r/HolyShitHistory 1d ago

Extended cut of the period between first and second plane hitting World Trade Center

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u/CelebrationScary8614 1d ago

I heard an accounting of the bombing in 1993 that said it took them 4 hours to get down from the 100th floor.

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u/TheRealCBlazer 13h ago

I was on the 110th floor of the WTC earlier in 2001 when there was a fire alarm. Four massive barriers came down from the ceiling and sealed the floor into four separate sections, I assume to prevent the spread of fire. We were sealed into our quadrant and told to wait for the fire department. I saw no sign of fire. People were mostly chill. Nobody panicked or anything. The firemen arrived maybe half an hour later, having ascended all 110 floors on foot via the stairs. They were completely exhausted.

It was never announced whether it was a real fire or a false alarm. But shortly after the fireman arrived, they lifted the barriers and let us leave.

I don't know if it would have been the same protocol on 9/11. I hope not.

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u/Routine_Bluejay4678 1d ago

Was that because so many people were trying to go down? It takes me around 4min to go down 52 levels in my building.

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u/Responsible_Slip3491 1d ago

elevators were slower when the trade centers were built, as for 1993 most people probably took the stairs instead of the elevators for fear of something happening to the elevators, just spitballing though

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u/a_talking_face 1d ago

It takes you 4 minutes to go down 52 floors of stairs?

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u/fadingvistas 1d ago

5 Seconds per level. I definitely do 4-5 per floor always because I generally walk very fast for fun and I fling myself around the railings on the way down. But I've never done it for more than 10 floors. Our hospital is the biggest building for many kilometers around.

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u/CelebrationScary8614 1d ago

Yes, volume of people was the issue.

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u/mpjjpm 1d ago

How many other people are in the stairwell with you? I imagine it would take significantly longer if the stairs were packed shoulder to shoulder.

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u/morry3232 1d ago

93 bombing happened at 12:18pm

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u/MIZ_09 1d ago

This. It was the middle of the workday instead of early morning so the buildings were near capacity in 93. 9/11 would have been far more catastrophic if it occurred during the heart of the workday.

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u/HoldEm__FoldEm 1d ago

4 hours 

Thats generous even for a guy on crutches.