I was in the middle of a staff meeting at the study-abroad office at the University of Michigan. Our assistant director got a phone call from his wife saying she'd heard the first tower was hit. Most didn't believe it. After the meeting, I went to the ground floor of the student union where big TVs were showing everything live. Surreal. We dealt with panicked parents and offered to bring home their kids from programs if they wanted. Only one had their student come back.
My ex husbands wife calle me wanting to know what to do for him. Though we'd been out of the borg for several years, he thought the big A had begun and was not able to function. He shook for weeks (literally trembled) before he got over it.
My daughter and spouse were visiting from Europe and wondered when they'd get back home. We watched TV together.