FILE NO 9110047 WORLD TRADE CENTER TASK FORCE INTERVIEW EMT ALLEN CRUZ INTERVIEW DATE OCTOBER 11 2001
CRUZ CTIIRISTOPTIIERECCLESTON TODAYS DATE IS OCTOBER 112001 THE TIME IS 1023 AND AM CHRISTOPHER ECCIESTON OF THE NEWYORK CITY FIRE DEPARTMENT AM CONDUCTING AN INTERVIEW WITH THE FOLLOWING INDIVIDUAL PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME RANK TITLE ASSIGNED COMMAND AREA SHIELD NUMBER OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK REGARDING THE EVENTS OF SEPTEMBER 11 2001 ALLEN CRUZ HI MY NAME IS ALLEN CRUZ MY SHIELD NUMBER IS 3361 AND WORK FOR THE NEWYORK CITY FIRE DEPARTMENT EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES AND MY TITLE IS LSU AND DECON SPECIALIST WERE YOU ASSIGNED TO THE WORLDTRADE CENTER DISASTER ON SEPTEMBER 112001 YES WAS EN ROUTE TO THE ALARM WHAT DID YOU SEE WELL GOT THERE AFTER THE FIRST CRASH JUST BEFORE THE SECOND CRASH WENT DOWNFULTON STREET AND PARKED MY VEHICLE ON FULTON AT THE CORNER OF CHURCH STREET CAN YOU INDICATE ON THE MAP WHERE YOU PARKED YOUR VEHICLE WITH NUMBER SURE NUMBER RIGHT HERE OKAY UPON ARRIVAL DID ANY CIVILIANS REPORT ANYTHING TO YOU NO NOT AT ALL EVERYONE WAS THERE SCREAMING AND RUNNING FOR THEIR LIVES
WHOMDID YOU FIRST REPORT TO WHEN YOU ARRIVED THERE REPORTED TO NO ONE TONOONE RIGHT WHAT DID YOU DO WHEN YOU ARRIVED THERE WHEN GOT THERE COULDNT BELIEVE WHAT WAS SEEING GOT TO THE CORNER OF FULTON AND CHURCH SAW COUPLE OF MY VEHICLES PARKED ON CHURCH STREET RIGHT IN FRONT OFTHE WORLD TRADE CENTER AS EXITED MY VEHICLE SAW THIS HUGE FIRE UP ON THE BUILDING YOU KNOW NUMEROUS PEOPLE RUNNING OUT AND RUNNING UP THE BLOCK TOWARDS ME TOWARDS MY VEHICLE SCREAMING AND HOLLERING IN PANIC WHAT DID YOU DO NEXT DIDAGAIN COULDNT BELIEVE WHAT WAS SEEING WASIN SHOCK AND WHAT DID WAS HELPED SOME OF THE PEOPLE GET UP OFF THE FLOOR CAUSE THEY WERE FALLING AND TRIPPING ALL OVER THEMSELVES AND KEPT TELLING THEM TO KEEP ON RUNNING LOT OF PEOPLE THEY THOUGHT THEY WERE SAFE THEY RAN OUT OF THE BUILDING ACROSS THE STREET AND LIKE MYSELF THEY THOUGHT IT WAS JUST THE AVERAGE FIRE THEY PROCEEDED TO JUST STAND THERE AND LOOK UP AND AGAIN THEY THOUGHT THEY WERE SAFE BECAUSE THEY HAD CROSSED THE STREET BY MY VEHICLE AS MYSELF THOUGHT WAS SAFE AND WE JUST STOOD THERE IN AWE JUST LOOKING UP AGAIN WHILE WAS THERE LOOKING UP THERE WERE STILL PEOPLE RUNNING AND FALLING AND PROCEEDED TO RUN TO THEM PICK THEM UP AND SHOVE THEM AND TELL THEM KEEP RUNNING PLEASE
