On the morning of September 11, 2001, I was in my office at the Newark Legal Center, preparing documents for a meeting scheduled at the World Trade Center. My brother called to tell me a plane had struck the North Tower. From my window, I could see the towers clearly, and I watched the smoke rising into the sky. It was surreal — one of those moments when the world shifts, and you know instantly that nothing will be the same.
When the towers collapsed, the Port Authority’s phone lines in New York went down. Our office became an unexpected lifeline. The phones at the Legal Center were still working, so they were designated as a point of contact for Port Authority employees to check in and for families to call in search of loved ones. The staff of Economic Development stepped into that role without hesitation.
For three straight days, we answered calls around the clock. We slept on couches and chairs, grabbing rest when we could. The conversations were often heartbreaking, filled with fear, confusion, and hope that grew thinner as the hours passed. One call in particular has stayed with me — a conversation with the wife of a dear friend who worked in the basement of the North Tower. It was one of the hardest moments of my life, trying to offer clarity when there were no answers.
After four or five days, our routine slowly began to normalize. We were able to go home at night, see our families, and return in the morning to continue helping. Through it all, the staff of Economic Development showed extraordinary strength and compassion. They were steady, committed, and resilient in a moment when the world desperately needed people like that.
Looking back, those days were some of the most stressful and emotionally demanding I’ve ever lived through. But they also revealed something profound — the quiet courage of ordinary people who rise to meet extraordinary circumstances.
William Myones
Retired January 2005
