[ THEME MUSIC ] [ THEME MUSIC ] >> WELCOME TO THIS SPECIAL EDITION OF "NEW YORK NOW. "
I'M DAN CLARK.
TWENTY YEARS AGO, NEW YORK AND THE COUNTRY CHANGED.
IT WAS A TUESDAY AND IT WAS JUST LIKE ANY OTHER DAY IN NEW YORK UNTIL IT WASN'T.
AT 8:46 A. M. , THE FIRST PLANE HIT THE NORTH TOWER OF THE WORLD TRADE CENTER IN MANHATTAN AND WE ALL KNOW THE REST.
AND WHILE THAT DATE CAUSED AN IMMEASURABLE AMOUNT OF PAIN, IT ALSO BROUGHT A SENSE OF UNITY AND INSPIRATION TO NEW YORKERS WHO WILL TRULY NEVER FORGET THE ATTACKS.
THAT INCLUDES GOVERNOR KATHY HOCHUL WHO TOOK A TRIP THIS WEEK TO THE 9/11 MEMORIAL IN NEW YORK CITY.
>> THE INSPIRATION I TAKE FROM THIS DAY SIMPLY TELLS ME NEW YORKERS ARE GRITTY.
THEY'RE SCRAPPY.
THEY'RE COURAGEOUS.
THEY'RE RISK-TAKERS.
>> THAT'S BEEN A COMMON THEME IN NEW YORK.
WE BUILT BACK AFTER 9/11 AND NOW TWO DECADES LATER, WE'RE STARTING OUR RECOVER RECOVERY FROM A GLOBAL PANDEMIC THAT'S NOW KILLED MORE THAN 55,000 NEW YORKERS.
HE WAS GOVERNOR AT THE TIME AND LED THE STATE'S RESPONSE ALONG FORMER MAYOR RUDY GIULIANI AND PRESIDENT BUSH.
THERE WAS NOTHING EASY ABOUT IT.
MORE THAN 2,000 NEW YORKERS HAD JUST DIED IN AN ATTACK THAT NO ONE COULD HAVE PREPARED FOR.
TWENTY YEARS LATER, I SPOKE WITH PATAKI ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED BEHIND THE SCENES, HOW IT ALL WEIGHED ON HIM AND MORE.
TAKE A LOOK.
[ THEME MUSIC ] GOVERNOR GEORGE PATAKI, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
I APPRECIATE IT.
>> DAN, HAPPY TO BE WITH YOU.
IT'S THE 20-YEAR ANNIVERSARY.
YOU WERE GOVERNOR DURING 9/11 AND IT WAS A VERY HECTIC DAY THAT TUESDAY.
TELL ME WHAT WAS GOING THROUGH YOUR MIND THAT TUESDAY WHEN YOU LEARNED WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN NEW YORK, THE PENTAGON DURING THE ATTACKS.
HOW WERE YOU FEELING?
>> WELL, AS SOON AS I SAW THE SECOND PLANE HIT THE TOWER, I KNEW WE WERE UNDER ATTACK.
YOU HAVE TO SET ASIDE REALLY EMOTIONS AND FEELINGS AND JUST SPRING INTO ACTION.
WE HAD A GREAT EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT TEAM.
THEY WERE READY NOT FOR THIS.
I DON'T THINK ANYONE HAD ANTICIPATED ANYTHING LIKE THIS.
BUT WE WERE READY AND I JUST IMMEDIATELY HAD TO DO THINGS LIKE ACTIVATE THE COMMAND CENTER, CALL UP THE NATIONAL GUARD, CLOSE THE BRIDGES AND TUNNELS THAT SEPARATED NEW YORK CITY FROM THE REST OF THE STATE AND NEW JERSEY.
TALKED TO MAYOR.
TALKED TO THE PRESIDENT.
YOU JUST UNDERSTAND IN A TIME OF CRISIS, YOUR ROLE IS TO LEAD AND TO ACT.
>> SO I THINK THAT WE THINK ABOUT 9/11 SOMETIMES AS JUST THE ONE DAY OF THE ATTACKS BUT AS YOU AND I BOTH KNOW, 9/11 REALLY LASTED QUITE A WHILE IN NEW YORK CITY.
THEY WERE SEARCHING FOR THE VICTIMS.
THERE WAS THE CLEANUP PROCESS AND KIND OF FIGURING OUT WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT.
TELL ME HOW YOU FELT WHEN YOU HAD A CHANCE TO JUST TAKE A STEP BACK AFTER THE DAY AND THINK ABOUT WHAT WAS HAPPENING AND HOW YOU WERE GOING TO PROCEED FORWARD AS GOVERNOR.
>> WELL, DAN, ONE OF THE REAL PROBLEMS OF SEPTEMBER 11TH AND THE DAYS AFTER WAS WE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN NEXT.
