Aaron Swirski, architect, says WTC floors designed to self-seal in case of emergency.

Jeruselem Post Radio ^ | 9-11-2001 | Aaron Swirski

[SlickWillard]

Swirski: "each floor... by itself... is designed to be a hermetically sealed unit..."

Swirski: "it's not 50,000, it's half a million people who work in those buildings"

Swirski: "that building doesn't even have sprinklers."

Swirski: "shut off ... vertical openings"

Q: "Does that also mean that people couldn't travel from one floor to another?"

"That's right. No, they couldn't"

[BushMeister]

First of all, that idiot is *not* the architect of the WTC. A japanese guy (died 1986) was, and he had 2 assistants, neither of whom was named "Swirski".

How can "one of the architects" of perhaps the most famous modern buildings in the world be off as to their occupation capacity by a factor of 10?

[SlickWillard]

I agree that he could be a swindler. It's difficult to get any accurate information in times of panic. However, the assertion about the self-sealing floors agrees with the interviews I saw in which evacuees said the fire doors were locked.

[SlickWillard]

From MSNBC:

Sept. 11 — By afternoon, it was quiet. And that may have been the most ominous sign of all. Outside the NYU hospital in downtown New York—just four or five blocks from the site of the devastated World Trade Center—staff waited for the injured to arrive. For the most part, they didn’t. “There’s tons of ambulances, tons of personnel, and almost no patients,” said Michele Okamoto, a registered nurse handing out face masks as protection from the pervasive dust.

[BearCub]

Insurance almost never covers an act of war. that it what they will claim (esp. if we declare war on osama). check the fine print on your life, home, etc. insurance policy.

An action isn't an act of war just because the insurance company says it is. War can only be declared by another state - anything else is just criminal action by, um, criminals.

Assuming it is Bin Laden: The U.S. does not recognize the Taliban as the legitimate rulers of Afghanistan, so it wasn't a nation that did it. Insurance companies will have to pay.

-bc

[piasa]

Kind of like taking an empty coke can, putting one foot on it for a little pressure, and then lightly tapping the side. Instant total collapse. Not so surprising, actually.