Morgan Stanley REJECTs WJS earlier report that all MS staff evacuated & safe.
"The Wall Street Journal said on its Web site late Tuesday that Morgan Stanley told employees in a memo on Tuesday its personnel working in the building had survived the attack.
Morgan Stanley spokesman Ray O'Rourke, however, told Reuters he denied any confirmation of the safety of the company's employees stationed at the World Trade Center, who were mainly back-office, support and marketing staff. ``We are continuing to account for employees,'' O'Rourke said.
An internal memo distributed to Morgan Stanley workers in other cities said senior management staff had been at the company's headquarters in midtown Manhattan when the attacks occurred, The Wall Street Journal said in its report.
The New York-based brokerage leased space on about 25 floors of the 110-story twin towers, which were reduced to rubble early Tuesday morning after the two planes smashed into the buildings."
biz.yahoo.com
And here are the 2 excerps dealing most specifically with his knowledge of the fate of MS employees from a statement by the firms CEO on the Morgan Stanley website last night:
"We have limited information about the Trade Center disaster beyond what has been reported in the news. Our key focus and concern are for the well-being and safety of Morgan Stanley employees. Some 3,500 people working for Morgan Stanley's individual investor businesses were based in the World Trade Center complex. We are working diligently with local authorities, and we will keep you apprised of developments."
AND...
This 7:45 p.m. Tuesday message regarding the World Trade Center disaster updates the MorganStanley.com site.
"We continue to have limited information beyond what has been reported in the news. Our immediate focus and concern are for the well-being and safety of Morgan Stanley employees. Some 3,500 people working for Morgan Stanley's individual investor businesses were based in the World Trade Center complex - many of whom have reported in safely - and we are working diligently to secure additional information."
And finally this anecdotal report via a Yahoo MS thread post that may or may not be reliable.
"09/12/01 10:32 am Msg: 8783 of 8804
There was an employee on TV
His account was like: When they saw what had happened in the N Tower, they were just
dumb-struck, then a supervisor, with very great urgency said: Get out, get out get out!
They were going down the stairs and then over the PA there was a voice saying to return
to work, repeatedly... This guy kept going down the stairs and got out just in time (thats a
lot of stairs) and survived, thanks to the supervisor who ordered the evacuation... Very
quick thinking on the part of the supervisor and he should be applauded for the perhaps
thousands of lives he saved. The people on the very top floors were probably right where
the plane struck, according to the guy giving the account... My financial advisor sez the
online part of the brokerage is up and running, but I cannot access it, and the 800 number
is busy, so I think I will take a motor trip over to the coast and forget about it for awhile...
All the best..."
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Bottom line? We still DON'T KNOW how many MS people may be dead or injured. Although we all hope and pray for the safety of ALL those still missing or officially unaccounted for, we can't yet eliminate the possibility that the plane did in fact impact into the floor(s) adjacent to the top level employee floor of the 25 floors occupied by MS staff. Although I hope to God all were saved, I fear we've lost some of W.S best and brightest
Moments ago, I telephoned the MS toll free hotline and was told that as of right now, 1,700 of the 3,500 employees have been confirmed as alive and safe and others continue to call in to report their status.
Of course, our concerns and uncertainties pale in comparison with those of the family members awaiting the word as to the fate of their loved ones.
Isopatch |