NEW YORK HAD ALREADY BEEN ATTACKED BEFORE IN 1993.
SHANKSVILLE HAD A PLANE GO DOWN.
WE HAD TO BE PREPARED FOR ESSENTIAL FUTURE TERRORIST ATTACKS.
THAT WAS ONE THING THAT WE HAD TO DO, STARTING AN OFFICE OF HOMELAND SECURITY ESSENTIALLY FROM SCRATCH AND PUTTING IN PLACE LAWS AND PROTOCOLS TO PROTECT US.
WE ALSO, AT THE SAME TIME, HAD TO DO EVERYTHING IN OUR POWER TO SEE IF THERE, BY ANY MIRACLE LIVES THAT COULD BE SAVED, LITERALLY, SIX, SEVEN DAYS AFTER SEPTEMBER 11TH.
WE HOPED THAT WE COULD STILL PEOPLE WHO WERE TRAPPED UNDER THE RUBBLE.
WE NEEDED TO BE COMPASSIONATE TOWARD THOSE WHO LOST LOVED ONES.
WE WERE ALL SUFFERING SO MUCH.
BUT IF YOU LOST YOUR WIFE, HUSBAND, CHILD, OR PARENT, YOUR SUFFERING WAS A MAGNITUDE GREATER.
SO WE HAD ALL THESE HUMAN ISSUES TO DEAL WITH AND THEN WE ALSO HAD THE ISSUE OF WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN TO NEW YORK.
THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT WASN'T OVER IN A WEEK.
IT WASN'T OVER IN A MONTH.
IT WASN'T OVER IN A YEAR.
IT WAS SOMETHING THAT CONSUMED MY AND A LOT OF OTHER PEOPLE'S EFFORTS FOR PROBABLY TWO TO THREE YEARS.
>> IT WAS A HEARTBREAKING SITUATION THROUGHOUT ALL THOSE YEARS.
DID YOU EVER FEEL THAT YOU WANTED TO GIVE UP ON ALL THIS?
IT WAS SUCH A SAD TIME, SUCH A FEARFUL TIME THAT I IMAGINE IT WAS HARD TO BE THE STATE'S TOP LEADER.
>> YOU KNOW, ON THAT DAY, ITSELF, EVERY HALF HOUR, HOUR SOMEONE WOULD COME IN AND SAY, DID YOU KNOW SO-AND-SO WAS KILLED?
DID YOU KNOW SOMEONE ELSE WAS MISSING OR WAS IN THE TOWER?
AND YOU HAD THIS MOMENTARY SENSE OF INCREDIBLE LOSS, BUT YOU JUST HAD TO SET IT ASIDE AND UNDERSTAND THAT THE TIME FOR EMOTION WOULD COME, BUT WHEN THAT DAY AND THE DAYS THEREAFTER WAS A TIME FOR ACTION AND NOT FOR EMOTION, BUT I NEVER DOUBTED WE'D GET THROUGH IT.
I NEVER DOUBTED WE'D COME BACK.
YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE YOUR HIGH POINTS AND YOUR LOW POINTS, BUT NEW YORK IS NEW YORK.
I DREW INSPIRATION FROM JUST HOW GALLANTLY REALLY THAT'S THE RIGHT WORD, NEW YORKERS AND AMERICANS LITERALLY FROM EVERY WALK OF LIFE RESPONDED.
THE FIREFIGHTERS, POLICE OFFICERS, THE EMTS, THE CONSTRUCTION WORKERS, BUT LITERALLY JUST CITIZENS FROM EVERY WALK OF LIFE AND THE OUTPOURING OF SUPPORT AND HELP.
SO YOU CAN NEVER DESPAIR.
YOU CAN NEVER DOUBT.
WE WERE GOING TO COME BACK.
MY COMMITMENT FROM LITERALLY DAY ONE WAS WE WERE GOING TO MOVE BEYOND FROM WHERE WE WERE ON SEPTEMBER 11TH.
WE WERE GOING TO COME BACK STRONGER, BUILD TALLER AND HAVE MORE CONFIDENCE YEARS AFTER THAT ATTACK THAN WE DID THE DAY BEFORE THAT ATTACK.
>> HOW DIFFICULT WAS IT TO BE THE LEADER DURING THAT TIME?
PEOPLE SEE THE GOVERNOR IN NEW YORK STATE AS THE LEADER, SOMEBODY WHO PROVIDES CALM.
I HAVE TO IMAGINE THAT MUST HAVE BEEN DIFFICULT TO DO AT SUCH A TIME WHERE THERE REALLY WAS NO CALM IN NEW YORK CITY AND AROUND THE COUNTRY AND REALLY AROUND THE WORLD.
>> IT WAS A REAL CHALLENGE BUT ON THE OTHER HAND YOU JUST SAW THE STRENGTH AND THE COURAGE OF PEOPLE WHO DIDN'T HAVE NECESSARILY THAT RESPONSIBILITY OF RUNNING THE STATE, DEALING AND LEADING THE RESPONSE.
