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TREE SE NEE YE CY NE: WR NE TWEE ER Ns Se SS 8 - PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, October 2, 2001 "Scugog's Community Newspaper of Choice" Port Perry woman recalls attacks on New York By J. Peter Hvidsten Port Perry Star The events of Sept. 11, 2001 will go down in history as one of the most unforgettable in the history of the world - much like the landing of the first man on the moon, or the shooting of John F. Kennedy. But for the Knopp family of Port Perry, news of the attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York struck much closer to home. Their daughter was in the city that morning on her way to the office, locate in the shadows of the ill-fated twin towers. Heather Knopp, daughter of Elgin and Ann Mar:c Knopp, has been living in New York for about five years and works about 10 blocks from what is now well known as Ground Zero. Heather is a former Port Perry High School graduate and model who now works for Me & Ro Jewellery, a store that specializes in making custom jewellery. For Ann Marie and Elgin Knopp, Tuesday, Sept. 11 was an typical day, rising early as usual and getting ready to head off to work. Mr. Knopp had already left for his office at the Durham College North Campus in Uxbridge when Anne Marie received a frantic call from her sister Diane Brohman from Calgary around 8:45 a.m. "Both towers are gone... bombs keep going off down here" "Have you heard the news?" she said. "There's something going on in Manhattan, you bet- ter turn on your television." Mrs. Knopp immediately turned on her television set and was shocked by the sight which exploded before her eyes... the twin towers of the World Trade Centre engulfed in flames and spewing thick black smoke sky- ward. She frantically picked up the phone and called her daughter Heather in New York to warn her HEATHER KNOPP of the danger and tell her to stay home, but it was too late... Heather had already left to catch the subway to work. Mrs. Knopp headed off to open her store and watched on the television in horror as the events of the morning unfolded. Mr. Knopp rushed into his wife's store about 9:30 a.m. after learn- ing about the attacks on the WTC, worried about his daugh- ter's situation. Meanwhile in New York, Heather was heading into the middle of a disaster, with no idea what had really happened. As she approached the sub- way entrance, debris from the airliner which had hit the first tower was falling around her. At this point everyone thought a bomb had exploded somewhere. She told The Star as the train she was riding in was coming out from the underground to cross the Manhattan bridge, it jerked heavily causing many riders to fall down. Still unaware of the events unfolding above, she later suspected it was caused when the train ahead of them saw a plane hit the second tower. "When we came out from the tunnel, we could see the second tower on fire," she said. Finally, after arriving at her office about 11 a.m. Heather found a message waiting from PORT PERRY NEW Patients' Smiles Always Welcome e Dr. J. Cottrell » Dr. J. Hardy * Dr. L. Gideon e Dr. C. Banfield * Dr. L. Poranganel © Dr. H. Dewar * Dr. T. King (Orthodontist) © Dr. T. Mcintyre (Penodontist) -- Today's Smile... ---- Ney ROAD WATCH' For more info ca'l 1-888-579-1520 x 2670 her mother and immediately sent an e-mail home with the fol- lowing message: "Hey, | am okay, but this city is nuts. We can not leave because there are no trains... please call Laura and tell her 1 am okay! Both towers are gone... bombs keep going off down there... call me here if you can please!" The Knopps received a sec- ond e-mail from Heather about half an hour later with the fol- lowing frantic message from their daughter: "We are just confused here... we want to leave but where do we go? The streets are packed... | can not call out long distance... only e-mail... both towers are gone now... they are shooting down passenger planes that are hijacked... what are you hearing mom?" In a recent interview, Heather said she first learned about the attack from live TV reports, just before she left for work. At this point she didn't know what had happened, although early reports were that a 747 had crashed into the building. "We were in shock and thought it was an accident," she said. Leaving her apartment over- looking the bay she could see the smoke coming from one of the towers. After a 20-minute ride on the train, which goes over the Manhattan Bridge, she saw the two towers on fire when they came out from the tunnel, but still didn't realize what had hap- pened. Heather said a lot of cell phones were ringing and some people began to panic and cry. When she got out of the sub- way at their station, about 10 blocks from the WTC they ran up the stairs to see crowds of peo- ple running and others crowded around cars and trucks listening to the news on the radio. By the time she got to Me & Ro Heather was told the second tower had been hit by a plane and another airliner had crashed into the Pentagon. Heather and her friends stayed at work until about 11:30 a.m., then decided to leave before they got stuck in the city. They exited the safety of the building into air that was thick You're not a rat. Life's not a race. MAKE THE CHOICE TO SLOW DOWN. Ld One of the twin towers explodes after being struck by a hijacked airplane on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001 in New York City. with a burning smell, and fright- ened people running along the street. "The city has an eerie sense about it and there's an unbearable stench" "It was calm, yet the Broadway was like the bull run in Italy... a huge moving crowd," she said. People were stopped in groups, watching the towers and lining up to make phone calls to loved ones. Police and firemen from all over New York were on the scene and there were heli- copters everywhere and fighter jets flew overhead. As Heather began heading towards the Manhattan Bridge she joined up with thousands of people walking along, many helping those in need. It took over one hour to reach the bridge and another two hours before she could catch one of the packed buses to return home. Now, three weeks after the attack, Heather says the city has an eerie sense about it, and there is an unbearable stench in the air at times when there is a cloud cover. For Heather things are begin- ning to return to normal, although slowly. She said employees were called to see if they wanted to return to work the Thursday following the attack, but said they were all still in shock. They wanted to volun- teer to help, or give blood but the response was so overwhelm- ing they were not needed. She returned to work Friday, three days after the collapse of the World Trade Centre. Despite the trauma of the event, and the fact that her par- ents would like her to come back home, Heather says she still feels safe, thanks to the number of service people on the streets guarding buildings. "We're trying to be strong and | pray a lot more now, but | will not let this push me home. It took too much to get here. They would be win- ning if I did," she said. 18 years of family & friends colouring," curling and new fashion trends A special thanks to all out there who came to Mary to cut their hair Monte Carlo wishes her a special parting : TR iW Dee LL. han -- a A a RT CC ro . -- » Expanding the business a new shop she'll be starting FORDER-PARKS [VE V]7.\ (od lilo] (10, [oF 34 Water Street, Port Perry All Lines of General Insurance DISCOUNTS AVAILABLE Including ¢ Claims Free © Mongage Free * Seniors © New Home © Multi-Policy Convenient Payment Plans Available Call for a Competitive Quote 985-8471 She invites you to Uxbridge to sit in her chair At her new shop Marion's Headquarters Nice days are more made than had. UNISEX HAIRCARE 14 BASCOM STREET, UXBRIDGE For appointment call: 905-852-9616 Dental Care For The Entire Family & Evening & Saturday Appointments Available Please Call 905-985-8451 Visit our website: www.iluvmydentist.com 238 Queen Street, Port Perry