Maryann Bruce, 48, of Cornelius, North Carolina, said that while others were “thinking of dying, I was actually thinking about living. I wanted to see my kids and my husband.” She said she had survived disasters before, including the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Centre, where she worked then. “I must have nine lives,” she said. “I was vacationing in Honolulu and had to be evacuated for a tsunami. I was skiing in Denver and had an avalanche. I was at the big LA earthquake.