held in the lobby or perhaps directed through the underground concourse.
utes of the North Tower's being hit. If not for a second, unanticipated attack,
the evacuation presumably would have proceeded.
instead of searching for a clear path down, when stairwell A was at least ini-
tially passable. Although rooftop rescues had not been conclusively ruled out,
civilians were not informed in fire drills that roof doors were locked, that
rooftop areas were hazardous, and that no helicopter evacuation plan existed.
fusion delayed the evacuation of some and may have obstructed that of others.
The Port Authority has acknowledged that in the future, tenants should be
made aware of what conditions they will encounter during descent.
In several ways, the 911 system was not ready to cope with a major disaster.
These operators and dispatchers were one of the only sources of information
for individuals at and above the impact zone of the towers.The FDNY ordered
both towers fully evacuated by 8:57, but this guidance was not conveyed to 911
operators and FDNY dispatchers, who for the next hour often continued to
advise civilians not to self-evacuate, regardless of whether they were above or
below the impact zones. Nor were 911 operators or FDNY dispatchers advised
that rooftop rescues had been ruled out.This failure may have been harmful to
civilians on the upper floors of the South Tower who called 911 and were not
told that their only evacuation hope was to attempt to descend, not to ascend.
In planning for future disasters, it is important to integrate those taking 911
calls into the emergency response team and to involve them in providing up-
to-date information and assistance to the public.
ability that they will survive, should disaster strike. Clearly, many building occu-
pants in the World Trade Center did not take preparedness seriously.
Individuals should know the exact location of every stairwell in their work-
place. In addition, they should have access at all times to flashlights, which were
deemed invaluable by some civilians who managed to evacuate the WTC on
September 11.