"I believe something is going to happen again."

That is the sentiment of Sandra Richards, a Bermudian living in New York City, who survived the terrorist attacks of September 11.

Ms Richards, who has worked in the city since 1998, strongly believes that New York has not heard last of whoever is responsible for the day last year that will always be etched in her mind.

"Lately, there's been so much on the news here, that you don't see in Bermuda. People have been stopped in airports with the plans to the subway systems and other places here in their luggage," she said. "As long as I'm here, I'm always in fear."

So much so that Ms Richards said her insecurity helped her decide to return to Bermuda at the end of this month.

While she admitted she wanted to come home after the attacks, she said she felt she had to remain in New York City because she had moved there to achieve her professional goals.

"I couldn't let this shake my confidence," she said.

But dealing with the events of September 11 has not been easy for Ms Richards. Watching people jumping out of buildings out of desperation is the most vivid memory she has of that day, but she said receiving counselling has helped tremendously.

"Talking about it has helped," she said, "but the counsellors could not understand what we had gone through because they were not there."

After the attacks, her office was relocated to Philadelphia for seven weeks, and she said it was not easy to return to New York.

"I don't walk down Broadway any more to avoid the memorials that are there. Then I don't have to remember," she said, "but I can never forget. There's always constant reminders."

While she said she felt uneasy as anniversary of the terrorist approached, Ms Richards said she was doing her best not to think about bad things.

"ACE (Ltd.) gave us the option to work that day but I'm probably going to stay home and watch TV," she said.

And count the days until she returns to Bermuda's soil.

"Things are too relaxed here again. That's what scares me the most," she said. "I'll just feel safer in Bermuda."

Robyn Semos said while the events of September 11 terrified her, she has no intentions of leaving the city that she has grown to love over the last seven years.

"I would only come back to Bermuda if something happened here again," she said.

Ms Semos, who worked on the 20th floor of the World Trade Center Number 7 building, last year told The Royal Gazette of her shock when the first plane hit one of the towers.

"We thought it was it was an accident, that maybe a plane had gone off course," she said.

Now, a year later, Ms Semos said although things in the city have returned to normal, the area where the towers stood is very different.

"It doesn't have the same spirit," she said.

Outside of the day if the attacks, Ms Semos said she has not had much fear of living in the city, although she admitted that the high military and Police presence frightened her.

"It was kind of scary," she said.

But the strangest thing for her now, is walking by the site where the massive towers once stood, and seeing nothing there.

"You forget that it's gone until you get there," she said.

But unlike Ms Richards, Ms Semos said she intends to go to her office today, although she doubted that much work would get done: "My friends and I are planning on going to lunch and spending some time together."

Does she intend on going to the site?

"No," she said. "That would make it like some sort of event. I'd rather see it from afar."