I JUST NEVER DOUBTED THAT WE HAD THE RIGHT PEOPLE, THE RIGHT TEAM, THE RIGHT APPROACH AND THAT FOR ALL THE HORROR OF THAT DAY, FOR ALL THE HORROR LITERALLY OF THE DAYS THAT CAME THEREAFTER, THROUGH ALL THE ECONOMIC CHAOS THAT WE FACED FOR YEARS, I NEVER DOUBTED THAT WE STICK TOGETHER, KEEP FOCUSED ON WHAT WE NEED TO DO AND WE WERE GOING TO GET THROUGH IT AND WE DID.
I'M PROUD OF THAT.
>> AS YOU SAID, THIS WAS AN UNPRECEDENTED ATTACK.
EVERYTHING WAS HAPPENING.
EVERYBODY WAS VERY CONFUSED BUT IF YOU COULD GO BACK 20 YEARS, BE THE GOVERNOR AGAIN, IS THERE ANYTHING YOU WOULD HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY IN RESPONSE TO 9/11, IN THE IMMEDIATE DAY?
IS THERE ANYTHING YOU WISH YOU WOULD HAVE KNOWN?
>> I WISH I WOULD HAVE KNOWN THE DAY BEFORE.
THAT'S WISHFUL THINKING BUT YOU THINK BACK AND YOU JUST UNDERSTAND THE MAGNITUDE OF THE LOSS AND SAY ANYTHING WE COULD HAVE DONE TO PREVENT THIS IN THE FIRST PLACE WOULD HAVE BEEN WORTH IT.
BUT ACTUALLY WITH THE RESPONSE, ITSELF, AND WHAT WE DID THEREAFTER, I REALLY DON'T.
YOU KNOW, I THINK WE HAD A SEAMLESS RESPONSE.
I HAVE TO TELL YOU THAT DAY, I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT DECISION I MADE IN MY TWELVE YEARS AS GOVERNOR, I GOT A CALL FROM GIULIANI THAT HE HAD MOVED HIS TEAM TO A NEW FACILITY BECAUSE HIS COMMAND CENTER HAD BEEN WIPED OUT.
I THOUGHT FOR A MINUTE AND I SAID, I'LL BE RIGHT DOWN, AND I AND MY ENTIRE EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM WENT DOWN AND THAT AFTERNOON, SEPTEMBER 11TH, WE WERE SITTING IN THE SAME ROOM AT THE SAME TIME TABLE AND WE DID THAT FOR WEEKS AND MONTHS AFTER.
SO WE DIDN'T HAVE THE LACK OF COMMUNICATION, THE CONFUSION THAT YOU SAW AFTER KATRINA OR WE HAVE JUST SEEN WITH COVID WHERE THE CITY AND THE STATE COULDN'T EVEN TALK TO EACH OTHER.
WE WERE ALL MATT SAME ROOM.
ALL THE KEY PLAYERS SO WE HAD THIS UNIFIED RESPONSE THAT I'M STILL PROUD OF 20 YEARS LATER.
I WISH WE COULD HAVE DONE MORE TO SAVE LIVES BUT EVERY EFFORT WAS MADE.
YOU LOOK FORWARD.
YOU LEARN FROM THAT.
>> YOU KNOW, 20 YEARS LATER, WHAT DO YOU SEE AS THE LASTING EFFECTS OF 9/11?
I FEEL LIKE IN MY LIFETIME I HAVE DEFINITELY SEEN THEM.
WHAT DO YOU SEE AS SOMETHING THAT HAS GROWN OUT OF 9/11 THAT CHANGED NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK STATE AND EVEN THE COUNTRY?
>> WELL, I TELL YOU I'M PROUD OF HOW AFTER SEPTEMBER 11TH WE TOOK A PROACTIVE ATTITUDE TOWARD BEING SAFE AND PROTECTING OUR FREEDOM FROM THOSE WHO WOULD ATTACK US AND I HATE TO BRING THIS UP ON THIS SACRED DAY BUT AFTER WHAT IS HAPPENING IN AFGHANISTAN, IT'S JUST SO DISPARAGING TO THINK THAT THOSE WHO ATTACKED US ARE NOW IN POWER AND I'M ENCOURAGED AND INSPIRED NOT JUST IN AFGHANISTAN THAT EVERY TERRORIST WHO HATES AMERICA IS CELEBRATING OF THE THAT'S A HORRIBLE THOUGHT TO HAVE ON THIS SACRED DAY.
UP UNTIL THAT POINT, YOU KNOW, THE FACT THAT WE HADN'T BEEN ATTACKED, THAT WE HAD BEEN PROACTIVE IN PREVENTING TERRORISTS FROM HAVING PLACES WHERE THEY COULD TRAIN AND ORGANIZE A PLOT TO DO ANOTHER ATTACK WAS SOMETHING THAT I THINK WE COULD LOOK AT WITH SOME DEGREE OF THANKFULNESS BUT NOW I FEAR THAT IS ALL GONE.
