Starting from GROUND ZERO0

By Luna Shyr via National Geographic

In the decade since September 11, 2001, thousands of survivors have walked the difficult path of recovery. At the World Trade Center alone, epicenter of the terrorist attacks that unfolded in New York, Virginia, and Pennsylvania, an estimated 12,000 people emerged from the twin towers alive. Coping has varied widely even among the small group of survivors who shared their stories with us. Some moved forward anchored by faith, fortitude, or family. Others struggle with a healing process that remains painful, drawn out, and elusive.

Most have kept mementos of that horrific day, among
them the clothes they were wearing, a breakfast receipt
issued 15 minutes before disaster struck, a singed piece
of personalized notepaper kept on a 100^th-floor desk
and recovered several blocks away. These artifacts
speak of the personal experiences that keep the
collective memory of history vivid and fresh,
even as the immediacy of tragedy fades in time.