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Wednesday Open Thread: Massive NYC Explosion

Posted: March 12, 2014 | Author: | Filed under: open thread | Tags: , , , |30 Comments

building-explosion

There has been a massive explosion in New York City’s East Harlem. Two buildings have collapsed, killing at least two people and injuring 17 others. This story is still breaking. The latest from The New York Daily News:

BREAKING: Two buildings collapse, killing 2 women and injuring 17 after gas explosion in Harlem

A loud explosion inside a five-story building on Park Ave. at E. 116th St. sent “people flying out the window,” killing two women, injuring 17 and leaving two buildings in rubble Wednesday morning, according to the Fire Department and witnesses.
“For weeks we’ve been smelling gas,” said Ashley Rivera, 21, holding back tears. “We saw people flying out of the window. … Those are my neighbors.”

A law enforcement source told the Daily News the cause appeared to be a gas explosion. Mayor de Blasio was on his way to the scene.

Dramatic photos at the link. More photos from around the ‘net:

Explosion Causes Two Buildings To Collapse In Manhattan's East Harlem Neighborhood

APTOPIX NYC Explosion

This is an open thread. What else is happening?

30 Comments on “Wednesday Open Thread: Massive NYC Explosion”

  1. bostonboomer's avatar bostonboomer says:
    March 12, 2014 at 11:09 am

    NYT has a story up finally. There were people living in the building. It’s a disaster.

    At Least 2 Killed in East Harlem Building Collapse

    At least two people were killed when two buildings collapsed in East Harlem on Wednesday morning, according to authorities, and a senior city official suggested that there would most likely be more fatalities.

    Witnesses, some more than a mile away, reported hearing what sounded like an explosion before the buildings collapsed. Flames and smoke could be seen billowing from the street, and the force of the damage blew out windows in neighboring buildings.

    At least 16 people were injured, including four seriously, according to city officials. The police said that two residential buildings — 1644 and 1646 Park Avenue — had collapsed.

    “This is an occupied building, there were people living there, we have people missing,” the senior official said. “There was a complete collapse; the fire is still going so we can’t make a search. There will be fatalities.”

    The Fire Department said it received the first report at 9:31 a.m. and was still working to determine the cause.

    Elizabeth Matthews, a spokeswoman for Con Edison, said that a report of a heavy gas odor came in at 9:13 a.m. The person, a resident at 1652 Park Avenue, reported smelling gas in her apartment, but noted that it could have come from outside.

  2. bostonboomer's avatar bostonboomer says:
    March 12, 2014 at 11:12 am
  3. bostonboomer's avatar bostonboomer says:
    March 12, 2014 at 11:13 am
  4. bostonboomer's avatar bostonboomer says:
    March 12, 2014 at 11:15 am
  5. bostonboomer's avatar bostonboomer says:
    March 12, 2014 at 11:15 am

    Lots of the MSM stories say they got the news from Twitter.

  6. bostonboomer's avatar bostonboomer says:
    March 12, 2014 at 11:18 am
  7. bostonboomer's avatar bostonboomer says:
    March 12, 2014 at 11:19 am
  8. bostonboomer's avatar bostonboomer says:
    March 12, 2014 at 11:21 am

    A lot more photos here. OMG, it looks horrible!!

    http://www.rightnow.io/breaking-news/harlem-116_bn_1394631313621.html

  9. bostonboomer's avatar bostonboomer says:
    March 12, 2014 at 11:21 am

    Press conference happening now. First indication of danger was 15 mins. before explosion. FDNY responded within 2 mins. FDNY is now in the process of putting out the fire and Con Ed is turning off the gas lines to the building.

    This is a tragedy because we didn’t have time to save people. At least two dead, 18 injured, many are missing. There will be search to locate missing.

    This will be an extended operation. We have many firefighters and heavy equipment to deal with collapsed buildings. Once again we thank our first responders. They checked on people in nearby buildings. Extraordinary response by our first responders.

    Many people in the neighborhood have been negatively affected. There was a church storefront–authorities have talked to pastor.

    For any relatives looking for info, a hotline will be set up soon. For now, call 311.

    • Beata's avatar Beata says:
      March 12, 2014 at 11:39 am

      CNN said a Catholic Church with a Spanish-speaking congregation was located on the first floor of one of the buildings. Cuomo ( the reporter ) and Rep. Rangel were talking about it. Both are very familar with the area. I think it is Rangel’s district.

      There was a mother crying on the street that her daughter lived in one of the apartments. She was begging someone to help her locate her daughter. Heartbreaking. I had to turn off the TV.