THE CHANGES THAT WE SAW SOME FOR THE BETTER.
YOU KNOW, TO ME, BY FAR THE MOST IMPORTANT POSITIVE TO COME OUT OF THAT HORRIBLE DAY WAS A SENSE OF UNITY WE HAD.
AND IT WAS NOT JUST THAT DAY AND WEEKS AND MONTHS.
IT WAS FOR MORE THAN A YEAR.
AMERICANS DIDN'T SEE OURSELVES AS REPUBLICANS, DEMOCRATS, NORTH, SOUTH, BLACK, WHITE, RICH, POOR, WE WERE ALL AMERICANS AND WE WERE UNITED AFTER THIS HORRIBLE ATTACK UPON US.
WE HAD THAT SENSE OF UNITY AND NOW 20 YEARS LATER TO SEE AMERICANS WHERE FRIENDS CAN'T TALK TO EACH OTHER BECAUSE THEY MAY HAVE A DIFFERENT PHILOSOPHY IS REALLY DISCOURAGING.
SO WHAT CAME OUT OF THAT WAS POSITIVE WAS A SENSE OF UNITY.
AS I LOOK NOW, 20 YEARS LATER BUT LOOK FORWARD, THE BEST THING THAT COULD COME FROM REMEMBERING THE COURAGE AND THE SACRIFICES MADE ON THAT DATE WOULD BE TO TRY TO RECLAIM SOME OF THAT SENSE OF UNITY THAT WE'RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER.
WE HAVE A COMMON FUTURE AND WHAT SEEMS TO DIVIDE US IN COMPARISON TO THOSE WHO HATE THE FREEDOMS THAT WE TAKE FOR GRANTED IS NOTHING.
LET'S WORK TOGETHER AND LOOK FORWARD TOGETHER.
>> THAT BRINGS ME TO MY LAST QUESTION FOR YOU.
IT'S BEEN 20 YEARS.
YOU WERE GOVERNOR AT THE TIME.
WHAT'S YOUR MESSAGE TO NEW YORKERS NOW?
TWENTY YEARS AFTER, I FEEL LIKE SOME PEOPLE REALLY LOSE THE SENSE OF HOW IMPORTANT THIS WAS.
WHAT'S YOUR MESSAGE TO THEM?
>> YOU KNOW, DAN, ONE OF THE IMPORTANT THINGS WE TRIED TO DO AT GROUND ZERO WAS TO TELL THE STORY SO THAT 20 YEARS LATER PEOPLE WHO WEREN'T BORN ON SEPTEMBER 11TH COULD GO THERE, SEE THE MAGNITUDE OF THE LOSS, SEE THE NAMES OF THOSE WHO HAD FALLEN, SEE THE VOID WHERE THE TOWERS HAD STOOD SO THEY WOULD UNDERSTAND THE MAGNITUDE OF THE VALUE OF OUR FREEDOM, THE VALUE OF LIVING IN THIS GREAT COUNTRY AND FOR ALL OUR FLAWS, FOR ALL THE DIFFERENCES WE HAVE, WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT THOSE WHO ATTACKED US 20 YEARS AGO, THEY MAY BE GONE, BUT THEIR SUCCESSES ARE STILL OUT THERE AND WE HAVE TO EMBRACE EACH OTHER, EMBRACE OUR FREEDOM, NOT SHIRK FROM CELEBRATING THAT, THOSE GREAT OPPORTUNITIES, FREEDOM OF SPEECH, FREEDOM OF RELIGION FREEDOM TO CHOOSE OUR OWN LEADERS BUT DO IT IN A WAY THAT UNDERSTANDS THAT THE FUTURE IS NOT ABOUT ONE SIDE OR THE OTHER.
THE FUTURE IS ABOUT ALL OF US AS AMERICANS.
>> ALL RIGHT.
GOVERNOR GEORGE PATAKI.
I KNOW IT'S SOMETHING DIFFICULT TO TALK ABOUT.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
I REALLY APPRECIATE IT.
>> THANK YOU, DAN.
NICE BEING ON WITH YOU.
I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY.
[ THEME MUSIC ] >> AND 20 YEARS LATER, WOO STILL SEEING THE LONG-TERM IMPACTS OF 9/11 BOTH HERE AND ABROAD.
DARRELL CAMP SPOKE TO A FEW OF STATE'S LAWMAKERS AND HE'S HERE WITH MORE.
DARRELL.
>> THAT'S RIGHT, DAN.
ONE OF THOSE LONG-TERM EFFECTS IS A CONTINUED SENSE OF UNITY.
