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American Morning

Faces of Ground Zero: Talk With Florence Engoram

Aired September 04, 2002 - 08:48   ET

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

PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: As 9/11 approaches, some of the people who lived through the tragedy are sharing their stories with us. Florence Engoram is one of those faces at ground zero. She was five months pregnant on the day the jetliner struck. Coworkers helped her down 55 flights of stairs to safety. Her World Trade Center I.D. is a reminder of how she survived.
But it was something inside that gave Florence the will to live. Her baby daughter Emily, who was born in February -- yes, we are talking about you, mother and daughter, joins us here now.

Good morning, and welcome.

FLORENCE ENGORAM, 09-11 SURVIVOR: Good morning. Thank you.

ZAHN: You must feel so blessed every time you look at Emily's sweet smiling faces, one of the few babies who's ever smiled inside here, because it's so cold in here.

ENGORAM: Yes, I'm so thankful to be here and to have her. It's a blessing.

ZAHN: Tell us how you think she saved your life?

ENGORAM: Basically, that morning, I had come back with a cup of coffee and looked out the window.

ZAHN: You were in the south tower?

ENGORAM: Yes, on the 55th floor.

And there was debris raining down in front of the window. And basically, I just went on autopilot and said, you know, some of the people were debating whether to stay or to look out the window. They said a plane had hit the other building. And I just went on auto pilot and said I have to get out, I have to get my baby and me out of the building. So I just went right to the stairwell.

ZAHN: And you did fine until you reached which floor?

ENGORAM: Until the 20th floor which the plane hit our building.

ZAHN: And you could hear it, you could feel it?

ENGORAM: The whole stairway shook. It twisted and moved, and people just grabbed on to the railing just to keep standing up.

ZAHN: Were you having trouble breathing at that point?

ENGORAM: I mean, basically, being five months' pregnant, it was a very warm day and coming down those flights of stairs, I mean, I was sweating and it was very hot. So people had passed me water, and I had two fellow coworkers from my office promise to stay with me the whole time and they took me down the whole way.

ZAHN: Have you seen them since September 11th?

ENGORAM: Yes.

ZAHN: Have they met Emily?

ENGORAM: Yes, once.

ZAHN: And You actually passed out at one point, right?

ENGORAM: That was when basically I had gotten out of the building and to Thomas Street, some people who had an office there actually helped all three of us into their building and gave us water and let us sit down, and they evacuated us out of that office, because the buildings were collapsing. So when I had gone to, you know, run and walk again to get out of the building, I had just passed out and those people from the building helped me to the hospital.

ZAHN: You were so lucky. I think baby Emily is cheering on Brendly Evans (ph). We'll look at his picture again, and Bryan McDern (ph), who were the two men stayed with you throughout that period of time. How grateful are you?

ENGORAM: I think they're the best.

ZAHN: Look, it's Emily.

ENGORAM: It's a wonderful part of the story. They really didn't know me that well. I was at the office just a short time, and for them, it's -- to stay with me the whole time was wonderful. I mean, even after the plane hit, knowing we were in danger, just to make sure that I got out was wonderful.

ZAHN: Do you think had you not been pregnant that day, no one would have paid attention to you?

ENGORAM: Maybe, maybe. But I think there are so many stories of people helping each other that I just, you know, it's a wonderful thing to see. I mean, just lawyers on the street pulling you in and helping out you. It's what New York is really about.

ZAHN: It's really quite remarkable how you hear how orderly it was as people left stairwells, even as they felt the horrendous thud of the second plane hitting. You are taking part in a study involving pregnant who were at this site, at the World Trade Center, on September 11th. Did you have a healthy pregnancy? As far as you know, do you have a healthy baby?

ENGORAM: Pretty much. She had one minor surgery, and I mean, other than that, she is a happy, healthy baby.

ZAHN: Do they think that was related to what you were exposed to?

ENGORAM: They're not really sure. I think it was just something, you know, we were told not related.

ZAHN: What are you going to do September 11th?

ENGORAM: I think maybe I'll bring Emily into the office and let her see the guys that helped her out.

ZAHN: She is happy about that.

ENGORAM: Yes.

ZAHN: Go mom, go. I want to see Brian and Brendly (ph) again.

ENGORAM: Exactly.

ZAHN: Well, we really appreciate you sharing your story with us. It is really a miracle that both of you got out of there.

Hey, and, Emily, thank for being such a nice TV baby.

Oh, she's so beautiful.

Good luck to you, and your family.

Good luck to you, Emily. Bye-bye. Thanks again.

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