NATCHEZ &8212; The thing Fred Callon remembers most about New York City after the attacks is the eerie silence.

Natchez residents Fred, and his wife, Karen, were staying in midtown New York for his business five years ago today. Though they were far enough away from Ground Zero to be completely safe, they were too close for comfort.

&8220;Like everyone else, it&8217;s hard to believe it&8217;s been five years,&8221; Fred Callon said Sunday. &8220;After it happened, we got out walking over to St. Patrick&8217;s Cathedral and you could see emergency vehicles headed downtown. But the following day it was very quiet.&8221;

And it stayed that way the rest of the week, Callon said, because traffic wasn&8217;t allowed back into the city.

&8220;You could walk across Fifth Avenue with no traffic,&8221; he said. &8220;That&8217;s a real difference.&8221;

The Callons arrived in New York City the Friday before Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001. They&8217;d planned to come home Thursday.

Most visitors to the city were trapped for the week, Callon said, and everyone spent their time trying to make travel arrangements. Most businesses were closed and hotels operated with minimal staff, he said.

&8220;We did get out and walk the streets. When the wind would shift the ashes from the World Trade site would drift through the air. You could smell the remains.&8221;

On the first day, everyone in New York was concerned for their safety, Callon said.

&8220;Fairly quickly, once everyone realized what had taken place through TV reports, we realized things were under control.&8221;

The Callons fielded calls from family and friends, assuring them they were fine, and came up with a plan to get home.

&8220;We ended up staying in the city, then finally renting a car. We drove to Philadelphia on Friday (to the airport), but our flight was canceled. We drove to Washington and got out of there on Sunday.&8221;

Needless to say, it&8217;s a day the Callons won&8217;t ever forget.

&8220;In terms of being there that day, it certainly brings back memories that you&8217;ll never forget,&8221; he said. &8220;It&8217;s made us much more aware of how vulnerable we can be. It&8217;s made us much more aware.&8221;