Mr. Abramson helped organize a triage center, but he said that after a while he realized that it and the morgue were not necessary. 

“You either walked away or you didn’t,” he said. 

“The mind almost could not comprehend what was going on,” he said.

After working for 24 hours at the pier, he went home.

The next day, he visited the “carnage” at the World Trade Center site with a friend from the Office of Emergency Management.

“Those were beautiful September days, 80 degrees, sunny,” he said.

“I just remember him telling me to wear a mask because it’s very clear this was very toxic.”

When Mr. Abramson was at the site, he said many emergency workers were not wearing masks because of the heat.

The next week, Mr. Abramson decided to hold a Community Board 8 meeting though many people thought he should cancel it. 

“Terrorism is about affecting our government and the community board is the grassroots of our politics,” he said.

Ruth Hurd

Local artist Ruth Hurd had not worked at the World Trade Center for 15 years at the time of the Sept. 11 attacks. But even today she remembers the smallest details. 

“I loved working there. Fabulous place. It was like a city within the city,” she said.