Amid shock at Boston Marathon, a rush to help strangers

Amid shock at Marathon, a rush to help strangers
By David Abel
GLOBE STAFF
APRIL 16, 2013

The woman’s eyes stared vacantly into the sky.

The runners had been bounding in, beaming with relief. On both sides of Boylston Street, hundreds of spectators still had packed the area, many cheering with hoarse voices for the late finishers surging in, scores of them every minute. An elderly volunteer greeting runners kept repeating this mantra: “You’re all winners.”

When the first boom shattered the bliss and the haze of white smoke washed over the finish line, I could see in the eyes of the woman what had happened. She wasn’t breathing. She wasn’t moving. Her eyes appeared lifeless as she lay beside the metal barriers on the sidewalk, where dozens of people were sprawled on the concrete, their limbs mangled, blood and broken glass everywhere.

I had been in a crouch shooting video of runners taking their final steps of the race, maybe 10 feet from the blast. I saw runners in front of me fall, at least one of whom appeared wounded. Those beside me at the center of the finish line — Marathon volunteers, security, fellow journalists — fell back as the ground trembled.
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Bostonians and others rush to support stranded visitors
By Lateef Mungin
CNN
April 16, 2013

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
The blasts left many without shelter as hotels were evacuated
Some people posted on websites that they were stranded
More than 100 people offered help on one website

(CNN) -- They're offering their spare rooms, their couches, their food, their cars -- even their own beds.

A huge wave of strangers is greeting the many visitors stranded by the Boston Marathon bombings with a massive outpouring of support.

"We figure this is the least we can do," said Heather Carey, who offered a couch at the home near Boston University she shares with roommates. "I saw a website with many others offering their spaces like we did. It is awesome to see so many people helping."

The twin blasts Monday that left three dead and more than 140 wounded also left countless people without shelter. Investigators turned the heart of Boston into a crime scene, evacuating several hotels. This left dozens of visitors, some of them international runners unfamiliar with the area, stranded.
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When someone does something evil, everyone always asks "Where is God?" but when people rush to help, thinking of others, God is right there.

Police officers, firefighters, Boston National Guardsmen and average citizens rushed to help the wounded and comfort the shocked people after these two bombs exploded.

April 15th, 2013
10:10 PM ET
Runner: Bombs sounded like Afghanistan
Capt. Thom Kenney is an Afghan war veteran who ran the Boston Marathon and finished the race minutes before the bomb attack. He describes what he witnessed to Anderson Cooper.