Mikhaila Nola, pictured with partner Kale Braid and sons Noah, left, and Lucas, was in the North Tower of the World Trade Centre when the September 11 2001 attacks occurred. Photo / Supplied
Mikhaila Nola, pictured with partner Kale Braid and sons Noah, left, and Lucas, was in the North Tower of the World Trade Centre when the September 11 2001 attacks occurred. Photo / Supplied
Mikhaila Nola was a 21-year-old Kiwi law clerk working on the 56th floor of the World Trade Centre's North Tower when hijacked airliners struck it and the neighbouring South Tower 20 years ago this weekend.
Nola was among those able to escape before both towers collapsed within 102 minutes, takingmost of the almost 3000 lives lost in the series of terror attacks that struck the US on an otherwise ordinary working day.
Today, she remembers those killed - among them firefighters who offered comfort and hope to descending office workers like herself as they themselves climbed to their deaths - and offers her own words of hope as Kiwis collectively fight our newest foe, Covid-19.
I vividly recall that glorious sunny Tuesday morning in Manhattan before the world changed.
I made my usual trip on the No. 9 subway to my office on the 56th floor of the World Trade Centre but deviated from routine to enter the building from the outside rather than through the labyrinth of corridors beneath the towers.
Who could have known moments later very different memories would be born.
Walking to my desk I heard an almighty rumble sound from above as the building swayed and shuddered violently.
For a moment I steadied myself against the wall before fleeing towards the fire escape.
As I dashed past one of the board rooms I could see the ceiling crawling with cracks, caving in atop a beautiful antique board table.
It was apparent something major was occurring and my instinct was to get out of the building FAST.
Once in the fire escape the descent was slow.
Thousands were trying to evacuate whilst making way for firemen, police and first responders as they bravely trudged up the stairs to rescue people.
An acrid, unfamiliar smell permeated the smoke-filled air. The sporadic stops, choking smoke and uncertainty, followed by a second deafening rumble only served to intensify the panic.
All I could think of to calm myself was my family.
A rumour circulated that a small plane had crashed into the tower.
The acrid smell supported the story but never in my wildest dreams did I imagine this was a terrorist attack and that very soon the stairs I was descending would disintegrate into a pile of rubble.
My most enduring memory of that day is the long line of strong, brave firemen offering kind words of encouragement as they passed me by, telling me to stay calm and that everything would be alright.
Devastating to think most of them likely ascended to their death as they carried on bringing down burned and disfigured victims from the floors above.
One of the firemen stopped and put his hand on my arm as he gave me reassuring direction to keep moving while I stood shocked and scared amidst the chaos and terror.
I'll never be able to tell him how much his courage and bravery inspired me to keep going amid the fear and confusion.
A firefighter is pictured moving among the debris of the World Trade Centre on September 11 2001. More than 340 firefighters were among the victims of 9/11. AP file photo / Graham Morrison
Nearly an hour later I reached the ground floor and waded across the concourse, ankle deep in water from the overhead sprinklers and fire hoses.
The concourse was virtually unrecognisable. People were stunned and eerily quiet.
Once outside FBI agents were directing people away from the building and the horrific sight of people jumping from the towers trying to escape the blazing inferno where the fuel laden planes had crashed.
It was then, looking back at the billowing black holes in the towers, the magnitude of the situation hit me.
The enduring memory of those poor souls trapped in the inferno, no means of escape, still haunts me.
The moment when hijacked United Airlines flight 175 struck the World Trade Centre's South Tower on September 11 2001. AP Photo / Chao Soi Cheong
As panic mode set in, instinct told me to move fast.
A few minutes later I was stopped in my tracks by another deafening rumble, as tower two disintegrated to the ground before my eyes.
Debris and glass rained down as a cloud of black smoke billowed towards me through the corridor of buildings with typhoon-like intensity.
I ran towards the East River and Brooklyn Bridge for safety. Half way across the Brooklyn Bridge I felt far enough from harm to slow to a walking pace.
I knew how narrow my escape had been and felt so fortunate to be alive.
It took hours until I was able to contact family.
Many escaped the horror in lower Manhattan on September 11 2001 by crossing the Brooklyn Bridge, including Kiwi Mikhaila Nola. AP file photo / Mark Lennihan
The cell towers that once stood on the buildings were destroyed making it difficult to phone anyone; lines were overloaded.
Days later I replaced the mobile that had perished in my office and listening to the multitude of voicemails left by concerned family and friends as events unfolded made it very clear to me; the greatest richness in this life is the loving connections we have with people.
In the days that followed it was inspiring that such a hard-hearted metropolis as NY exposed an inner core of great care, compassion and humanity.
I witnessed so many acts of kindness in the weeks and months following 9/11.
And here we are 20 years later ... the war waged in the wake of 9/11 has only just ended with the US pulling out of Afghanistan but a new war, a war on Covid, has begun.
Kiwi 9/11 survivor Mikhaila Nola sees similarities between the 2001 terrorist attacks in the US, pictured, and our ongoing battle against Covid-19. AP file photo / Marty Lederhandler
Covid is like this generation's 9/11.
Lots of similarities between the two and the impact it is having around the world uniting people in their struggle and grief.
From all of this I have witnessed how life is a fragile and precious gift.
It can be taken away in a second. It should not take a crisis to reach out to one another and treat each other with dignity and kindness.
The voice of our nation is largely one of camaraderie and peace and I'd like to think we are a nation that puts our weight behind each other to embrace the best of what our little islands are all about; whānau and human values.
Amid the turmoil of the 9/11 disaster I realised how much this 'New Zealandness' means to me.
Let's harness that invincible Kiwi can-do spirit that enables us to perform incredible feats or to simply triumph over adversity. Especially in these challenging times!
Mikhaila Nola, pictured with partner Kale Braid and sons Noah, left, and Lucas, was in the North Tower of the World Trade Centre when the September 11 2001 attacks occurred. Photo / Supplied
I am so grateful the universe granted me 20 more years and here's hoping many more to come.
However, so many weren't spared and it is those poor souls - those fire fighters trudging up the stairs, the victims and all the other rescue workers I witnessed ascending to their death that day – that I will be honouring and remembering this weekend as I count my own blessings.
