Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live At Daybreak

A Native New York Reporter's Perspective on Attack

Aired September 12, 2001 - 07:51   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Right now I am joined by Aaron Brown here in New York City, a man who spent over nine hours here perched atop our platform here. He watched both World Trade Centers collapse yesterday. He watched building number seven collapse, as well. What are your thoughts this morning as New York wakes up to a completely different skyline?

AARON BROWN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It strikes me as both reporter and New Yorker that today is remarkably different. There was something sickeningly surreal about yesterday. At one point turning around, you watched these buildings collapse and you say that can't possibly be. If yesterday was surreal, today is all about reality. Today we are, we're going to start to get a sense of the dimension of this. We're going to start to get a sense of how many people perished, both 30 blocks away from us and in Washington as well.

And when we start to get those numbers, this will no longer be about buildings that collapsed. It's going to be about lives that have been shattered, families that have been shattered. It all feels to me quite different. At various times you'll see, you'd look down on the street and there would be thousands of people standing on the corner staring at essentially nothing, just out there together as a single community. New York is a city of many communities.

Someone said to me a little bit ago that when she left here very, very late last night, that she never felt safer in the city, that she felt connected to everyone.

ZAHN: Aaron Brown, thanks. I think you'll be dropping by throughout the morning.

BROWN: See you around.

ZAHN: Even though you got precious little sleep, like most folks on duty around here last night. Thank you very much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com