SURVIVING 9/11: Where We Stand

William Raff escaped from his office on the 82nd floor of the World Trade Center South Tower just minutes before United Flight 175 struck that very floor. Jack Delaney, director of Emergency Medical Services for NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, mobilized emergency response efforts from the ground. Jesse Matuza’s father, Walter, worked at Cantor Fitzgerald on the 92nd floor of the North Tower. Ann Van Hine’s husband, firefighter Bruce Van Hine, responded to the call. Paramedic Gary Smiley of the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) miraculously survived the collapse — found two hours later just 70 feet from where the towers stood.

David Donovan made it out from the 87th floor of the North Tower. Wendy Lanski was at work on the 23rd floor of the North Tower. Jeanette Gutierrez watched it all unfold from her office across the street. Officer Mark Restivo had just been assigned to the 7th Precinct in Lower Manhattan. Damian Eckstein was commuting to his job on Wall Street.

Through the powerful, intimate voices of survivors, first responders and a new generation shaped by that day’s legacy, Surviving 9/11: Where We Stand explores how trauma, resilience and memory continue to shape our individual and collective identities.