The Silent Snowstorm
By Beth Cumbo
I had the subtle honor of meeting a woman, Mary Lee Hannell, a two-time World Trade Center survivor. There was no pomp and circumstance, just a casual woman in a plaid button-up shirt, jeans and a leather back pack. My husbands’ twin sister, Bea, had arranged this meeting as a High School Graduation gift for our middle daughter, Katie. We would be touring the World Trade Center Site and Mary Lee would be our guide.
As we waited in a 30-minute line and passed several security checks, Mary Lee seemed just like everyone else. She appeared as a visitor, searching for some type of connection or explanation to that dreadful day, 9/11. Let me tell you, this woman, Mary Lee Hannell is not like everyone else.
Where were you that morning of September 11, 2001? That is a question we often, as civilians, ask one another and always have a detailed answer for. Mary Lee Hannell and the rest of her co-workers of Port Authority of New York and New Jersey were starting their work morning off in the World Trade Center. That morning, Mary Lee had skipped her traditional coffee stop with her husband to get to the office earlier to prepare for an interview that she was conducting. One minute later after exiting the elevator on the 67th floor, she felt a jerk and a snap that definitely wasn’t the typical feel of the building’s slow sway caused by the wind. A dark oily smoke began to billow from the elevator shaft. The same elevator she had just exited from.
Mary Lee and the others from Port Authority had already lived through the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center where 6 other companions were lost. Her first response in 1993 was to evacuate the building as quickly as possible without any personal belongings, but on that day in 2001 she reminded others to grab their wallets and briefcases as a pre-cautious measure to minimize the follow-up paperwork to re-establish licenses, credit cards, and other important documents. Even as she spoke those words to us, regret and pain rippled through her face. To this day, she struggles with the thought that she put practicality before existence. Thankfully, no one was lost as a result of these instructions. This painful memory serves as a great lesson learned from the 2001 evacuation.
The occupants of the World Trade Center during the 2001 attacks did not know exactly what caused the signal to evacuate the building. Mary Lee shared that there was a report from a woman on their floor that believed that she saw a small private plane fly into the building. This woman’s mind could not translate the reality of the situation, that in fact it was a commercial jetliner.
Immediately, Mary Lee and her crew began the long descent, moving down the stairwell, 67 floors. They were concerned about having to leave a fellow employee in a wheel chair on their descent and promised to return with help. They were keeping up a dialogue, joking around and reassuring people. Around the 30th floor they started to encounter smoke. One of the women in the group had her gym bag. She passed out the bag’s contents, tee shirt, socks, sports bra to the group, “So you can breathe…They’re clean, really!” she jokingly reassured everybody. Near the same time, a lone fireman passed them by, sucking wind as he continued his ascent in full suit, 40lbs plus equipment on his back. They all spoke of the person in the wheelchair who needed help. As they traveled lower, somewhere around the 20th floor, they were up to their ankles in water. As they reached the mezzanine level, Mary Lee recalls that this was the first time that she felt afraid.
They were not prepared for the wreckage on the ground level at the foot of the Towers. To exit via the Plaza was not an option. It was a war zone, with unspeakable images as people threw themselves from the building. One woman with asthma stopped to rest on a bench in effort to regain her strength. Mary Lee and two other co-workers began their daylong trek via the Church Street exit. Several blocks away from the World Trade Center, a thundering explosion resonated while the buildings collapsed. The three of them held hands in a circle of prayer as an impenetrable wall of white material engulfed them. It took over a minute before it became manageable. They were in complete shock. Never once, did it cross their minds that the towers would actually collapse. They continued their walk towards the Hudson River and the world turned into a silent snowstorm for Mary Lee. Her brain did not register any sound, what so ever. The streets were void of people and cars. The situation was surreal. At some point, as the three of them continued their journey, they were approached by a New York Sanitation employee who was asking them if they were in the World Trade Center. “How did you know?” was their response. He told them to look at themselves, which they did and to their astonishment, they were covered in a thick white dust.
Employees of the Sanitation Department were kind enough to find replaceable garments for the three of them. They rinsed the dust from their face and hands in the bathroom and were surprised to see that their skin was scored with tiny cut marks from the explosion. They continued their journey toward the New Jersey Ferry and eventually arrived there to find the area in complete chaos. Inconspicuously, they slipped into line waiting for the next ferry to New Jersey. Keeping their eyes averted from others, they wait for over four hours to cross over into New Jersey.
Mary Lee was able to call into her children’s school to report to her children that she had survived the collapse of the Twin Towers. It was peace of mind to her, that her family knew she was safe. Her husband’s safety was still unknown to her at this time.
While facts were being gathered early on regarding the cause of the collapse of World Trade Center Buildings, it was being questioned what else was on board the planes that struck the buildings, besides people and jet fuel. Upon reaching the Jersey Shore, they were questioned by authorities asking if her group had been in the World Trade Center. How could they single them out and ask this question? How did they know? The authorities told them that it was obvious; one only had to look at their shoes. By this time, Mary Lee’s crocodile loafers were no longer recognizable. Unfortunately, the situation turned for the worst. To add insult to injury, the Chief of the Weehawken Fire Department ordered them to be hosed down with a fire hose to ensure that their bodies weren’t contaminated with some type of chemical weapon. Drenched and worn out, Mary Lee made it to her home around 8:00 p.m. to be reunited with her children and her husband, who also had made it out safely.
The next day, as she brought her children to school, the other school children ran up to touch her. She was a hero. Mary Lee does not see it as such. The heroes were the Port Authority Policemen and New York City Firefighters. The heroes were the ones who did not make it out alive; the woman who stopped on the bench to catch her breath, the stranded man in his wheelchair, the fireman who was on his way to save him. She, had just survived.
Terror, silently took place as an additional member to her family, for a time. They wore trauma on their sleeves, due to this terrible day. Each family member has found a way to deal with the lasting effects. Mary Lee found great help in working with Tribute WTC and by giving tours of the site, first hand. Her children leaned on family and friends to find their way. Her husband found peace in silence.
Mary Lee has the qualities of a gracious leader and a hero. She faces her fears, every time that she guides a tour and re-counts the day of 9/11. It won’t be easy, re-establishing her Port Authority family back into World Trade Center, Building 4. It will take great strength and compassion to accomplish this feat. With all my heart, I know she will succeed.
My small gift to Mary Lee is a painting, envisioning that day, through her eyes: The silent snowstorm.