Article April 19, 2004 Issue

From anger to peace of mind

Marta Greenwood

I HAD JUST ARRIVED at Paddington Station in London to board my train. I was on my way to a very important meeting on the other side of the country, which meant a long train journey. I'd left home at 6:00 a.m. and was pleased because I had arrived early, according to plan, so I would be able to do some research when I got to the town. In my own mind, I'd seen to everything.

What happened next was not on the agenda. Just as I was getting ready to board the train, the station alarm went off, urging us to evacuate. By now it was the morning rush hour, and Paddington, one of London's key terminals, was packed with commuters. In spite of everyone's keen awareness of the dangers from terrorists, which we read about constantly in the papers, we were all very reluctant to accept the possibility of a bomb threat. (No bomb would be found, but, of course, no one knew this at the time.)

People grudgingly moved outside the station doors. In no time, an emergency team had cordoned off the station and moved us into the nearby roads for safety. We could hardly move for the sheer number of people involved.

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