KEEP MOVING KEEP MOVING JUST STOOD THERE LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE JUST WATCHING THIS UNFOLD OKAY HOW LONG DID YOU DO THIS FOR APPROXIMATELY DID THAT UP UNTIL THE SECOND PLANE HIT WHENTHE SECOND PLANE HIT WHAT DID YOU DO WELL WAS STANDING AGAIN HELPING THESE PEOPLE GET UP LOOKING UP WATCHING THESE PEOPLE JUMP OUT OF THE WINDOWS REALLY WAS IN SHOCK COULDNT BELIEVE WHAT WAS SEEING OR MAYBE DIDNT WANT TO BELIEVE WHAT WAS SEEING AS WAS STANDING THERE WAS BUNCH OF PEOPLE HIDING BEHIND AND AROUND MY VEHICLE AS WEWERE STANDING THERE THIS ONE LADY TO MY LEFT GRABBED ME REALLY REALLY TIGHT MY FOREARM MY LEFT FOREARM AND WE WERE BOTH LOOKING UP AT THIS FIRE WEBOTH HEAR THIS RUMBLE AND FELT VIBRATION WE LOOKED SLIGHTLY TO THE LEFT ALL OF US THERES WHOLE BUNCH OF US RIGHT NEXT TO MY VEHICLE AND HERE COMES THIS PLANE HUGE PLANE THE LADY NEXT TO ME SAYS OH MY GOD ITS GONNA HIT THE BUILDING DIDNT WANT TO GIVE HER FALSE INFORMATION SO SAID GEE DONT THINK SO WELL HOPE NOT MEAN WERE LOOKING AT IT SORT OF IN THREE DIMENSIONS SO IM THINKING ITS GONNA GO BEHIND THE BUILDING FROM WHERE WERE STANDING ITS GONNA GO RIGHT BEHIND IT BUT IT WASTOO BIG AND FAR TOO LOW AT THAT MOMENT SAID ITS GONNA HIT ITS ACTUALLY GONNA HIT AND IT HIT SHE SCREAMED SHE SAID OH MY GOD AT WHICH POINT SAID EVERYBODY JUST RUN AND THERE WERE SOME CURSE WORDS TOLD EVERYBODY YOU GOTTA RUN RUN RUN THEY PROCEEDED TO RUN IN TURN JUMPED INTO MY VEHICLE AND WHOLE BUNCH OF DEBRIS JUST CAME CRASHING DOWN ON TOP OF MY VEHICLE AT WHICH POINT SAID NO EXITED MY VEHICLE AND TOO
RAN BEHIND MY VEHICLE UNBEKNOWNST TO ME THERE WERE STILL PEOPLE HIDING NOT ONLY BEHIND BUT UNDERNEATH MY VEHICLE FEW SECONDS FEW MINUTES MAYBE WENT BY AND WE GATHERED OUR THOUGHTS AND CAME OUT FROM BEHIND MY VEHICLE AND TOLD EVERYONE WHO WAS BEHIND MY VEHICLE AND IN THE STREETS TO RUN TO KEEP RUNNING AT WHICH TIME RAN TOWARDSTHE BUILDING TO CHURCH STREET SOME OF THE EMS PEOPLE WERE THERE AND SAID EVERYBODY DROP WHAT YOURE DOING AND JUST GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE RUN RUN JUST LEAVE EVERYTHING JUST GO RUN RUN AT THE SAME TIME THERE WAS LOT OF DEBRIS COMING DOWN AND THEY DID THEY DROPPED WHAT THEY WERE DOING AND THEY JUST SCATTERED ALL OVER THE PLACE AGAIN PEOPLE WERE JUST FALLING AND STUMBLING AND KEPT PICKING THEM UP AND PUSHING THEM TO RUN THEN STARTED PICKING UP ALL THE EQUIPMENT THAT THE GUYS LEFT BEHIND STARTED GATHERING STUFF OFF THE