HEROISM AND HORROR
279
The World Trade Center Complex as of 9/11 Rendering by Marco Crupi
floor below the mezzanine. All three stairwells ran essentially straight up and down, except for two deviations in stairwells A and C where the staircase jut= ted out toward the perimeter of the building. On the upper and lower bound= aries of these deviations were transfer hallways contained within the stairwell proper. Each hallway contained smoke doors to prevent smoke from rising from lower to upper portions of the building; they were kept closed but not locked. Doors leading from tenant space into the stairwells were never kept locked; reentry from the stairwells was generally possible on at least every fourth floor.3 Doors leading to the roof were locked. There was no rooftop evacuation plan. The roofs of both the North Tower and the South Tower were sloped and cluttered surfaces with radiation hazards, making them impractical for hel= icopter landings and as staging areas for civilians. Although the South Tower roof had a helipad, it did not meet 1994 Federal Aviation Administration guidelines.4 The 1993 Terrorist Bombing of the WTC and the Port Authority’s Response. Unlike most of America, NewYork City and specifically theWorld