SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – In the wake of the deadliest terrorist attack in human history, lower Manhattan was left in utter ruin in the days, weeks and months following September 11, 2001. Solange Schwalbe, a South Lake Tahoe local, found herself in the pit of ground zero working alongside 1500 rescue workers. Now, Schwalbe is sharing her experiences in her new book, “I’m Not Supposed To Know This”. 

Schwalbe has lived in Lake Tahoe since 1989, and would commute to Los Angeles to continue her Emmy Award-winning career in the film industry doing sound editing in feature films. A few of her many projects include big hits like “Eat, Pray, Love”, “The Da Vinci Code”, “Money Ball”, and more.

“When I was on a movie, I was in Los Angeles, and when I was done, I’m in Lake Tahoe. I did that commute for 32 years,” said Schwalbe who now permanently resides in Tahoe, teaching four classes at Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC) in the Digital Media Arts department. 

Leading up to 9/11, Schwalbe fostered a deep love for New York City and would visit every year. 

“New York became my Christmas,” Schwalbe told the Tribune. “I would go again and again, until 2001, when I said, ‘I cannot face it, I cannot see the skyline compromised.” 

After some convincing from her best friend who lived there, Schwalbe went back to New York City, and after Christmas, she went to the ground zero site. It was then and there, she decided to volunteer. 

Schwalbe was trained by the Salvation Army and placed in the respite center of the pit where she worked from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., seven days a week. Volunteers were only allowed to work for up to two weeks, and by the end of her second week, a man approached her. 

“He said, ‘I’ve been watching you, and I really like the way you interact with the rescue workers. You want a job?’ and I said, ‘Excuse me, but I’m a sound editor in feature films, I don’t belong here. I’ve never worn a hard hat in my life,” Schwalbe said, and despite having no previous training or experience, her charming personality landed her a four-month job in the pit with the nickname “Hollywood”. 

Schwalbe was one of four women out of about 1500 rescue workers.

“It didn’t matter where you were from, who you were – religion, race, creed, color, sex – none of it mattered. Nobody cared. We were all there for one reason: to clean up the mess, and find bodies and body parts.” 

Her book, “I’m Not Supposed To Know This” is the retelling of her time working through that devastation and the eye-opening experiences she encountered along the way. 

“There are so many elements involved with the cleanup efforts of 9/11,” said Schwalbe. “One of them is the processions. Out of 2800 people who were killed that day, they only found 291 bodies. That’s it.” 

For every whole body that was found, a procession – never seen by the public – would take place as the body was placed in a basket, covered with the American flag, and carried through a ramp lined with firefighters, police officers and rescue and emergency service workers. 

Every day working in the pit was a gamble on her life, and by the end of Schwalbe’s four-month tour, she gained a 9/11 family.

“I’ve been to every memorial since 2002, and that’s when I get to see my [9/11] family. It’s hard to believe that I would not know any of them if it wasn’t for 9/11,” she said. “I’m not supposed to know these people.”

Two years after she finished her job at ground zero, Schwalbe suffered a deep depression which led her to crisis counseling and continued therapy. 

In addition to psychological damage, physical ailments from Schwalbe’s time in the pit continue to surface, including a persistent cough that doesn’t go away, noting that there are 49 cancers identified with ground zero.

“When anybody sees any photographs of the pit, you’re not looking at dirt. You’re looking at zone dust. It was very sticky and it smelled horrible,” she said. “All the chemicals, body parts, it’s everything.” 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, samples of dust from the World Trade Center indicated a toxic and complex mixture of particles from building debris and combustion products, such as cement, cellulose, glass fibers (mineral wool and fiberglass), soot, paint (leaded and unleaded), unburned or partially burned jet fuel, plastic, and other materials ignited by fire.

Just six years after 9/11, Schwalbe would lose her home in Lake Tahoe to the Angora Fire. 

“After the fire, after they let us back into the neighborhood, I started digging through my ashes and it became my own personal 9/11,” said Schwalbe.

Today, Schwable has found purpose through her career at LTCC teaching film editing, filmmaking and digital media arts.

“I had no idea teaching would be so awesome. I love teaching, it feeds my soul,” she added.

As the Sept. 11 anniversary approaches, it took Schwalbe 20 years to face the memories of her day-to-day life as a rescue worker in the pit and get it all down on paper. 25 years and 224 pages later, “I’m Not Supposed To Know This” is now available on https://imnotsupposedtoknowthis.com/, as well as major platforms such as Amazon, Walmart, and Barnes and Noble.