big scare

Yesterday evening I was at work when I got the following call from the wife:

Something's happened. [expletive] There's been an explosion. I love you... [click]

I think you can understand why I was very worried after a call like that. I hopped into my car, said a quick but very heartfelt prayer for her safety, and drove toward her as fast as was reasonable. Along the way I listened to the radio for breaking news, and I also called my mom so she could check CNN for anything they may be reporting.

This is what she escaped from. A steam pipe blew a huge hole in the road two blocks from her building. She was up in her office when the lights started to flicker and the building began to rumble. When she and her co-worker looked out the window and saw the building across the street being evacuated, they decided to do the same. While in the stairwell trying to get out of the building the evacuation alarm went off, and when she got to the street there was a wall of steam and smoke blocking off the road in one direction, so she started running in the opposite direction.

Eventually she was able to call me again to let me know that she was safe and trying to catch a ferry out of Manhattan as soon as possible. I was very happy to see her safely back in New Jersey about an hour after the first frantic call was made.