Bombs can be very unpredictable in where precisely they throw shrapnel, especially homemade bombs. It’s possible that it just threw all of the most-damaging bits away from the wearer.
The only Google hits for “world trade hole” dave barry are three posts by you. What you are looking for is “world trade pit” dave barry.
The latest piece I just read on CNN had an illustration showing that the explosion was in the walkway tunnel that connects the 1,2,3 subway lines with the A,C,E lines. I hate that tunnel, I was just in there yesterday.
As I remember, the jokes about the incompetence of the first World Trade bombers wasn’t about the bombing itself, but the incompetence the bombers showed afterwards in trying to get their rental truck deposit refunded which led to their arrest.