As the world watched the horrific 9/11 attacks in New York City 15 years ago, Mak Hanna – now changed to Father Mark Hanna – recalls barely escaping the World Trade Center’s North Tower as he carried an 89-year-old man down 89 floors.
“I was carrying Mo out at that time because the lobby itself was completely damaged. All the chandeliers, all the stores in the lobby … were completely damaged and water was almost one-foot (deep),” Hanna told Global News.
“As soon I came out of the building, I was shouting at the police on the other side of the West Side Highway telling them ‘I am exhausted, I am tired, I am carrying a man.’”
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Hanna said as police came and helped the elderly man get medical assistance, officers told him to be careful for falling debris coming from the tower. Moments later the North Tower collapsed.
“All I remember is running and flying with all my power to run away from the scene,” Hanna said.
Hanna worked as an engineer in the World Trade Center’s construction division on the North Tower’s 88th floor. After American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the building, Hanna said it felt like a “huge bomb” went off. He initially thought it was a generator explosion.
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He ran to the west side of the tower with his colleagues and his two best friends, Frank De Martini and Pablo Ortiz. The three men stayed to make sure everyone cleared the 88th floor.
As they were getting ready to leave, Hanna said De Martini insisted Hanna and Ortiz go to the 89th floor after he heard someone banging on the door. Despite the smoke from the upper floors, they managed to open the door, allowing those trapped to escape—including the 89-year-old man.
The men made their way down to the 78th floor. De Martini and Ortiz stayed behind while Hanna made the 46-minute journey to the ground floor with Mo.
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Hanna recalled meeting a group of firefighters on the 21st floor, who helped the two men. But he kept thinking about his best friends.
“In the beginning, I did not want to leave because I was hoping Frank and Paul would come down to meet me on the 21st floor.”
But the men continued. As they reached the 18th floor, Hanna said he heard a loud bang, followed by the loss of the building’s emergency lighting – the South Tower had collapsed.
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Although Hanna and Mo made it out of the building, De Martini and Ortiz were among the victims who died on Sept. 11.
“As much as 9/11 changed our lives here – the way we live our lives right now – but actually it’s a message to be ready,” Hanna said, adding he continues to remember and pray for those who lost their lives, his friends and their loved ones.
“I felt actually 9/11 was a message for me – how God granted me another life, how to appreciate life and help others.”
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Hanna, who changed his first name when he became a priest in 2005, decided he wanted to help others and now works at St. Mary Coptic Orthodox Church in East Brunswick, New Jersey.
As he thinks about his journey, Hanna said he still worries about his safety to this day.
“Being a 9/11 survivor, I’m always scared. I always feel like something will happen. But I think it’s a little bit safer than before, because right now we realize who is the enemy and who is a target,” Hanna said.
“I feel like everybody is working hard to keep us safe.”
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