SENATOR BRIAN KAVANAUGH, A DEMOCRAT FROM THE LOWER EAST SIDE OF MANHATTAN, SAYS THERE WAS A RUSH TO REBUILD IN THE AFTERMATH AND THE REBUILDING CONTINUES TO THIS DAY.
>> REBUILDING, THE PHYSICAL REBUILDING, THE FIVE WORLD TRADE CENTER IS THE LAST MAJOR SITE.
THERE IS CURRENTLY A VERY REAL DEBATE IN LOWER MANHATTAN ABOUT WHAT SHOULD BE BUILT ON THAT SITE.
THERE WAS A VERY STRONG DESIRE ON THE PART OF THE COMMUNITY THAT THERE BE PEOPLE LIVING ON THE SITE, RESIDENTS AND NOW THERE IS A BIG PUSH TO ENSURE THAT THERE IS ENOUGH AFFORDABILITY ON THAT SITE.
>> REPUBLICAN JAKE ASHBY, THE DEPUTY MINORITY LEADER IN THE ASSEMBLY, SERVED IN BOTH IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN WHILE IN THE U. S. ARMY.
HE SAID THE RECENT LOSS OF LIFE DURING OUR EXIT FROM THE COUNTRY HAS TAKEN A TOLL ON MANY VETERANS.
>> I STRUGGLE TO FIND THE RATIONALE WITH SOME OF THE DECISIONS THAT WERE MADE AND ARE CONTINUING TO BE MADE RIGHT NOW.
I'M NOT REALLY SURE WHY THE ADMINISTRATION IS GOING DOWN THE ROAD OF ACKNOWLEDGING THE TALIBAN AND THE HAQQANI NETWORK, IN PARTICULAR, AS LEGITIMATE ELEMENTS OF GOVERNMENT.
>> AND WHILE THE CORONAVIRUS LIMITED THE ACCESSIBILITY OF PEER-TO-PEER COUNSELING, ASHBY SAYS IT'S MORE IMPORTANT NOW THAN EVER TO FIGHT THE EFFECTS OF POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER.
>> I THINK REACHING OUT AND JUST LETTING PEOPLE KNOW THAT YOU'RE THERE AND LINKING UP WITH THEM AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE IS IMPORTANT.
EVEN WITH COVID THROUGHOUT THIS WHOLE THING, DISEASES LIKE SUBSTANCE ABUSE THRIVE IN ISOLATION AND WE NOW HAVE THE ABILITY TO COME BACK AND BE TOGETHER IN PERSON.
I THINK WE NEED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT AS MUCH AS WE CAN.
>> SO DAN, HE SAYS THERE'S ULTIMATELY A SENSE OF UNCERTAINTY OF AMERICA'S ROLE IN THE NATIONAL STAGE MOVING FORWARD.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH, DARRELL.
NOW MORE ON THE DAY OF THE ATTACKS.
WHEN THE FIRST TOWER WAS HIT IN NEW YORK CITY, THE NATURAL RESPONSE WAS TO RUN AWAY, BUT OTHERS RAN TOWARD TOWERS, LIKE FIRST RESPONDERS WHO TRIED DESPERATELY TO SAVE AS MANY LIVES AS THEY COULD AND RIGHT ALONGSIDE THEM WERE REPORTERS WHO LITERALLY RISKED THEIR LIVES TO TELL THE COUNTRY WHAT WAS HAPPENING.
TWO OF THEM JOINED ME THIS WEEK TO SHARE THEIR STORIES.
JAMIE EMPLOYED IS WITH WNYC NOW BUT SHE COVER THE ATTACKS FOR ABC NEWS AND DAVE DEBO IS AT WBFO BUT COVER THE ATTACK AT THE TIME.
WE SPOKE WHAT IT WAS LIKE ON THE GROUND DURING 9/11 AND WHAT THEY WENT THROUGH.
[ THEME MUSIC ] I APPRECIATE IT.
>> GLAD TO DO IT.
>> GLAD TO BE HERE, DAN.
>> OF COURSE.
JAMI, I WANT TO START WITH YOU.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT BOTH OF YOUR EXPERIENCES ON 9/11.
BOTH OF YOU WERE IN THE CITY.
NOT WITH YOUR CURRENT OUTLETS BUT COVERING 9/11 IN SOME CAPACITY.
JAMI, YOU WERE ON THE GROUND.
TELL ME WHAT YOU WERE DOING WHEN 9/11 HAPPENED.
I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU DIDN'T START THE DAY WANTING OR EXPECTING TO COVER 9/11 RATHER.
>> I DON'T THINK ANY OF US DID, RIGHT?
I WAS ON MY WAY TO ABC NEWS WHERE I WORKED AS A CORRESPONDENT.
I ACTUALLY REMEMBER THINKING WHAT A BEAUTIFUL DAY THIS IS AND THEN, OF COURSE, 9/11 HAPPENED.
