calmI wanted to see what it would be like. I mean, during an actual emergency isn’t the time to discover that the stairwells have no windows and are lit only by overhead fluorescent lights (I don’t know that they’re on the main power supply and would promptly go out in the event of a fire, leaving people to grope their way downstairs in smoke-filled blackness, but I am a bit suspicious). Perhaps because a number of people had already left the building, the stairs weren’t terribly crowded, and everyone made their way in an orderly fashion outside.
Once in the parking lot, we stood around until they gave the “All Clear” signal. Which they almost immediately rescinded. Some people had already returned to the building. The rest of us waited to see if they’d agree on whether we could go back in. They finally did. When we saw the mass of people streaming inside, J and I went to lunch. We didn’t need to practice waiting around for the elevators to get back up to the ninth floor.
