For Immediate Release
September 11, 2001

Reaching out to those hit by tragedy

"I got rocked out of my chair." Timothy Eng was on the 83^rd floor of World Trade Center's Building #1 and felt the first plane hit this morning. "At first I thought it was a really heavy wind, but then I saw one of the traders I work with; he was burned from head to toe. I rushed to put out the flames. People said a plane hit the building. All we saw was debris flying out from above. I helped the trader get down the stairs. As we came down it was dark and there was water and debris everywhere."

Michael Wityk was on the 59^th floor in Building #2, preparing for a 9 a.m. meeting. After a sudden loud noise, he saw that Building #1 was on fire, with paper and glass flying outside. "We were told to evacuate. When we were in the stairwell and got down to about the 20^th floor, an announcement indicated they were about to let us go back up, thinking that only Building #1 was being affected. All of a sudden Building #2 shook. There was some other kind of violent explosion, then everyone started getting panicky. It changed the mood, the terror really rose at that point. My knees literally started to shake."

Both of these men were survivors of today's tragedy, two of the thousands who made their way across the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges to escape the aftermath of this catastrophe.

Linda works on Wall Street and had to evacuate with throngs of other New Yorkers. "One of the tenants was trampled, but thank God she was all right. Others saw the second plane hitting the tower. Everyone was scared. . . . Hatred can do so much harm. So many innocent lives were lost for no reason. We pray we can assist others who were going through such a hard time."

Arriving in the lobby of the Watchtower buildings across the Brooklyn Bridge, Timothy, Michael and Linda breathed a sigh of relief. They were able to join many others who sought shelter in these buildings. The billowing smoke across the river is a reminder of what they just survived.

A volunteer brings Timothy a cup of water and offers him a chair. "You don't know how happy I feel to have made it to Brooklyn, coming down from 83 floors in the air." When he realized he really was out of danger, he added, "I feel safe."

Food and refreshments are provided to the people who streamed in the building. "They are looking for a haven," Jack, one of the helping hands, remarks. "There was some panic. A lot of people who work here volunteered to help provide whatever was needed."

The Watchtower buildings in Brooklyn were not damaged in today's tragedy, but the people working in them felt it deeply. As spokesman J.R. Brown expressed it, "Today's explosions sent a shock wave through the heart of New York and the rest of the world. Everyone will be touched by this tragedy. Comfort and cooperation are the necessary survival kit right now."

Contact: J. R. Brown, telephone: (718) 560-5600