THE TOWERS WERE HIT AND I RACED INTO THE NEWSROOM AND WAS DISPATCHED IMMEDIATELY TO WHAT WE THEN CAME TO KNOW AS GROUND ZERO.
>> DID YOU KNOW RIGHT THEN AND THERE THAT IT WAS A TERRORIST ATTACK?
DID YOU KNOW THAT AT THE TIME?
OR, DID YOU FIND OUT LATER AFTER YOU WENT INTO THE FIELD?
>> NO, NO, NO.
OF COURSE, WE'RE ALL LOOKING BACK WITH HINDSIGHT, 20 YEARS OF HINDSIGHT AND RECOVERED MEMORIES AND FALLIBLE.
BUT MY RECOLLECTION IS THAT INITIALLY WE DID NOT KNOW WHAT WAS HAPPENING.
WE STARTED THINKING ABOUT PREVIOUS EVENTS THAT MIGHT INFORM OUR UNDERSTANDING, YOU KNOW, HELICOPTERS THAT HAD FLOWN INTO BUILDINGS AND COULD THIS BE AN ACCIDENT, BUT PRETTY QUICKLY WE BEGAN TO REALIZE THAT THIS WAS SOME SORT OF ATTACK AND AS JOURNALISTS WE KNEW DON'T JUMP TO CONCLUSIONS.
CERTAINLY DON'T JUMP TO THEY'LL ON THE AIR BUT EVEN IN YOUR MIND, RESERVE YOUR JUDGMENT, EVEN AS WE STARTED TO THINK THIS MUST HAVE BEEN SOME SORT OF ATTACK, WE DIDN'T JUMP TO TERRORIST ATTACKS RIGHT AWAY.
CERTAINLY FOR MYSELF AS A TRAINED ATTORNEY ALSO, JUMPING TO CONCLUSIONS IS THE WORST THING YOU CAN DO.
IT'S QUITE SOME TIME BEFORE WE CAME TO THAT CONCLUSION AND WE WANTED TO RELY ON THE FACTS AND THE AUTHORITIES BEFORE WE STARTED TO REPORT THAT THIS WAS, INDEED, A TERRORIST ATTACK.
>> SO I WANT TO COME BACK TO THAT, BUT DAVE, I WANT TO GO TO YOU.
YOU WERE IN A NEWSROOM AT THE TIME IN NEW YORK CITY.
DESCRIBE THE CONFUSION FOR ME.
OBVIOUSLY WE COVER BREAKING NEWS ALL THE TIME AS JOURNALISTS, BUT THIS WAS A ONCE-IN-A LIFETIME EVENT AND I HAVE TO IMAGINE IN THE NEWSROOM THERE WAS A FLURRY OF CONFUSION.
NOBODY KNEW WHAT WAS GOING ON.
>> LET ME CORRECT YOU, DAN.
I WAS NEAR THE PENTAGON AND I WAS A NEWS PRODUCER ON OF ALL THINGS ON A BUSINESS PROGRAM.
I JUST WORKED THE OVERNIGHT.
ODDLY ENOUGH AT THE END OF MY SHIFT, I WANTED TO PLAY TOURIST.
IT WAS ACTUALLY ON MY AGENDA THAT MORNING TO GO TO THE PENTAGON.
>> WOW.
>> MY FAMILY WAS STILL UP IN BUFFALO AND I HAD TOLD THEM THAT, BUT I WAS JUST TOO TIRED AT THE END OF SHIFT SO I WENT HOME AND TOOK A QUICK NAP.
I INITIALLY LEARNED ABOUT THE TWIN TOWERS WHEN MY FAMILY CALLED AND SAID, WERE YOU WITH THE PENTAGON?
THAT WAS MY PREVIOUSLY STATED AGENDA, AND I SAID, NO THEY SAID GET OUT OF BED.
TUR ON THE TV.
AND AS SOON AS I SAW THAT, BY THAT POINT, WE HAD STARTED TO HEAR WHAT JAMI WAS TALKING ABOUT, THE IDEA THAT THIS WAS TERRORISM.
EVEN THOUGH MY ACTUAL SHIFT WAS THE OVERNIGHT, EVERYBODY JUST, ALL HANDS ON DECK WERE IN THAT NEWSROOM FOR THE BALANCE OF THAT DAY.
>> HOW CLOSE WERE YOU TO THE PENTAGON IN THE NEWSROOM THERE?
I'M NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE STATION YOU WERE AT.
I DON'T KNOW THE LOCATION.
HOW CLOSE WERE YOU TO THE PENTAGON?
HOW DID THAT INFLUENCE YOUR COVERAGE THERE?
>> WE WERE AT-- INSIDE A BUILDING ON K STREET, THREE BLOCKS FROM THE WHITE HOUSE.
