Long Island Woman Remembers 9/11 Firsthand, Watching Horror Unfold; Today, She Says, 'I Pray'

This story was first posted in 2016 and is reprinted to honor the lost, and all whose lives were changed forever on 9/11.

NORTH FORK, NY — Paula DiDonato, owner of The Giving Room in Southold, was working in lower Manhattan on Sept. 11, 2001, and watched firsthand as the terrorist attacks unfolded and the world changed forever.

Here, in her own words, are her memories of that horrific day.

"At this time in the morning 15 years ago I was getting ready to go to work at the World Financial Center – across the street from the Trade Center. As I drove to work I marveled at the blue blue blue sky of September – always my favorite.

"We were sitting in a corner conference room on the 42nd floor when a thunderous frightening sound startled all of us – it sounded like a missile. We heard the enormous impact and rushed to the window to see the top of the North Tower of the Trade Center completely engulfed in a fireball. It looked like the top of the building was gone. We immediately agreed to get everyone we could out of our building. Many left quickly and many listened to instructions to stay in place. Hundreds and hundreds of us were streaming out onto the streets and sidewalks. Someone told me they had seen Judy looking for me and I started out in the direction she was last seen. I couldn’t find her.

"I was standing with a colleague when we heard the second plane, looked up and watched it slam into the Trade Center. That is when the panic struck. People running, running….

"The sirens, noises, still very much a part of my being and memory. I kept saying to myself, ‘I don’t want to die like this.’

"I ran north and Judy remained downtown. She was there when the first Tower collapsed. The ground shook, the cloud encroached. It is a miracle that she was untouched – physically that is. Judy watched as people leapt from the Tower escaping the flames.

"My mother was the first call that I could get through – phones weren’t working. She told me that we were ‘under attack’. I ran and Judy’s mother called me. She told me that Judy was running up the West Side Highway, and I told her to tell her to, ‘be careful of the fighter jets.’ I was in shock and saying things that didn’t make sense – or did they?

"I waited for Judy on the steps of our apartment and I watched my neighbor pull up in his town car. The front fender missing, dust everywhere. He was a doctor and was on scene when the first tower collapsed. His family came out to clean him up and he raced off to help again.

"By now, the people covered in dust were starting to walk by. All with this look of terror – non responsive. I waited and waited and went inside and answered calls – Clare, Andrea, family. Finally Judy arrived home. Both of us in shock.

"By the time we decided to leave the city it was getting dark. We gathered our two dogs and started to walk to Penn Station - the trains were still running. The walk across town was harrowing. 34th Street was represented by an endless flow of Fire Trucks from every town on Long Island. It was a bone chilling, continuous siren sound screaming along side us. We wondered about the survivors. We wondered about our friends, colleagues, others who stayed in the buildings waiting for instruction.

"We stayed with my parents for a day or two and eventually made our way out to the North Fork where we had purchased a home a year before. We sat on the silent beach for days. We watched meteor showers and dreamt about planes crashing into buildings.

"The impact of this day still unfolds. I still look up when I hear a plane too close. Crystal clear blue skies remind me of that morning. My life has been completely redefined as I found it impossible to work downtown without thinking about what I should be doing with my life. I felt called to change, but I continue to grapple with what that means exactly.

"There are many things I feel certain about, although that day has taught me never to be absolute about anything. But here is what I think I know:

• Our time on earth is a brief and absolute gift
• Those we love need to be told daily how much we love them
• Love conquers evil every day and we must never allow ourselves to become evil in response to pain.
• New York City is the greatest place on earth filled with compassionate and courageous heroes. I miss NYC very much
• Conspiracy theorists cause great pain to those of us who watched what happened. Trafficking in lies about this day is evil in itself
• I feel great love for those I shared that day with. A bond that will never be broken
• The North Fork is a place of great healing and love

I thank God that Judy and I were spared – along with countless other friends and colleagues.

I pray for the continuous love, support and healing of those who lost fathers, sons, husbands, wives, mothers, friends, colleagues, daughters, nieces, and nephews, grandchildren….

I pray. I pray. I pray."

Photo courtesy of Paula DiDonato, of her office and family, with the Twin Towers in the background.