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NYC CITY INFO

Aug 8,
2007

On NY1 Now:
NY1 Minute

Weather: Still
Steamy.High: 93.

Building Collapse In East Harlem
Causes Subway Delays

A building collapse in East
Harlem Tuesday afternoon sent one worker to the hospital
and caused delays up and down the Lexington Avenue
subway line.

Part of a building under
construction collapsed at Lexington Avenue and 116th
Street before noon.

Fire officials say five of
the six floors in the vacant building collapsed, but all
12 of the construction workers at the site escaped
without serious harm. One worker was taken to Harlem
Hospital with a minor arm injury.

The accident
created disruptions all afternoon, as the DOB asked the
Transit Authority to suspend subway service in the area,
fearing vibrations would cause further damage to the
structure.

Bronx-bound 4 and 5 trains are
running local from the Bowling Green Station to the 86th
Street Station, and Bronx-bound 6 trains are suspended
from the 86th Street Station to the 125th Street
Station.

Also, Manhattan-bound 6 trains are
bypassing the 116th Street Station.

In addition,
selected Bronx-bound 5 trains are running on the 2 line,
from the Nevins Street Station to the 149th Street-Grand
Concourse Station.

The MTA says to expect
extensive delays and crowding on the 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6
trains at this time.

MetroNorth is slowing down
its trains in the area, but there are no diversions.

The Department of Buildings says there were
permits for the construction company, Focus and Strugga
Building Development, to be on-site doing interior
renovations.

While the exact cause of the
collapse is under investigation, preliminary reports
suggest some of that renovation work may have
compromised the structural integrity of the building.

"The facade of the building may have been
compromised by the work that was going on, thereby
forcing the wood joints that are in seats in the brick
to lose their seating and fall in," said DOB
Commissioner Patricia Lancaster.

Witnesses say
the floors collapsed in a short amount of time, causing
complications to the surrounding area.

"The
noise came from the roof first, from the parapet, and
then the roof because we saw the dust coming from the
roof first, so immediately like knew the roof collapsed
and that was the first part to collapse and then you
know people were coming out and then one floor after
another they kept collapsing you know like pancakes and
they all came crumbling down." Said witness Mohamad
Awada.

"We have all train traffic on Lexington
Avenue stopped to prevent any vibrations or further
collapse of the building,” said FDNY Assistant Chief
Michael Weinstein. “The train traffic on MetroNorth one
block west of here has also been slowed down and we are
in the process of evaluating when we can get that train
traffic back operating."

Fire officials say
several buildings in the area have been evacuated, also
as a precaution.

The deplaced residents turned
to the Red Cross for help.

"If they are able to
find accommodations tonight of course they will do so,"
said Michael Virgintino of the Red Cross. "If they
require accommodation we'll find them a hotel room at
least for tonight and we'll check going forward on a day
to day basis."

The building's owner has been
ordered to hire a demolition team to destroy the rest of
the structure as soon as possible.

August 08, 2007 National
Weather Service Confirms Tornado Touched Down In
Brooklyn

August 08, 2007 Residual
Effects Of Morning Storm Expected To Slow Evening
Commute

August 08, 2007 Boeing
Teams With Five Airlines In 9/11 Lawsuit Against CIA,
FBI

August 08, 2007 Boyfriend
Of Slain Woman Found In NYU Building Charged With
Murder

August 08, 2007 Two
Stuck In Tow Truck During Pipe Blast To Sue Con
Ed

August 08, 2007 Port
Authority Questioning Man Who Snuck Monkey Onto Plane

August 08, 2007 Police
Arrest Queens Man After Uncovering Arsenal Of Guns,
Other Weapons

August 08, 2007 City
Stops Moondance Diner Move

August 07, 2007 City
Lawmakers Take On "B-Word" In War On "Words That
Wound"

August 07, 2007 A
Humble Spitzer Takes Responsibility For Scandal's
Fallout

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