Tech Support

We Were Safe, Here in New Hampshire...

By Bruce Dorner

THE SUN rose into a beautiful September sky as I arrived at the office at about 7 a.m., to get a head start on Tuesday's list of projects. My colleague, James McCoy, walked into the office about two hours later and said, "I heard a flash on the news about a bombing at the World Trade Center." We turned on the TV and stood there both horrified and mystified by the images on the screen.

What could have caused the damage at that height? The commentator reported that it was an airplane. Wow, how could an airplane be that far off-course and hit something that huge? A few minutes later another plane appeared on the TV screen and flew directly into the World Trade Center. But we were safe, here in New Hampshire.

We were transfixed by the images on the screen. It had to be a movie. It had to be an Orson Wells type feature like War of the Worlds. We switched channels on the TV but the images were the same. Buildings were burning and the networks were trying hard to keep us informed. As we watched the first tower crumble we couldn't believe that this was possible in America. After all, no one can attack us on the home front. But we were safe, here in New Hampshire.

We sat, we cried, we feared what else the unknown enemy could do to us. Jim's wife was traveling on business. We could not reach her on the phone. We did not know what type of aircraft or airline might have been involved. Fear, panic and anxiety were the watchwords of the moment.

According to one insurance company working in the risk management field, about 70 percent of all disaster recovery plans fail the first time they are rehearsed because people made mistakes or were unfamiliar with data back-up and restoration procedures. -- Charles Christian

My assistant's husband works for the federal government in a high-rise building in downtown Boston. Were more buildings subject to attack? Our collective fear increased as we watched the second tower implode in a gargantuan cloud of devastation. But we were safe, here in New Hampshire.

On my computer, the volume of e-mail from my Solosez listserv family increased. Everyone was sharing information. Our New York City members started reporting that they were outside the blast area. A few, closer to ground zero did not post any messages.

We worried as a collective about our colleagues. As the day progressed we started to hear from more of our friends in New York who lost electricity, lost access to their offices, but had their lives and safety. They made it home and checked in with our Solosez family. We each said a prayer of thanks for their safety and a prayer for those who surely perished in the inferno. But we were safe, here in New Hampshire.

As the day progressed we heard more about which airlines and flights were involved. Jim McCoy finally connected with his wife and each exhaled for once. My assistant, Patti, got a call from her husband in Boston that the federal government was evacuating his building and everyone was heading for home. Although we individually felt better about those close to us, we felt a tremendous pain for those in New York -- and now in Washington at the Pentagon. But we were safe, here in New Hampshire.

We could take no more in the office. We closed to be home with our loved ones. My wife and I sat transfixed before the TV watching in disbelief what was appearing on the screen. We tried to explain what was happening to our children. They had never experienced any real national tragedy before. They were too young to remember the Gulf War and they were born well after the assassination of President Kennedy and the Vietnam War. No one dares provoke the giant on his home turf! But we were safe, here in New Hampshire.

As events unfolded and we watched the sunrise Wednesday morning. We again saw images of devastation and destruction on the TV. We came to work. We sat in silence not knowing what we could do. Our families were safe. The e-mail from Solosez continued in rapid fire. We appeared to have accounted for all of our New York City colleagues. However, the City Bar was not online. We reached out through other means and learned that electric power was lost, but they were safe. We were greatly relieved. My editor from Law Technology News, Monica Bay, called with reports from Ground Zero and to request my assistance with disaster recovery materials. Immediately I reached out to my colleagues and we started to assemble lists of materials, web-sites and articles for Monica to share with our brothers and sisters in New York. But we were safe, here in New Hampshire.

It Will Continue

This story will continue into the next days and the next weeks.

We all feel pain, horror, shock, disbelief and outrage. We all fear that our children will be called into military service to do what must be done to protect our homeland. We all want to help. We all want to do something to assist. We've all opened our wallets and given from the heart. We've donated blood.

We all went to church, mosque or synagogue. But, we were safe, here in New Hampshire. Now I pause and ponder, are we safe here in New Hampshire?

Charles Christian, an emeritus member of the Law Technology News Editorial Advisory Board, is the editor and publisher of Legal News Media and a consultant, based in Norfolk, U.K.