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Evacuation after wall collapse

Rain-soaked hill tumbles to Richmond Rd. homes, cars
damaged

Tuesday, June 05, 2007

By DOUG AUER
STATEN ISLAND ADVANCE

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A Dongan Hills retaining wall came tumbling down
last night, damaging cars, crashing through backyards and forcing the
evacuation of 22 people from five homes.

"I heard a big noise and thought it was on the street," said Guoyi Sun,
47, of 1355 Richmond Rd., one of four homes on the west side of Richmond
Road that were evacuated. "Then my car's security alarm went off and I
looked outside. I said to myself, 'Something's changed. The backyard's
totally different.'"

Amazingly, no one was injured when the huge concrete-block structure
that supports the hill between Richmond Road and Overlook Avenue collapsed
just before 11:30 p.m.

Residents said the wall was erected during the construction of
prominent Staten Island attorney and lobbyist John D'Amato's house at 96
Overlook Ave. a few years ago. D'Amato was unavailable for comment last
night.

The devastation came after remnants of Tropical Storm Barry pelted the
city with 4.65 inches of rain, besting the daily record of 2.75 inches set
in 2003.

"It sounded like an earthquake," said Nick Ali, who was hanging out
with Walid Awadeh, owner of nearby Diddle Dee Bagels and Deli, when the
wall gave way.

Awadeh was just closing the deli when the men heard the loud rumbling.

"The dust just came out everywhere," said Awadeh.

The interlocking, gray rectangular stones -- measuring approximately
four feet long and two feet high -- rolled down onto vehicles parked in
the rear of 1355 and 1351 Richmond Rd.

Ms. Sun's Mercury Mountaineer took the brunt of the damage, its
windshield smashed and the hood badly dented.

CONTINUED
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