      • bostonboomer's avatar bostonboomer says:
        March 12, 2014 at 11:44 am

        That’s so sad. At the presscon they said the pastor of the church had been interviewed, so he is OK.

        CNN is back to talking about the missing plane now.

  10. bostonboomer's avatar bostonboomer says:
    March 12, 2014 at 11:27 am

    Call came in at 9:31. Two buildings collapsed. More than 250 firefighters on site. Cranes on the way, backhoes already on site. Checking sidewalks and streets for survivors before dealing with building, which is very wobbly.

  11. bostonboomer's avatar bostonboomer says:
    March 12, 2014 at 11:32 am

    WSJ: First-Hand Accounts of Harlem Building Explosion

    Comments on Reddit

  12. bostonboomer's avatar bostonboomer says:
    March 12, 2014 at 11:43 am

    Missing plane news: unconfirmed report

    Breaking: Body wearing lifejacket reported found off Malacca

    The Beijing News has reported that a source claiming to be local volunteer assisting in the search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 has found a dead body wearing a lifejacket in an area of the Malacca Strait. In a single-paragraph report, the website of the Chinese-language newspaper said that it was seeking to establish the reliability of the claim.

    The unconfirmed report is said to have come via a new operations center established in Malacca after the search for the flight was expanded to both sides of the Malaysian peninsula in response to reports that the plane may have diverted from its planned course. The report was first passed to the center of operations for search and rescue efforts on Vietnam’s Phu Quoc island.

  13. bostonboomer's avatar bostonboomer says:
    March 12, 2014 at 11:47 am
  14. bostonboomer's avatar bostonboomer says:
    March 12, 2014 at 11:57 am

    CNN reporting rumors of another building collapse. Right now talking to a man who was in his apartment–has been standing outside with wife and baby for hours. They have no idea where to go for the night. They lived in a nearby building. Baby is OK.

  15. bostonboomer's avatar bostonboomer says:
    March 12, 2014 at 12:03 pm

    WSJ story on Texas: Politics Counts: Why Texas Could Flip Quickly From Red to Blue

    Shifts in demographics aren’t just about race or ethnicity. Age also plays a role. And when you look at how Texas’ changing ethnic landscape combines with its age breakdown, you’ll see signs that if Texas flips, it could go from red to purple to blue relatively quickly.

    Currently, about 38% of Texas’ population is Hispanic. That’s more than double the national average of 17% and about the same as California, which is already deep blue on the electoral map. With those numbers in mind, why isn’t Texas already blue?

    The difference is that Texas’ non-Hispanic white voters are much more Republican than the nation at large. Overall, 48% of non-Hispanic whites identify as Republicans, according to Gallup, but in Texas, 61% of non-Hispanic whites identify as Republicans.

    Hispanics are slightly more likely to identify as Republicans in Texas than they are elsewhere as well.

    • bostonboomer's avatar bostonboomer says:
      March 12, 2014 at 12:03 pm

      So for Texas to flip from red to blue, the Hispanic portion of the vote would have to grow suddenly. The age breakdown in the state suggests that kind of growth is very possible in the next few years.

      Non-Hispanic whites hold the population advantage in Texas among people 40-or-older. About 42% of 40-year-old Texans are non-Hispanic whites – 39.3% of them are Hispanic. The gap is bigger with older voters. At age 50, non-Hispanic whites in Texas make up about 52% of the state’s population, while Hispanics make up only about 31%.

      But below age 40, Hispanics make up more of the state’s population and the Hispanic advantage grows with younger Texans. About 47% of the 13-year-olds in Texas are Hispanic and only about 35% are non-Hispanic whites. Among five-year-old Texans, the Hispanic advantage swells to nearly 20 percentage points – about 50% of the population is Hispanic versus about 32% that is non-Hispanic and white.

      There are currently 1.1 million more Hispanics in Texas under the age of 18 than there are non-Hispanic whites.

      • RalphB's avatar RalphB says:
        March 12, 2014 at 12:52 pm

        One day we’re going to wake up after an election here and it’s gonna be a whole new world. If Hispanic turnout, even turnout in general, was what it should be, 2014 could be a change year but it’s really doubtful. It might be accomplished with a ton of money but the national Dems are back to using Texas as an ATM again and leaving no money behind. That’s the main reason the state party has been in tragic condition for the past 20 years. It’s hard to win elections when you’re nearly broke all the time.

  16. minkoffminx's avatar JJ Lopez Minkoff says:
    March 12, 2014 at 12:06 pm

    The morning post should be up in about five minutes. It took longer than I thought.

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