Twentieth Anniversary of 9/11/2001
Zurich 2:50 PM 9/11/2001
As our team gathered for a conference, a TV outside the conference room showed the World Trade Center burning and billowing smoke after a plane had crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. What shocking news.
Our conference began at 3 pm. I felt distracted and wanted to go back out to the TV and hear more about what had happened in Lower Manhattan.
At 4:45 pm we left the conference room and discovered that both towers had collapsed after being struck by what appeared to be commercial jetliners.
It felt like a gut punch, and I said aloud “Who could hate America this much to do this?”
My next thought was to find out if anyone I knew was in the World Trade Center that day. I needed to make calls from home. As I drove home, I felt immense pain and sadness for my homeland. At that moment, after working abroad for 12 years, I knew that I would return home, that I would repatriate to America.
No family had been hurt but some were abroad with no flights to return home.
That evening, after speaking with our CEO, I returned to the office. As a reinsurance company, we were obligated to gather and prepare information for our clients and would issue a press release that week.
I recall feeling stunned by what had occurred and waking up in my desk chair in the middle of the night. Six months earlier, I joined the company as Claims Manager and despite a corporate restructuring, I hired a team of claims lawyers and staff. We had no idea the challenge we would face that year.
That experience is one that I will never forget. First, for the heroes and the people lost on 9/11. Second, how my team worked together during an emotional event for all of us, and particularly for me as an American.
We reached out to relevant departments. Thankfully, we had great minds in the company, many accustomed to working independently from other departments, now willing to share information and work together.
Our team discussion centered around a key question: How could we have foreseen such a tragedy? The world had not foreseen or experienced the use of commercial jetliners used as weapons against buildings.
Our business involved the four commercial jetliners used in the attacks on The World Trade Center, The Pentagon, and the Flight 93 crash in Shanksville, PA, as well as several buildings damaged near the World Trade Center.
We captured our initial loss reserves as the company prepared the press release that was issued on Friday, 9/14/2001. Step one was completed with many more to come.
Like others, 9/11 changed my life forever. I know how unique that intense level of teamwork is — most often in response to a crisis or tragedy.
Today, on the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, my thoughts are with all those who suffered losses and with the people who rallied around each other in unity to respond to and overcome hatred. May we never see unforeseen weapons used for hatred again.
Featured image (top) by Dawn Kristy
