People began fleeing the scene in any way possible.

Geoffrey A. Fowler ’00, a reporter at the Wall Street Journal, was on the subway on his way to work immediately after the crashes had occurred. Listening to music on his MP3 player, he wasn’t paying attention to the large numbers of people standing around as he swiped his card. Only when he and the other passengers were evacuated from the Chambers Streeet stop did Fowler learn of the tragedy, one stop away from the WTC on the E train.

When the buildings collapsed, the whole city stopped.

“Every one was just in awe,” said Scott Carmack ’01, who was watching the television coverage at J.P. Morgan Chase in midtown. “No one was saying anything.”

Relief

Chaos reigned as New Yorkers faced communication gridlock.

For many of those hoping to contact friends and classmates, the only hope was cell phones, but service disintegrated in wake of the collapse.