# Francis X. Feeley oral history interview conducted by Laurel Gumpert, September 2, 2020

On 9/11, Francis, an officer in the NYPD, was directed to respond to the scene of the attack and, with his partner, raced towards the World Trade Center. However, before they could arrive, the second tower was struck by another plane, and they were ordered to evacuate City Hall due to concerns about it being a possible target. As they tried to leave the area, they witnessed the collapse of the towers, which sent a massive cloud of dust and debris towards them. Francis and his partner sought refuge in their command post vehicle, a large bus, and attempted to rescue pedestrians who were also caught in the dust cloud. They managed to shelter several people until the dust began to clear. Throughout the day, Francis heard distress calls from officers and civilians caught in the chaos. A particularly poignant call came from a female officer, possibly Moira Smith, seeking help, but she couldn't provide her exact location. Tragically, her radio went silent. Francis also witnessed the collapse of Building 7. Eventually, he returned to his command post and stayed there until late in the evening. For the next two months, Francis was stationed at the command post at West and Vesey Streets. The atmosphere was chaotic and there was a lack of running water and clean bathrooms in the area. A civilian volunteer, Shawn, took it upon himself to clean the bathrooms in the area for the responders, which left a lasting impression on Francis. The days following 9/11 were filled with anxiety and…

- Kind: Interview
- Year: 2020
- Runtime: 48 min
- By: Gumpert, Laurel
- Genres: History
- Archive: [Library of Congress](https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2015048_458/)
- Licence or status: Rights statement at the Library of Congress (as the archive states it)
- Credit: Library of Congress
- Who can watch: Teens profiles and older (the archive gives no rating; placed by Invisible Network from its collection and subjects)

[Watch now](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/watch/archive/loc/afc2015048_458?play=1)