[RTTY] Disaster

[Bill Hellman]

Dear Friends.

The WTC tragedy hit very close to home for my family.
My son-in-law Edoardo, who is an engineer with the Port Authority of NY
& NJ,  was on the 73rd floor when the aircraft crashed on the floors above
him.
Having experienced the bomb explosion in the WTC several years ago, he ran
immediately
to the stairways and literally sprinted down all 73 floors. He met many
firemen climbing up
the stairs with all their fire-fighting gear. He fears they all perished. He
was able to get
down and out of the building after sloshing through a foot of water, broken
glass and dirt..
 My wife and I,  and our daughter were quite worried with what we saw on
television until we
received a cell call from Edo letting us know he was safe. He had to walk up
the west
side of Manhattan for about 2 miles until he found a taxi to take him to a
bridge crossing to
the Bronx. All bridges were shut down to traffic. He was able to walk across
the bridge after
the NYC Bomb Squad cleared a suspicious package in the roadway.
I drove to  NYC to get him. It was difficult because streets that lead to
bridge crossings
were closed by the police. Traffic was a nightmare.

After about 2 hours we were able to meet at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx
thanks to our cell phones. Needless to say, he is still in shock. Our
relatives in
Europe and Canada have been calling and sending e-mail all day and they were
glad
to hear that Edo was safe. Unfortunately, he learned today that some of his
co-workers
died in the initial crash.

I thank all the friends who have sent messages of sympathy for this
situation.

73, Bill - NA2M