Janice Brooks, a British national, narrowly escaped death while working at the World Trade Center during the September 11 attacks. Now 66, she uses her harrowing experience to educate young people about tolerance and the dangers of extremism.
The 84th floor and the seconds that decided survival
Janice Brooks had been living in New York City for only 19 days, having moved from London to serve as an executive assistant for Euro Brokers, when the 2001 attacks occurred. According to the report, Brooks was stationed on the 84th floor of the South Tower. While she initially mistook the sound of the first plane hitting the North Tower for common Manhattan construction noise, a frantic phone call from her fomrer UK manager alerted her to the reality of the situation.
The timing of her evacuation was critical. Brooks had already begun to leave the building after the first impact, but officials instructed her to return inside to avoid overcrowding the plaza. As she climbed back up the stairwell, United Airlines Flight 175 struck the South Tower, annihilating the offices of Euro Brokers. Brooks describes being only meters away from the fireball that erupted as the plane breached the structure, a moment that determined whether she would live or die.
The guilt of 23 funerals and 61 lost colleagues
The human cost for Euro Brokers was devastating, with 61 colleagues of Janice Brooks perishing in the collapse. Despite the scale of the tragedy, Brooks reveals a lingering sense of survivor's guilt, stating she will never forgive herself for attending only 23 of those colleagues' funerals. As reported by the Daily Mail, Brooks describes her heart as remaining "broken" 25 years after the event.
This psychological burden is a common thread among 9/11 survivors, where the act of surviving is often coupled with the trauma of those left behind. For Brooks, the physical reminders of that day—including a dress shirt with sliver cufflinks covered in dust and blood—serve as a testament to the carnage she witnessed during her descent from the 84th floor.
Using the 'Since 9/11' charity to fight modern extremism
In the decades since the attacks, Janice Brooks has transitioned from a survivvor to an educator. She now serves as a guest speaker for the UK-based charity Since 9/11, visiting schools to discuss the events of September 11,2001. This work is part of a broader effort to ensure that the history of the attacks is not lost to time, particularly as there are currently no schoolchildren alive who remember the day the towers fell.
By sharing her story, Brooks aims to teach young people about tolerance and the mechanisms of extremism. Her approach reflects a global trend of using first-hand survivor testimony to prevent the radicalization of newer generations,turning a personal tragedy into a tool for civic education and peace-building.
A blood-stained shirt and the 25th anniversary return
As Janice Brooks prepares to return to New York City to mark the 25th anniversary of the attacks, she has donated her blood-stained dress shirt to the 9/11 Museum. This act of preservation ensures that the visceral reality of the South Tower's collapse remains visible to the public, moving the narrative from a personal memory to a historical record.
However, certain details of the account remain unverified or unexplored. The report mentions colleagues named Dan, Dominic, and Brian who initially suggested she stay in the building, but it does not clarify if these individuals survived the collapse.. Additionally, while Brooks speaks on "extremism," the report does not specify which particular iddeologies or modern movemennts the Since 9/11 charity focuses on in its school curriculum.
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