Steam

A date I will not forgot soon: July 18, 2007. I was just talking to our IT folks focusing on some problems with my laptop when we hear a rumble and shortly thereafter see a smoke cloud moving into our view and hear debris flying into the windows - on the 18th floor! What was going on? We let everything go and immediately run to the staircase. There is already people in there, making their way downstairs. The crowd is moving, slowly, too slowly for me, quite frankly. I start to really feel concerned. This is not the moment, not here nor now. I hear people crying. Finally, we reach the first floor and I run as so many others out and away. Sirenes everywhere, continuous flow of police cars, detective cars, ambulances, detective cars, fire fighters, detective cars, detective cars, detective cars. I'm headed south on Park Ave and run a couple blocks. I stop in between, look back. There is fear and there is curiosity. A crazy curiosity. What on earth happened? The smoke continues to wave skyhigh behind Park 101. I stop. As do many. Shall I stay or shall I get the heck out of here? I take out my phone. Who can I call? It's past 6 pm. Back home in Europe, everybody is sleeping. I call a friend in the DC area. Finally, I get a connection. "Hey, something is going on in Manhattan. I don't know what. Have you heard anything? Could you check and let me know?" , I decide to stay. As more detective cars and police pull towards 40th street, I even start walking back a bit. Suddenly I see single individuals covered in dust head to toe. 40th street is already blocked and I'm stopped. I finally meet fellow coworkers. Talking helps. Rumors start spreading, stories are being told. The shock seems to slowly fade. Whatever happened, it seems we were lucky. The buildings seem to stand, and while smoke continues to vapor, a curious calmness bonds everybody on the street.
As I'm standing there and waiting, stunned from what I just experienced and still am, I realize that I have nothing but my keys with me. My wallet with cash, cards, IDs is sitting at my desk. Wow, I hope to get back up there, picking up my wallet and laptop that is still sitting up there running still tonight. As I continue to wait my hopes to gain access to these belongings fade. By now, the whole area is shut down, policemen are blocking the access and I finally make my way home - with 20 bucks borrowed from a colleague from work.

Some updates can be found here: http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/07/18/buildings-evacuated-after-midtown-explosion/