Maltese who were in the New York on September 11, 2001, tell Patrick Cooke about their memories of that day and their reflections 10 years on.

Julian Vassallo
Working as First Secretary of the Permanent Mission of Malta to the UN in New York on 9/11.

I had just arrived at the building of the Permanent Mission of Malta to the UN in New York when the first plane hit and we all went onto the roof from where we could see the tower smouldering. Then the second plane hit right before our eyes.

There was anger, no fear. New Yorkers are strong people- Julian Vassallo

We could see everything, but we were too far away to hear anything, which made it surreal.

I remember very clearly that our Filipino driver just said three words: ‘Osama bin Laden.’ That was before his name and photo was everywhere.

My initial thought even when the first plane hit was that it was a terrorist attack; it quickly dawned on me that it couldn’t be an accident. Some silly commentators on the TV news were saying it was a light aircraft and there must have been a technical malfunction but that obviously wasn’t the case. And you have to remember that while the attack was completely shocking, bin Laden was already well-known.

After the first tower came down, for some reason I still can’t explain I got into the car to get closer to the World Trade Centre. I was travelling in my car and I looked out of the window and saw the second tower just crumble. My reaction was disbelief.

The immediate aftermath was like a scene from Mad Max, with everyone walking around covered in dust and debris. All cars had stopped in the road and people were gathered around radios and TVs trying to get their heads around what had happened. There was utter bewilderment, but what struck me more than anything was the sense of defiance and anger.

If we were attacked in Malta, we would probably close all shops and businesses on the day and stay home, but in New York it was the opposite – it was almost business as usual. There was a real sense of defiance, a sense that they weren’t going to be cowed or changed by anyone.

There was anger, but I detected no fear. New Yorkers are strong people. I think the response was very different to what would happen in Europe after an attack and certainly what would happen in Malta. This ‘we won’t change’ mantra went on for months.

We remained in New York and psychologically it was very tough. Suddenly all the work at the UN revolved around 9/11, non-stop, 24 hours a day. And for a long time the TV networks weren’t even showing adverts, just 24-hour coverage of the aftermath of 9/11 and the US response, so after a long day at the UN you would go home and be bombarded with more images on TV. It was absolute overload and it wasn’t until I went home to Malta at Christmas that I realised how stressed things had become in the US.

Airspace had been closed after the attacks but on September 17 I was on one of the first flights to resume when I had to fly to Nicaragua for a landmine conference. It was a United Airlines 757, and there were only eight passengers. I have to say I was quite petrified as there was a real feeling at the time that the attacks might not be over. Another thing was the smell – the wreckage continued to smoulder for a long time and gave off an awful acrid smell that could blow all over the city depending on the wind direction.

In terms of the US response, I certainly supported military action in Afghanistan because I believed and still believe it was unacceptable that terrorists were permitted to have training bases in that country.

I felt and still feel very different about Iraq. I was following the path to war at the UN and it just felt like an unstoppable disaster that would reflect very badly on the US and the West in general. I think as a result of Iraq, the US is less safe than it was before, not least because Iraq unfortunately demonstrated the limits of Western power.

Frank Falzon
Working in New York on 9/11. Originally from Gozo.

It turned out to be a horrific day but I remember driving to work that morning and thinking it was such a clear and beautiful morning. I work about half-an-hour hour north of the city at Mastercard.

The clean-up crews developed sickness due to the atmosphere. They, along with the first responders, were all heroes- Frank Falzon

Even from where we were, we saw the smoke billow from the Twin Towers. At first we all thought it was an accident with a small plane flying into the tower. An attack of such magnitude never crossed my mind.

After we realised what was really going on, we all left the office and headed home. During the half-hour car ride north, I was listening intently to the radio, trying to get an idea about was happening, then to the TV once I arrived home.

I remember my two teenage daughters at the time were terrified. We all were, as we did not know the extent of the attacks. The government was in crisis mode. All air traffic was stopped. This was an amazing, unprecedented event.

I also remember feeling an urge to go downtown to help with the rescue and clean-up. Looking back, I feel bad for the clean-up crews. They unknowingly risked their lives as many of them developed serious sicknesses due to the atmosphere. They, along with the first responders, were all heroes.

I know one person who developed a lung and heart condition due to debris at the worksite. My brother-in-law is lucky to be alive but may not have a long life to look forward to.

The next couple of days were really tense as buildings in the city were evacuated due to bomb fears.

There was also the anthrax scare and I remember everybody acting as if they were walking on eggshells.

I am proud of the quick and decisive response from President George W. Bush and the US government.

Such an attack was unprecedented since it was an attack by a terrorist group instead of a country, but ignoring an attack on our home soil would have been inexcusable.

I believe invading Iraq was a brave and correct decision.

