Ten years ago, a group of students in the Carolina Reporter, barely two weeks into the semester, swung into action as the planes flew into the World Trade Center. One had a friend in New York who worked at the twin towers but was running late that day. The friend shared his pager messages with us, and on this 10th anniversary we are rerunning the story in remembrance of that day.

"Shaking" pager alerts former USC student of workplace attacks

By Maruxa Relano
Edited by Brandon Larrabee

Until Tuesday morning Seth Wandersman, a USC graduate from Columbia, worked in the first building of the World Trade Center, as a web developer for the financial firm Lehman Brothers . As his workload had increased in the past months, he had pledged to himself he wouldn't be late to work again. But on the morning of September 11th he was again running late. Minutes later, the World Trade Center was hit by the first of a series of terrorist attacks against the neuralgic core of the nation. In the minutes that followed, he received multiple and frantic pages from his friends and colleagues at work, through the Lehman Brothers internal page system. This is the email he sent his worried friends, scattered across the country, later in the day. It includes the pages from his colleagues and friends who were on the 40th floor of the World Trade Center Tuesday at 8:48 a.m.

My friends,

Thank you for your concern. This has been a strange day. It is 2:30 p.m. on Sept 11.

I was running a few minutes late for work at 1 World Trade Center, 40th floor (the north tower). It was 8:50 a.m., and I would have gotten there at about 9:15 a.m. My aunt called me frantically, and I was puzzled by her concern. It seemed like things were going to be troubled but OK. A plane did hit the Empire State Building about 45 years ago by simply flying too low. The Empire State Building was fine, and there was I believe one fatality in the building and a couple on the plane.

The World Trade Center is often shrouded in fog, and it was easy to imagine this had happened again.

I flipped on the TV. We then watched and saw the gaping hole in the 80th floor of my building. I assured my aunt that I was OK and thanked her for calling. I was planning -- after calling my parents and changing the message on the answering machine -- to go to work. But then, I heard an explosion as I saw it on television (I live about a mile away). This was supposedly the fuselage exploding.

I carry an e-mail pager at all times so my work can get in touch with me. A few minutes after 9 a.m., my pager began shaking on the floor. The page was from Paramjit "P. J." Bains. The pages arrived late and out of order.

I have known the group I work with for a short time, but it has been an intense experience. The project we work on is time intensive, and we have spent many late nights and weekends together. P. J. recently had a child, and we talked about what digital camera he should buy to record the experience. Our boss is Sergio Galindo, and his assistant is Atul Sharma. Also in my group are Deron Blair, Jina Kim, Khaled Abdel-Rahman, Rabeeha Kahn, Dmitry Zeldin and Abdul Mohammed.

9 a.m.

From: dblair_lehman (Deron Blair)

Subject: Wtc1 is on fire

Commercial jet crashed into it around 80 floor.

9:08 a.m.

From: krahman_lehman (khaled abdel-rahman)

Subject: Re: Wtc1 is on fire

R u guys all ok..

9:11 a.m.

From: pbains_lehman (Paramjit Bains)

Received first, time-stamped

Subject: Re: Wtc1 is on fire

Just made it down the staircase it is scaru over here 40th floor felt like an earthquke everyone is ok from 40

9:30 a.m.

From: abjain_lehman ( abjain_lehman)

Subject: Re: Wtc1 is on fire

So glad to know you are all ok. I am back home now. I'm ok.

9:44 a.m.

From: dblair_lehman ( dblair_lehman) Deron

Subject: Re: Wtc1 is on fire

Pj is everyone ok after the 2nd crash??? The pentagon was attacked!

From: sgalindo_lehman (Sergio Galindo)

Subject: Two planes hit the WTC

Everyone page me back and let me know where u are and how to reach you.Get home if u can. I am on Broadway and Chambers street if u need any help.

Cheers,

Sergio A. Galindo

9:47 a.m.

From: abjain_lehman ( abjain_lehman)

Subject: Re: Two planes hit the WTC

Everyone, I am ok. If anyone needs any assistance, my apt is right here and pen to anyone that needs it right now. Just page me back.

9:52 a.m.

From: atsharma_lehman ( atsharma_lehman)

Subject: Re: Two planes hit the WTC

Has every informed home.pls page me the number and I will inform your home

9:56 a.m.

From: sgalindo_lehman@imcingular.com (Sergio Galindo)

Subject: Re: Two planes hit the WTC

Go home

10:00 a.m.

From: dblair_lehman ( dblair_lehman)

Subject: Re: Two planes hit the WTC

Please tell me everyone is ok after this explosion???????

10:04 a.m.

From: krahman_lehman (khaled abdel-rahman)

Subject: Re: Two planes hit the WTC

I'm ok, thank god.. It was a hell explosion..

From: psaraf@imcingular.com (Puja Saraf)

Subject: Re: U okay

The phones are not working I am fine I just waw our ofice collapse.... This is just so sad oh lord please help

From: mnobilio_lehman@imcingular.com (mnobilio_lehman)

Subject: Are you OK

A few people called me and I'm sure that more were unable to get through. I'm still having difficulty with the phones.

The most disturbing thing is that my final page has not been awnsered. My last sentence to my boss read:

All the pages sound like everyone is ok?

He is very conscientious, but there have been problems with the paging service. As far as I know, everyone is OK. When I'm done with this e-mail, I'm going to make more calls.

After this was over, I called my friend Christian to have breakfast. We decided to meet at Stingy Lulu's, a cafe near us, to talk. I went there and was impatient when I didn't see him. I had begun to lose all my abilty to stay focused. I walked the 10 minutes to his place, where I buzzed his apartment repeatedly. I walked back to the original location and still didn't see him. It was then I realized that I wasn't on the right block. I forced myself to calm down, and I eventually found him. The cafe was closed, so we went to another one nearby.

The next one was constantly broadcasting the news, and I couldn't handle that. We went back to his place, and he cooked eggs. Somebody that he and his girlfriend Molly had lived with for a few months worked on the 80th floor of 1WTC. This was probably the worst place to be. But we have found out that she is OK.

For the most part, I'm avoiding the news. My camera was at work, but I haven't had any desire to take pictures. Though the building is visible from where I live, I have avoided looking at it. It often takes a while for news to hit me, but I am already starting to realize that a month from now and a year from now there will be a large hole where I used to work.

Unlike other events such as hurricanes and earthquakes I think this will have a lasting effect on New Yorkers and myself.

There has been some talk of evacuation, and because I live on the Lower East Side, we would probably be moved. I don't know whether this is because of immediate danger or the vast clouds of debris that were generated.

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