STREET STARTED PUTTING IT BY MY VEHICLE ON THE STREET CORNER WANTED TO COMPILE EVERYTHING IN ONE NEAT LITTLE CORNER MAYBE ITS HABIT THATS WHAT DO THATS MY JOB RETRIEVE EQUIPMENT DIDNT WANT TO ABANDON EVERYTHING SO STARTED MOVING ALL THE EQUIPMENT OUT OF THE STREET TOWARDS MY SIDE OF THE STREET WHEN THE BUILDING COLLAPSED THIS IS WHEN THE FIRST BUILDING COLLAPSED YES OKAY WHAT DID YOU DO AFTER THE FIRST BUILDING COLLAPSED RAN LIKE HELL LEFT EVERYTHING THERE AND RAN LIKE HELL RAN TO MY VEHICLE AND JUMPED INSIDE JUST AS WAS ABOUT TO GO INTO GEAR NOTICED THAT THERE WERE FEET UNDERNEATH MY VEHICLE SO LEFT IT IN PARK JUMPED OUT AND THERE WERE PEOPLE STILL HIDING UNDERNEATH IT AT WHICH TIME SAID YOU PEOPLE GOTTA GO
YOU CANNOT STAY HERE YOU GOTTA GO THE RUMBLINGS COMING DOWN THEY GOT UP OUT DRAGGED THE LADY OUT FROM UNDERNEATH THERE WERE STILL PEOPLE AROUND AND BEHIND IT TOLD THEM YOU ALL GOTTA RUN AND THEY DID AT WHICH TIME THE THING CAME DOWN BIG WALL OF SMOKE CAME AND HID BEHIND MY VEHICLE JUST TOOK BIG BREATH AND JUST WAITED FOR IT TO PASS YOU STAYED THERE WHAT HAPPENED NEXT DONT KNOW HOWMUCH TIME ELAPSED BUT IT GOT REALLY DARK AND COULDNT BREATH WAS COVERED IN SOOT AGAIN DONT KNOW HOW LONG IT LASTED WERE YOU THERE WHEN THE SECOND TOWER COLLAPSED NOT IN THAT LOCATION NO OKAY WHERE DID YOU GO BETWEEN FROM WHENTHE FIRST TOWER COLLAPSED TO THE SECOND TOWER GOT BACK IN MY VEHICLE WHEN THOUGHT IT WAS SAFE AGAIN WAS FACING CHURCH STREET SO WHAT DID WAS MADE RIGHT ONTO CHURCH STUNNED WAS STUNNED STILL COULD NOT BELIEVE WHAT WAS HAPPENING IM SURE MADE LEFT ON VESEY VESEY AND VESTRY ALWAYS GET ME CONFUSED YOU CAME UP YOU TURNED ONTO CHURCH VESTRY VESEY CAME DOWN HERE MADE LEFT ON VESEY AND PROCEEDED TO GO BETWEEN NUMBER FIVE WORLDTRADE AND NUMBER SEVEN WORLD TRADE APPROXIMATELY RIGHT HERE
CAME ACROSS HERE RIGHT CROSSING WEST STREET SOMEWHERE AROUND HERE DONT RECALL THEY SAY PARKED SOMEWHERE ALONGSIDE ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THIS STREET HERE THERE WERE AMBULANCES ALL PARKED ON THE LEFT AND PARKED ON THE RIGHT SO YOU PARKED APPROXIMATELY RIGHT HERE RIGHT ABOUT BELIEVE SO WHICH IS IN FRONT OF WORLD TRADE CENTER IS THAT CORRECT NO WE PASSED HERES OH OK WEST STREET SORRY FORGIVE ME HERES WEST THIS IS VESEY NO WE PASSED THIS SOMEWHERE ALONG THIS STREET BEFORE WEST SIDE HIGHWAY OKAY SO BY THE TELEPHONE COMPANY BUILDING YEAH WOULD HAVE TO ASSUME SO YOU WERE ON VESEY STREET JUST BEFORE WEST IS THAT CORRECT JUST BEFORE WEST SO YOU WERE APPROXIMATELY RIGHT HERE YEAH OKAY THE MAP IS GONNA INDICATE WHERE THE LSU IS MOVED TO NEXT CORRECT YEAH OKAY AFTER YOU GOT THERE