Toni Sant
Author and lecturer, was studying and working in New York on 9/11.

I was studying and lecturing at New York University at the time and I was getting ready to go to work when the first plane struck. I worked about four blocks away from the World Trade Centre and as usual was running late when a good friend called to tell me to turn on the TV. I told her I didn’t have time and she said, “I don’t think you’ll be working today.”

People were looking at me suspiciously, and it was making me uncomfortable- Toni Sant

So I turned on the TV and my initial thought was that some crank must have crashed his small plane into the building. Then I watched the second plane hit and I knew something very nasty had happened. I didn’t have any initial suspicions about who was responsible but I knew something so co-ordinated had to be the work of an organisation. At that time I was living about 10 miles from the World Trade Centre in Jackson Heights so I stayed put and tried to get as much information as I could from the TV and internet.

New York was my home, so once I’d spoken to my family and reassured them I was safe I did not consider returning to Malta. After the initial shock, I began to produce audio reports that were relayed through Maltamedia.com and they were something of a lifeline for people back home looking for a Maltese perspective. What sticks with me is the smell that lasted for weeks afterwards. It was this awful stench that actually hurt your lungs.

For the first few days there was a strong sense of loss and unity among New Yorkers, but that was mixed with fear and anger and there was a palpable sense of that fear and anger manifesting itself as anti-Arab and anti-Muslim prejudice in some people.

The drums of war started within a few days as people looked for a target for their anger, although that does not apply to everyone as there were also peace marches and anti-war internet campaigns, which I joined. I’m not anti-American but I didn’t think there needed to be some sort of reaction. I’m anti-violence and anti-extremist – no matter which side the extremists are on – and history has shown that a more measured response was needed.

But American culture is very varied and complex so it would be unfair and untrue to say everyone was looking for blood vengeance after 9/11.

Nevertheless, things escalated, and with my dark Mediterranean complexion and beard I felt people were looking at me suspiciously and it was making me uncomfortable.

And then the Patriot Act was enacted which eroded civil liberties and I began to wonder, why am I here? This culminated in me leaving New York for good in 2004, although there were other unrelated reasons for the move as well. Ten years on, America seems to be a very angry place. I would say Americans were angry before 9/11, but that anger would have been expressed privately; you wouldn’t encounter it everywhere you go. This is a very different America to what it was 10 years ago. There has also been financial meltdown and the election of an African-American president, so that anger is now manifesting itself in many different ways.

Silvio Galea
Living and working in New York on 9/11. Originally from Gozo.

I had got to work early on Broad Street, across from the Stock Exchange, about five blocks away from the World Trade Centre. We were in the conference room when a colleague came in and said a plane had crashed and one of the towers was burning.

I started to run but the cloud overtook me- Silvio Galea

We didn’t believe him and there were no reports on the internet at that point, so he opened his briefcase and showed us bits of charred paper, and when we went to look out of the window we saw it was raining paper from the sky.

I went outside and a short while later saw the second plane hit. I didn’t realise it at the time because they were so small that they looked like dots, but I believe I actually saw people jumping to their deaths from the towers to escape the flames.

I had to go back to work on the eighth floor and I called my parents in Gozo to reassure them I was ok. Then a few minutes later the building started shaking and there was this incredible noise, like nothing I had heard before.

At that point people started panicking and I was at the head of the group running for the exit. When we got downstairs the security guard tried to stop us from leaving but I just ran straight past him.

When I got outside I saw this monstrous cloud of dust or smoke coming around the corner and, coupled with the deafening noise, I thought a bomb had blown up the stock exchange. I started to run towards the East River but the cloud overtook me, making it difficult to see or breathe.

When I got to the river I was in a crowd of people and we were walking up FDR Drive to escape the cloud and get to Brooklyn Bridge – I actually live in Brooklyn so I was trying to get home. Rumours were flying around that Washington and other places were being attacked and there was a lot of panic; it seemed like all of America was under attack.

At that point I still I thought I’d been running away from a bomb, then someone shouted that the second tower was falling and when I saw it I realised the first cloud I’d ran from was caused by the first tower collapsing.

When I eventually got to my home in Brooklyn there was a charred piece of map on my doorstep – that’s how far the debris had blown.

On September 12 there was a feeling of dread; I woke up in the morning like I was waking from a nightmare, only the nightmare was real.

At that point no one really knew who had attacked us, most people had never heard of Al-Qaeda. So we were angry but we had no one to be angry at.

In the days that followed there was a real sense of community and love that I have never felt in New York before. People were looking after one another and everyone was really friendly.

But 10 years on we don’t feel safer. You get used to the potential dangers; it’s a bit like looking before crossing the street.

But we have had the anthrax scares when people were afraid of packets of sugar, and there are posters in the subway telling people to be alert, so we can never go back to the way we were before.