"Interestingly, the answer was to ignore the "stay here, this building is safe" and ignore the "don't take the elevators in an emergency" - and get to the elevator bank and down..."

Actually, I don't find that surprising at all, ESP not being part of the equation.

When the North Tower was hit (first), it was the SECOND attack on the WTC. Many people were still working there who had been there on 2-26-93, when six people died and 1,000 were injured.

In fact, I would suspect that that initial attack was the primary reason that so many people did evacuate the WTC on 9-11.

As for using the elevators, it was the fastest way out of a then-non-damaged building. There was no way that they could have predicted another attack that would involve the elevators.

I gave the people who headed for the exits (by any method) full marks for smarts, if not luck.

8:45 The first plane hit the North Tower.
9:03 The second plane hit the South Tower.
10:05 The South Tower collapsed.
10:28 The North Tower collapsed.

Even after the planes hit the buildings, who could foresee that the South Tower would collapse before the first-hit North Tower? Who would know that the towers would collapse at all? I read that the engineering designs for the towers said that the towers could take the impact of a jet plane. What they hadn't considered was the fact that the planes would be loaded with jet fuel. (Only in engineering do planes fly without fuel.)

IMO, you need to do a quick assessment, decide on a plan, and then get moving. It's just not the time for waffling and asking others for advice.

Sue