WOULD THIS BE NORTH END STREET HERE THE WEST SIDE HIGHWAY THIS WOULD BE THE WEST SIDE HIGHWAY OKAY NORTH END IS OVER HERE OKAY GOT IT RIGHT ABOUT THERE SO AFTER YOU PARKED THERE THE FIRST TOWER HAS ALREADY COME DOWN THE SECOND TOWER HAS NOT COME DOWN YET IS THAT CORRECT RIGHT THAT IS CORRECT YOU PARKED HERE WHAT DID YOU DO NEXT HERE AGAIN DONT RECALL DO YOUR BEST AGAIN THERE WAS BUNCH OF GUYS THERE THERE WAS BUNCH OF GUYS THERE ALL OF THE AMBULANCES LIKE SEVEN OF THEM PARKED ON ONE SIDE OF THE STREET AND WAS ON THE OTHER SIDE AGAIN WAS THE ONLY VEHICLE PARKED THERE WE CAME OUT WE COULDNT BELIEVE WHAT WAS HAPPENING WE STARTED TO TREAT PEOPLE THEY WERE TREATING PEOPLE HERE RECALL THAT THEN SOMEBODY SAID RUN THE OTHER BUILDINGS GONNA FALL AGAIN DONT KNOW DONT RECALL IF THE OTHER BUILDING FELL AT THIS POINT OR AS WE LEFT THERES MOMENT THERE WHERE DONT REMEMBER TO THE BEST OF YOUR MEMORY DONT WANT TO PRESSURE YOU THINK THEY SAID TO MOVE CAUSE THERES THREAT OF THE BUILDING FALLING OR THREAT OF ANOTHER PLANE THEY SAID ANOTHER PLANE WAS GONNA HIT SO RUN SO WEPROCEEDED EVERYONE GOT INTO THEIR VEHICLES AND WE PROCEEDED TO GO UP TO WEST END STREET THE LIEUTENANT WAS STANDING THERE FACING THE UNITS
EVERYONE GOT INTO THEIR VEHICLES AND WE ABANDONED THAT AREA THERE WAS THREAT OF THE BUILDING FALLING OR ANOTHER PLANE WAS GONNA HIT WE PROCEEDED TOWARDS NORTH END STREET NORTH END OKAY THIS IS NORTH END STREET AS WE APPROACHED THE LIEUTENANT HE HAD ALL THE VEHICLES HE WAS TELLING THEM ALL TO GO TO THE LEFT GO TO THE LEFT HE TOLD ME TO GO TO THE RIGHT WHICH IS TOWARDSNORTH END GUESS BY THE MARINA THERES MARINA THERE SOMEWHERE THE MARINA WOULD BE RIGHT HERE OKAY SO WECAME UP HERE THIS STREET EVERYBODY WENT THIS WAY AND WENT THAT WAY RIGHT OVER HERE SOMEWHERECAUSE REMEMBER THERES BUILDING IN FRONT OF US SO RIGHT HERE ON NORTH END JUST SOUTH OF VESEY IS WHERE YOU PARKED YOUR VEHICLE NEXT YES OKAY THE MAP IS GONNA INDICATE WITH NUMBER WHERE YOUR LSU WAS PARKED NEXT OKAY SO NOW YOU PARKED OVER HERE HAS THE SECOND TOWER COME DOWN YET OR YOURE NOT SURE IF YOURE NOT SURE THATS FINE BUILDING CAME DOWN ONLY DONT KNOW IF IT WAS NUMBER OR NUMBER OKAY NUMBER DIDNT COMEDOWN TILL MUCH LATER SO THEN IT WAS NUMBER THAT CAME DOWN SO THEN NUMBER CAME DOWN
