102 Minutes Summary

Words: 523
Pages: 3

102 Minutes: The Untold Story of the Fight to Survive inside the Twin Towers tells the accounts of those who were inside the Twin Towers when two hijacked planes crashed into the buildings and those who courageously went inside the buildings to rescue victims on the morning of September 11, 2001. The authors start by telling about the workers who first arrived at the building that morning. Dianne DeFontes, who had worked at the World Trade Center for thirteen years, began her morning just like any other day, as did most of the victims. In order to give background information about the buildings, the authors provide details about the construction of the Twin Towers, and the Port Authority, which built and owned the buildings. The bombing of …show more content…
Most of the people who were above the impact zone when the plane hit were trapped because of rubble that blocked the stairways, but one Port Authority officer, Frank De Martini, led a crew of men who sacrificed their lives to help some of the trapped victims escape. Hundreds of policemen and firemen worked to rescue those trapped, but few were able to make it to the upper floors of the tower. When workers in the South tower heard of what happened to the North tower, they did not know whether to evacuate, or continue working. A group from Fuji/Mizuho offices made its way to the lobby, where they were told that they could return to their offices. No one could have imagined that another plane would soon hit their tower. A second plane hit the South tower at 9:03 am. Stanley Praimnath from Mizuho/Fuji watched from his window as the plane flew into his building. Numerous people were trapped in elevators, which had automatic locks that activated when the planes hit the buildings. One group was able to escape from an elevator by using the squeegee of Jan Demczur, a window washer of the North tower. Firefighters and police officers poured into the South tower to rescue victims trapped in the