Last September, Secaucus resident Phyllis Colon bravely stepped out before a crowd of 1,000 in Secaucus to help mark the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center.
Those that knew her best understood how brave an act this was, and many in the crowd cried with her as she led them in the Pledge of Allegiance.
As an employee of the Port Authority, she was on the 65th floor of the North Tower when the first plane struck. She survived, unlike 75 other Port Authority employees (38 civilians and 37 PA police officers) and nine PA contract employees and nearly 2,800 other people in and around both towers.
The first plane struck the North Tower at 8:48 a.m. Witnesses on that floor reported the building shaking so violently for a moment that they thought it would fall over. Some people thought it was an earthquake. Many saw debris falling outside the windows. Many rushed towards the elevators only to find they no longer worked and began the long flight down the stairs. A few floors later, smoke began to fill the stairwells and many people clutched handkerchiefs over their mouths to breathe. Several people passed out wet napkins. Before many reached the bottom, water began to trickle down the stairs at their feet. Only later did many people come to realize that this came from firefighters fighting the flames in the floors high above.
A firefighter on the 65th floor radioed that a nearby floor had collapsed. This is the highest floor a firefighter is known to have reached in the north tower.
“Dealing with the aftermath of the terrorist attacks at my place of employment has taken its toll not only one me, but also the rest of the world,” she recalled later.
The Port Authority counted 84 people among the dead, including executive director Neil Levin. As a result, the Port Authority estimated that 3,200 of its approximately 7,000 employees have received counseling in more than 16,000 counseling sessions in the aftermath of the attack.
So shaken was Colon that even a year after the attack, she had yet to return to the Port Authority, and instead had sought work with the town.
“We really liked her,” said Mayor Dennis Elwell, recalling an interview he had with her. “She is very qualified, and because she also spoke Spanish, we thought we might use her in our court.”
It took time for the town officials to find her a job. During the rest of 2001 and most of 2002, many of the better companies in town were struggling. Panasonic laid-off 500 workers. Cosco also laid off workers.
“Five other companies went out of business,” Elwell said.
Just when they offered her a job, the Port Authority re-extended an invitation to Colon to return.
Colon had been reluctant to go back – but courageously accomplished that last week after having resolved some of the stressful issues her experience had brought.
In looking back at the year, Colon said numerous people in Secaucus had helped her.
“I have taken quite a liking to this town,” she said, noting that it was the people who make Secaucus what it is. Colon moved into Secaucus in June, 2001.
“When I was out of work on short-term leave of absence from the World Trade Center, [Councilman] Chris Marra assisted me in personally delivering my resume and job application to [the mayor] and highly recommended me for any job that was available in the town of Secaucus.”
Library Director Katherine Steffens took Colon under her wing.
“[She] treated me with the highest regard,” Colon recalled. “She is a wonderful woman and certainly an asset to our community.”
Colon also noted the assistance Town Administrator Anthony Iacono had given her.
“I was first introduced to [him] at the 9/11 Memorial in front of the new Secaucus Library,” she said. “Mr. Iacono made me feel very honored and privileged. It was a beautiful day and an unforgettable tribute to my fellow employees who perished on that horrific day. I especially felt very honored when Mr. Iacono asked me if I would lead the residents and gets of Secaucus in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. Mr. Iacono not only made me feel like part of his family, but also kept me in his heart and mind when I was having a hard time coping with the World Trade Center tragedy.”