10 YEAH WELL IT DIDNT COME DOWN THAT TIME THE GUYS WERE SETTING UP TRIAGE AT SOME HOTEL OVER HERE AND WEWERE TREATING PEOPLE HERE WE WERE TREATING AN AWFUL LOT OF PEOPLE HERE ON NORTH END JUST SOUTH OF VESEY YOU WERE TREATING PEOPLE AS WEWERE DOING THAT SOMEBODY SAID THERES ANOTHER PLANE THATS IT ANOTHER PLANE IS COMING ANOTHER PLANE IS GONNA CRASH WE HEARD THIS RUMBLE THATS WHEN THE BUILDING CAME DOWN WE ALL THOUGHT IT WAS PLANE EVERYBODY JUST FIREFIGHTERS MYSELF WEWERE TREATING PEOPLE EVERYBODY JUST THREWTHEMSELVES DOWN TO THE FLOOR AND THEY HID ALL AROUND MY VEHICLE YOU KNOW ANYTHING THEY COULD FIND THEY JUST THREWTHEMSELVES DOWN WE ACTUALLY THOUGHT IT WAS ANOTHER PLANE THATS RIGHT THATS WHEN THE OTHER BUILDING CAME DOWN BECAUSE WE HEARD THE RUMBLE BOOM JUST CRASHING DOWN THOUGHT IT WAS ANOTHER PLANE YEAH EXACTLY THATS WHAT HAPPENED TOWERTWO CAME DOWN THEN WHAT HAPPENED NEXT WHAT DID YOU DO WHAT DID YOU SEE TOWER CAME DOWN EVERYBODY EVACUATED THE HOTEL AREA WHERE THEY HAD THE TEMPORARY TRIAGE CENTER EVERYBODY GOT IN THEIR VEHICLE ACTUALLY THEY DIDNT GET IN THEIR VEHICLES THEY RAN EVERYBODY JUST EVACUATED THEY SAID RUN CLEAR AND EVERYBODY JUST TOOK OFF AGAIN STOOD STOOD THERE WENT TO THE HOTEL IT WAS EMPTY SEE WOULDNT LEAVE THE VEHICLE CAUSE HAVE TO STAY WITH THAT VEHICLE AT ALL TIMES HAVE ALL THE EXTRA EQUIPMENT IN CASE THE GUYS NEED SOMETHING PLUS MY PORTABLE RADIO WAS GOING DEAD IF THEY NEEDED ME NEEDED TO BE ON THE AIR SO WHAT KEPT DOING WAS GOING INTO MY VEHICLE AND MONITORING
11 THE RADIO IN MY VEHICLE INSTEAD OF MY PORTABLE SO KEPT SWITCHING BACK AND FORTH THE BUILDING CAME DOWN EVERYONE TOOK OFF HID BEHIND MY VEHICLE HID OUTSIDE MY VEHICLE WAS LOOKING UP THIS STREET HERE UP VESEY STREET VESEY JUST SAW THIS HUGE BALL OF SMOKE COMING AT ME SO WAS TRYING TO TIME IT WAS TRYING TO WAIT FOR IT AND TIME IT ESCAPED THE FIRST ONE SO FIGURED OKAY NO SWEAT TOOK DEEP BREATH GET DOWN AND JUST WAIT FOR IT TO PASS BUT UNBEKNOWNST TO ME IM LOOKING UP THE STREET HER HEAR THIS RUMBLING SOUND COMING FROM BEHIND ME AS IM CROUCHEDDOWN AND AS TURNED AROUND SEE THIS HUGE BALL OF SMOKE COMING DIDNT EXPECT IT TO COMEFROM BEHIND ME IT CAME AROUND THE BUILDING AND IT CAME FROM BEHIND ME SO IT KIND OF CAUGHT ME OFF GUARD SO JUST LAID MYSELF DOWN ON THE FLOOR BY THE TIRE TOOK DEEP BREATH AND JUST WAITED IT BLEW PAST ME AND WAITED FEW SECONDS FOUND MY DOOR COULDNT SEE ANYTHING FOUND MY DOOR AND JUMPED INTO MY VEHICLE WHILE DOING SO BUMPED MY HEAD UP