Anguish of former New York fireman

Heartbroken Joe Cerosimo, of Howick More Lane, Penwortham, is struggling to come to terms with the grim reality that many of his friends in the New York Fire Service are probably dead.

They perished trying to evacuate thousands of terrified people from the World Trade Centre towers in New York.

Half the city's duty fire officers, including New York's fire chief, are missing presumed dead.

Nothing could describe Joe's anguish on Tuesday when he witnessed the horrific scenes of the second hijacked plane ploughing into the South Tower of New York's tallest buildings.

"I watched it on TV and just couldn't believe it," said Joe, 43. "I was in total shock."

"All my family are OK, but my heart goes out to the firefighters out there who have lost so many of their friends and colleagues."

Joe, who was a firefighter with the New York service for five years before moving to Lancashire, is now calling for calm in his homeland where thousands of people are believed to have been killed in the world's worst terrorist attack.

"I just hope for peace, not retaliation. We can't have any more fighting.

"But my fear now is that we are going to retaliate and it is going to escalate.

"We can't talk to these Palestinian people. If I was a dictator I would give them a place of their own. That's what they want, so give it to them. But the States won't do that."

Mum-of-one Kathleen Reagan Houghton, also from Preston, is another former New York resident to have been rocked by the tragedy in the States.

Marketing manager Kathleen, who works at Progress Housing Group, King Street, Leyland, lived in the Big Apple for 13 years before marrying an English man and emigrating to the UK.

As the full scale of the horror unfolded live on TV Kathleen was gripped with fear for her family and friends living near the city centre.

Despite dozens of attempts Kathleen could not get through to her loved ones on the telephone and her e-mails were being returned unanswered.

"I was in turmoil until my parents, who live in New York State, called me at about 8pm," Kathleen said.

"When it first happened I think most people were terrified what was going to be hit next. Fist it was New York, then Washington and there was a feeling George Bush's homeland in Austin, Texas, was going to be next.

"But watching the scenes on television I couldn't believe it. Not only the horror of it all but I just thought, 'my beautiful city'.

"I was only there in May on holiday. It's hard to believe.

"From the bottom of those towers looking up they were like rockets. There was a very elegant restaurant at the top called Windows on the World where I had lunch many times. It was incredible.

"I don't think there is anything George Bush could do which people would consider extreme.

"People in America feel very safe. We have never been attacked and it's very difficult to say what we should do to retaliate."

Despite the catastrophic scenes witnessed by millions around the globe Joe and Kathleen are convinced America will recover from this horror.

Joe said: "The one thing people in New York have in common is their diversity. They will recover from this and will be stronger."

Kathleen added: "New Yorkers pride themselves on managing adversity. You didn't see people running and shouting. They were calm and reserved.

"In the aftermath of this strangers will be helping strangers and people will be coming together to get through this. And they will."

Lancashire's assistant chief fire officer John Williamson spoke of his worries after hearing that New York's fire chief and close friend Peter Ganchi was missing believed dead. Mr Ganchi visited fire brigade headquarters in Fulwood two years ago.