This morning I was listening to NPR and they had a woman who barely escaped the collapse...

[TreasonousBastard]

She described her fear and managing to find the stairs. She told of all of her personal and family possessions lost.

But the worst thing was that she could not save her cat.

[flying_wahini]

1. Hmmmmmm , I love my dog But....

You would think the loss of human life would be worse than that.

[hlthe2b]

4. It is NEVER an either/or but an 'AND.' It saddens me when people try to make love for pets

and sadness at their loss as consistent with holding human life LESS dear.

[spooky3]

6. +1

[Chili]

7. amen

thank you

[bronxiteforever]

11. +1

[niyad]

12. Thank you!

[patphil]

15. People who have pets consider them as part of their family...like children that never grow up.

I imagine this woman's pet was all she had for immediate family. The trauma of losing everything, including the only living creature sharing her space is immense.
I'm not going to judge her sadness over losing something near and dear to her.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

5. Sounds like she may have been comparing the loss of her possessions to the loss of her cat

I would feel the same.

[wnylib]

16. I heard that interview and posted about it

earlier on another thread.

She first mentioned losing everything, but said that the things didn't matter as much as the lives lost. She talked about people in the building that she knew well who are now gone.

Regarding the cat, she was crying when she said that, in her fear and rush to get out, she left her cat behind. She was in what was left of her hall with survivors of the only two apartments left on her floor when she realized how dangerous it was and left with her neighbors. She felt that she had been selfish to leave without the cat and that she should have gone back for it. The interviewer reminded her that she might have died if she had gone back and that she had done what she was able to do in the cirumstances by alerting her neighbors and leaving with them.

The survivor said that she goes to the collapsed building site each day hoping to find that her cat survived or that people she knew had been rescued.

It was very heartwrenching to hear.

[Bucky]

8. I don't think people are quantifying or comparing grief levels when they feel loss

She feels the loss she feels. She's gone through a pretty big trauma.

Probably not the sort of thing you understand better by analyzing it

[samnsara]

9. that cat may have been ALL she had

[wnylib]

18. It was. She mentioned that she had no family

so her neighbors used to look in on her and help her. Now the neighbors are gone, too.

[paleotn]

19. I couldn't disagree more....

First, that's not what she said or implied. Second, even it it was, what makes us so damn special?

[radical noodle]

23. I gathered that it was her biggest loss personally

If she lived alone, the cat was probably the center of her world.

[XanaDUer2]

2. That's heartbreaking

I was thinking of the pets

[hlthe2b]

3. A thought that had gone through my mind frequently... How horrible to lose people & remembrances

But, the loss of pets in the homes is devastating as well. It would be a loss I'd not soon forget.

[PSPS]

10. She was inconsolable. I would be the same. My kitty is part of my family and I love her dearly..

[Demovictory9]

14. man said his wife called him from balcony to say the pool deck had just collapsed. then she screamed

last he heard from her.

[Scottie Mom]

17. I read that in a news article and it really got to me.

Losing a spouse is a horrendous loss — I know, I’m a widow.

Having that as the last contact and lasting memory — so, so sad for the grieving husband.

[Demovictory9]

21. I wish she would have run for the exit rather than calling husband but maybe she would not

have made it

[Scottie Mom]

22. My reaction was she was not thinking that the building was collapsing. We will never know...

This entire episode leaves a mark on so many. So sad, so horrible. 😢

[NH Ethylene]

20. So she escaped from one of the buildings before it collapsed?

I had thought there was no time for that. I guess if the evacuation alarm went on after the pool & parking area collapse, many would have had enough time to get out. From dispatcher reports, the building segments fell 5 minutes later.

I'm just trying to piece the sequence together in my mind.

If I had lost my pet that way, I would be devastated too, especially because she would feel that she could have saved it.