AGAINST THE STEERING WHEEL SO CROUCHED MYSELF UNDERNEATH MY STEERING WHEEL BY THE PEDALS AND JUST CROUCHED AND WAITED DONT KNOWHOW LONG BUT JUST WAITED THERE UNTIL WAS ABLE TO SEE LIGHT THEN GOT OUT OF MY VEHICLE THERE WAS PEOPLE STILL SCURRYING AROUND BUT IT WAS SOMEWHAT DESERTED VERY DISMAL WALKED OVER TO THE TEMPORARY TRIAGE CENTER AND THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NOBODY NOT EVEN ANYBODY IN THE HOTEL IN THE LOBBY MOMENT AGO THERE WAS PEOPLE THERE BUT NOWTHERE WAS NOBODY THERE WAS LIKE SEVEN VEHICLES PARKED IN FRONT AND NO BODY SO EVERYBODY RAN TOWARDSCHAMBERS STREET
12 SO THEY RAN NORTH ON NORTH END STREET TOWARDSCHAMBERS RIGHT THEN AT THIS POINT NOTICED THAT SOME OF THE VEHICLES HAD THEIR IGNITION KEYS STILL IN THE IGNITION SO JUMPED IN THE VEHICLE TURNED IT ON AND DROVE IT TO WHERE EVERYBODY WAS STAGING AT CHAMBERS STREET THEN WALKED ALL THE WAY BACK GOT ANOTHER VEHICLE AND TOOK IT OVER THERE AND PARKED IT CAME BACK THE THIRD VEHICLE WOULDNT START IT HAD THE KEYS IN IT AND IT WAS DEAD SO WALKED BACK TO MY TRUCK MY LSU AND WENT STRAIGHT OVER TO WHERE THAT VEHICLE WAS TOOK OUT MY CABLES AND JUMPED IT JUMP STARTED IT LEGALLY PARKED MY VEHICLE TO THIS DAY IT BOTHERS ME CAUSE THE STREET WAS DESERTED INSTEAD OF JUST LEAVING MY VEHICLE THERE ONCE GOT THAT VEHICLE STARTED ACTUALLY GOT INTO MY VEHICLE AND LEGALLY PARKED IT PROCEEDED TO MOVE THAT VEHICLE JUMPED IT MOVED TWO JUMPED TWO THEN ALL THE OTHER PEOPLE WERE HERE OTHER PEOPLE WERE ON CHAMBERS AND NORTH END YEAH THEN ONE OF THE FELLOWS THAT WAS HERE SAID THAT HE HAD LEFT HIS VEHICLE IN FRONT OF MINE VEHICLE 240 REMEMBER SEEING IT IN FRONT OF ME SO SAID OKAY GIVE ME YOUR KEYS AND ILL GO AND GET YOUR VEHICLE HE SAID PLEASE DONT GOT THERE DONT GO ITS DANGEROUS SAID LOOK YOU NEED THE VEHICLE ILL GO GET IT FOR YOU CAN WALK FASTER THAN YOU ITS NO BIG DEAL ITS NO PROBLEM WILL HANDLE IT HE GAVE ME THE KEYS AND WALKED ALL THE WAY BACK AND GOT HIS VEHICLE ACTUALLY DIDNT GET HIS VEHICLE WHEN GOT TO HIS VEHICLE HE HAD GIVEN ME THE WRONG KEY THAT PISSED ME OFF HAD TO WALK ALL THE WAY BACK TO HIM THAT WASHIS VEHICLE SAID LOOK YOU GAVE ME THE WRONG DAMN KEY AT WHICH POINT HE SAID IM GOING WITH YOU SAID OKAY FINE SO WE BOTH WALKED ALL THE
