ZIONSVILLE, Ind. – Fifteen years after the 9/11 terror attacks, a Zionsville woman who was part of the nation’s emergency response team, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, remembers that day vividly.
In 2001, Susana Suarez was promoted to assistant director for regional operations at FEMA, just weeks before the attacks.
Within weeks of the tragedy, she toured Manhattan and the twin towers while meeting some of her new coworkers.
While training on Sept. 11, she and the directors of FEMA watched the many people, including her new colleagues, die during the attack.
“I think all of us knew right away that this was not an accident,” said Suarez. “We commandeered if you will the ball rooms at the big sky resort in Montana and worked with the national guard, secured the area and that turned in to the hub of emergency response for the United States for about 5 hours.”
Suarez said that night her crew traveled to ground zero to respond to anyone in need of help.
“I think once you get in to this business, your first reaction is ‘what can I do to help?’” she said.