WE WERE PRETTY MUCH RIGHT DOWNTOWN, PENTAGON BEING OBVIOUSLY OUT TOWARD ARLINGTON WAY.
BUT ONE OF THE THINGS, ONE OF THE MOST VISCERAL MEMORIES I HAVE WAS EVERYWHERE YOU WENT, EVEN OUTSIDE OUR STUDIOS.
I LIVED IN A SUBURBAN AREA ON THE OTHER SIDE OF MARYLAND, EVERYWHERE YOU WENT THE SUBWAYS SMELLED LIKE BURNT RUBBER.
ONCE THE PLANE HIT THE PENTAGON AND THE PENTAGON IS CONNECTED TO THE SUBWAYS, IT WAS EVERYWHERE.
YOU COULD NOT DO ANYTHING WITH PUBLIC TRANSKNIT D. C. AND NOT FEEL THIS EVENT.
EVEN IF YOU WEREN'T LIKE JAMI, ACTUALLY ON THE SCENE ENVELOPED BY THE CLOUDS.
IT WAS JUST THIS CONSTANT PRESENCE OF THE SMELL OF FIRE AND BURNT RUBBER.
>> JAMI, DESCRIBE TO ME HOW YOU WERE FEELING AS YOU WENT TOWARD THE TWIN TOWERS.
AS I READ IN A TRANSCRIPT THAT YOU FORWARDED TO ME, YOU DIDN'T SHY BACK AWAY FROM THE SCENE THERE.
YOU ACTUALLY WENT WITH YOUR CREW TOWARD THE TWIN TOWERS THROUGH THE SMOKE.
WHAT WERE YOU FEELING?
HOW DID YOU DO THAT?
>> RIGHT.
YEAH.
IT'S TRUE WHAT DAVE SAYS THAT SMELL, AND NOW THAT HE BRINGS IT UP, THAT WAS WITH US FOR DAYS AND WEEKS AND NOT JUST WHAT WE CALL THE ZONE AT THE TIME.
THE ZONE WAS THE AREA AROUND THE DISASTER OF THE TWIN TOWERS BUT YES, WE MOVED TOWARD WHAT WE THEN WOULD LEARN WAS AN ATTACK.
WE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WAS HAPPENING, RIGHT, DAN, WE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WAS HAPPENING.
WE DID KNOW THAT PEOPLE WERE RUSHING THE OTHER DIRECTION WARDING US OFF TELLING US, TURN AROUND, TURN AROUND.
WE'RE RUNNING.
MANY WERE WALKING, ODDLY, WALKING, YOU KNOW, IN SORT OF A DAZED STATE.
SO YES, WE WERE MOVING TOWARD IT.
THE ASH IS FALLING THROUGH THE AIR AND OTHER THINGS FALLING THROUGH THE AIR.
I MEAN, I CAN-- IT DOES REALLY COME BACK TO YOU AS YOU BEGIN TO RELIVE IT, AND PEOPLE COVER IT.
AS YOU REMEMBER THOSE IMAGES IN THE ASH AND SOOT, THEY'RE ALL THE SAME COLOR, WHATEVER THEIR NATURAL SKIN TONE, SUDDENLY EVERYBODY IS THE SAME COVERED IN THIS ASHY DEBRIS, THEIR HAIR, THEIR FACES AND WE WERE ALL INHALING IT.
THINK ABOUT THAT.
>> THE FIRST RESPONDERS NOW CONTINUE TO DIE FROM HAVING MADE THEIR WAY THROUGH WHAT WE CALL THE PILE, THE REMAINS OF THE TWO TOWERS FOR WEEKS TRYING TO RECOVER THOSE WHO DIED.
THEY CONTINUE TO THIS DAY JUST A WEEK AGO, ANOTHER POLICE OFFICER DIED OF 9/11 RELATED INJURIES.
SO THE DEBRIS FROM THOSE TOWERS SO DEADLY AS WAS OBVIOUSLY THE IMPACT ITSELF.
>> DAVE, I WANT TO TURN TO YOU AND JAMI, I'LL POSE THE SAME QUESTION TO YOU RIGHT AFTER.
I FEEL LIKE ON 9/11 AND THE DAYS IMMEDIATELY AFTER, THERE WERE A LOT OF EMOTIONS FLOATING AROUND.
ONE OF THEM BEING FEAR.
NOBODY KNEW WHAT WAS GOING ON OR WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT.
THE NEXT IS SADNESS.
THERE WAS A TREMENDOUS LOSS OF LIFE BOTH IN D. C. AND NEW YORK CITY.
DAVE, HOW DID YOU BALANCE COVERING THIS WITH ALL THAT FEAR AND SADNESS VERSUS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO GET INFORMATION TO PEOPLE THAT THEY NEEDED?
>> I THINK IT WAS A MATTER OF JUST ISOLATING MYSELF, BEING IN THE NEWSROOM AND FOCUSING ON WHAT I HAD TO DO.