13 WAY BACK HE GOT INTO HIS VEHICLE GOT INTO MINE AND WAITED FOR HIM TO START HIS VEHICLE UP IN CASE HE NEEDED MY HELP IN CASE HE NEEDED MY JUMP HE GOT IT STARTED THE LIGHTS CAME ON HE MADE UTURN HE PULLED OUT AND PULLED OUT WITH HIM WE ALL MET AT CHAMBERS STREET DO YOU KNOW ABOUT WHAT TIME THIS WAS THAT YOU FINALLY GOT UP THERE HONESTLY NO SIR COULD NOT TELL YOU THE TIME COULDNT TELL YOU IM SURE IT WAS ALL BLUR YEAH WAS LOST FOR TIME DIDNT THINK OF LOOKING AT MY WATCH OR NOTHING AFTER YOU GOT TO CHAMBERS AND NORTH END WHAT DID YOU DO UP THERE AT WHICH TIME PROCEEDED DOWN CHAMBERS STREET AND PARKED MY VEHICLE ON THE CORNER OF CHAMBERS AND WEST OKAY RIGHT HERE CHAMBERS AND WEST STREET RIGHT ON THIS SIDE OF THE STREET ACTUALLY PARKED IT RIGHT IN FRONT OF THINK IT WAS THE BMCC COLLEGE OKAY SO THE NUMBER INDICATES WHERE YOUR VEHICLE WAS PARKED NEXT ON WEST AND CHAMBERS WHEN YOU GOT THERE WHAT HAPPENED NEXT STOOD THERE WITH MY VEHICLE STOOD THERE AND STARTED WATCHING THIS WHOLE OPERATION UNFOLD UNITS STARTED COMING VEHICLES STARTED COMING BOSSES STARTED COMING POLICE DEPARTMENT FIRE DEPARTMENT PEOPLE STARTED COMING THEY JUST ALL CONVENED ON THAT ONE CORNER JUST STOOD THERE AND
14 WATCHED THAT WHOLE OPERATION UNFOLD EVERY TIME WHEN MY EMS PEOPLE CAME THE COMMAND TRUCK CAME AND THE CHIEFS CAME REPORTED TO THEM SAID LOOK IM PARKED OVER HERE SAID IF YOU NEED ANYTHING GOT THE LSU PARKED ON THIS CORNER THEY SAID OKAY WHAT NEED FROM YOU ALLEN THAT WAS MY CHIEF IS NEED THE TABLE THAT WE HAVE THAT THEY CAN WRITE STUFF HAVE THAT TABLE LIKE THE COMMAND BOARD EXACTLY WENT TO MY VEHICLE GOT IT IT GAVE TO HIM FOR THE NEXT THIRTY SOMETHING HOURS JUST STOOD WITH MY TRUCK RIGHT THERE IN THAT CORNER WAS THERE UNTIL WEDNESDAY THE NEXT DAY WOWTHATS LONG TIME IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADD TO THIS ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE TO TELL ME ABOUT THE EVENTS THAT HAPPENED UP UNTIL ABOUT NOON THAT DAY NOTHING THAT YOU HAVENT ALREADY HEARD OR SEEN OR FELT FOR YOURSELF MEAN THERE WAS NOTHING TO REALLY SAY TO DESCRIBE THIS WHOLE CATASTROPHE ITS REALLY HARD TO DESCRIBE TO BE PERFECTLY HONEST MEAN TO SEE THIS HAPPENING ITS REALLY HARD TO DESCRIBE NO CAN HONESTLY TELL YOU EIGHTEEN YEARS PLUS ON THIS JOB AND IVE SEEN THE WORST THE CITY HAS TO OFFER BUT NOTHING TO THIS MAGNITUDE THE FEELING WAS SO OVERWHELMING IT WAS AN INCREDIBLE THING IM REALLY LOST FOR WORDS AT THIS TIME REALLY AM FORGIVE ME NO PLEASE NO FORGIVENESS NECESSARY THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR ALLOWING ME TO CONDUCT THIS INTERVIEW YOURE VERY WELCOME THE TIME IS 1144 THE COUNTER ON THE TAPE PLAYER IS AT 322