I IN THE PAST COVERED PLANE CRASHES WHERE IT WAS THE SAME THING AND THEN THREE DAYS LATER, IT SUDDENLY HIT ME AND THE SADNESS CAME IN.
I THINK YOU JUST-- YOU'VE GOT TO COMPARTMENTALIZE IT.
THERE WAS CERTAINLY A LOT OF FEAR IN AND AROUND WASHINGTON AFTERWARDS BECAUSE RIGHT AFTER THIS CAME THE ANTHRAX ATTACKS AND THEN THERE WAS THAT WASHINGTON, D. C. SNIPER, AND THEY WERE ALL WITHIN ABOUT THREE WEEKS OF EACH OTHER.
AGAIN, IT WAS A VERY SCARY, REAL SORT OF THING.
NEWSROOM WAS ALMOST PEACEFUL BECAUSE I WAS ABLE TO COMPARTMENTALIZE IT.
BUT OUT ON THE STREETS, THE COMMUNITY YOU COULD SENSE THAT FEAR YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT, DAN.
>> JAMI, SAME QUESTION TO YOU.
HOW DID YOU DO THIS?
AS SOMEBODY WHO COVERED THE PANDEMIC OVER THE PAST YEAR, I FOUND IT DIFFICULT TO BALANCE THE SADNESS AND THE NEED TO GET INFORMATION OUT TO PEOPLE.
HOW DO YOU DO THAT'S PERSONALLY ON THE GROUND?
I IMAGINE AS A REPORTER IN A ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME EVENT IT WAS TERRIFYING.
>> RIGHT.
I THINK MY TRAINING AS AN ATTORNEY, FIRST AND FOREMOST, REALLY DID TRAIN ME TO AS DAVE USES THE VERY APPROPRIATE WORD COM COMPARTMENTALIZE, TO SEPARATE YOUR OWN FEELINGS, EMOTIONS, RESPONSES FROM WHAT THE WORK IS, THE FACTS THAT YOU NEED TO GET ACROSS TO HELP PEOPLE GET THROUGH A CRISIS.
THAT'S OUR ROLE AS JOURNALISTS, RIGHT?
TO PROVIDE INFORMATION AT A CRITICAL TIME, THE MOST CRITICAL TIME.
BUT I HAVE TO SAY, I'M GLAD YOU BROUGHT UP THE PANDEMIC.
BECAUSE A LOT OF YOUNG PEOPLE HAVE ASKED ME ABOUT OUR NATIONAL RESPONSE TO 9/11 AND COOPERATION AND COLLABORATION AS OPPOSED TO HOW WE'VE RESPONDED AS A NATION DURING THE PANDEMIC.
AND I THINK FOR JOURNALISTS, IT'S VERY, VERY TRAUMATIC.
WE GO THROUGH THESE EVENTS.
WE COMPARTMENTALIZE BUT DO WE EVER REALLY RECOVER, OR ARE WE LIVING IN A CONSTANT STATE OF PTSD?
I DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT.
I WORRY THAT ALL MY COMPARTMENTALISM IS TAKING ITS TOLL AND I'M NOT AWARE OF IT.
I THINK THE WORK WE DO IS VERY, VERY IMPORTANT.
WE DO A SERVICE TO THE NATION.
I HOPE THAT JOURNALISTS CONTINUE TO DO THAT WORK BECAUSE THERE WILL ALWAYS BE THESE CHALLENGES FOR US AND OUR ROLE IS AN IMPORTANT ONE IN A DEMOCRACY.
>> I HOPE SO TOO.
IN SOME SENSES, ESPECIALLY IN THESE MAJOR EVENTS WE ARE ALSO A SORT OF FIRST RESPONDER TO THESE EVENTS TO GET PEOPLE THE INFORMATION THAT THEY MAY WANT OR NEED.
SOMETIMES IT CAN PUT US IN SITUATIONS THAT ARE NOT SAFE, THAT OTHER PEOPLE MAY NOT GO INTO.
YOU KNOW, WE'LL LEAVE IT THERE.
WE CAN TALK ABOUT THIS ALL DAY.
WE WILL LEAVE IT THERE.
JAMI FLOYD FROM WNYC, DAVE DEBO FROM WBFO.
THANK YOU BOTH SO MUCH FOR SHARING YOUR STORIES >> THANK YOU FOR HAVING US, DAN.
[ THEME MUSIC ] >> AS JAMI SAID, HEALTH IMPACTS OF 9/11 STILL CONTINUE TODAY FOR BOTH HE FIRST RESPONDERS AND THOSE WHO SURVIVED THE ATTACKS.
WE'LL LINK TO A FEW STORIES ON OUR WEBSITE, BUT FOR NOW, THANKS FOR WATCHING THIS WEEK'S "NEW YORK NOW. "
HAVE A GREAT WEEK AND BE WELL.
