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More updates below, but here's a summary so far (8:20PM): A steam explosion occurred on East 41st and Lexington Avenue (41st between Lex and Third) just before 6PM - right during the evening rush hour. The NYPD does not think it was a terrorist attack. It appears that there is a hole about 25' in diameter with a red tow truck in the center. One person has died (possibly from cardiac arrest) and there are at least 15 people injured. It is a six-alarm situation for the FDNY, which includes 24 engines and 13 ladders.
Mayor Bloomberg just called it a "failure of our infrastructure." There are 4/5/6 train service disruptions in Manhattan (no 6 between 59th and Brooklyn Bridge; no 4 between 86th and Brooklyn Bridge; no 5 - it's running on the 2); the S is suspended; the 7 is bypassing Grand Central in both directions (update from MTA). Metro-North is operating (use north entrance at Grand Central).
Our commenters have many insights, too.
-----------------------
BREAKING 6:03PM: There are reports of an explosion near Grand Central Terminal. Apparently manhole may have exploded around East 48th and Third Avenue, with many people injured. Officer workers in the area tell us they were told to stay in their offices. Train traffic into Grand Central may be impacted as well.
1010WINS says on their website: "A large transformer has exploded at 41st Street between Third and Lexington avenues, according to the FDNY."
Traffic is being shut down in the vicinity and buildings are being evacuated.
Update 6:20PM: Some reports say that a steam pipe exploded on East 41st. The area between East 41st and 47th is being cleared. Metro-North service is running normal, but the 4/5/6 service may be diverted.
It's a 4th alarm fire situation, with two injuries (one may be a young man with burns).
A reader at Lexington and East 46th tells us that people are either walking uptown very quickly or standing around to take cameraphone pictures.
Update 6:32PM: The NYPD does not believe it was a terrorist attack. The AP reports, "A large column of gray smoke poured from the vicinity of a building near Grand Central Terminal and the Chrysler Building, and the air near the site was filled with ash."
Reader Sean writes us:
I happen to live 3 blocks south of the explosion & it's right out my window. The scene is calm now that police have arrived. But my whole building is vibrating from the rumble of the high-pressure venting. There is steam spewing out of the ground at very high velocity (almost volcano-like); it has torn a 2 lane wide hole in Lex just north of 41st.The fire is now at 5 alarms.
Update 6:51PM: Whoa - footage on the local news is crazy - steam is still erupting. A WABC 7 reporter says chunks of asphalt were spewing from the explosion. Another WABC reporter spoke to a person who lives on the 27th floor in a nearby building and saw rocks and debris flying up by his window!
Update 7:01PM: There are at least two people injured (possibly critically). While there are FDNY and NYPD units on the scene, the concern is now that there is asbestos contamination.
Update 7:07PM: Reader Nick sent us this video of the explosion. All we can say is whoa.
Update 7:14PM: WNBC 4 is reporting that Con Ed did turn off the steam to that pipe (there was an earlier report about not being able to turn off steam completely, or else there would be an explosion - not sure if that's still the case), but it'll take some time for the steam to stop escaping.
Reader dadoc explained that there was a similar steam explosion in 1989 at the corner East 20th & Third Avenue on a Saturday (three people were killed in that incident).
NYC Transit Authority spokesman Paul Fleuranges tells WNBC that there's no 4/5/6 service between Brooklyn Bridge and East 86th.
Update 7:42PM: The steam will be turned off slowly. MTA (and our readers) reports 4/5/6 service is suspended in both directions between 125th and Bowling Green. The local news stations keep bringing up how it's very much like September 11 when talking to witnesses.
And reader dadoc also points out a good graphic about the city's steam system from a 2005 Gothamist post. We're going to upload some info about the "water hammer" effect (here's a Wiki definition) in a few minutes.
Update 7:54PM: Now it's a 6 alarm situation. WNBC reports that one person taken to Bellevue has died. And Chopper 4 is showing a red tow truck in the hole, which is about 25 feet by 25 feet.
Update 8:07PM: Mayor Bloomberg is on his way to the scene. The Office of Emergency Management official speaking to WNBC pleads that the public should not come to the Grand Central area.
8:21PM: Mayor Bloomberg is speaking. A 24" steam pipe broke; the pipe was installed 1924. Cause seems to be cold water getting into the pipe. There are so many alarms and sirens going off, the press conference has temporarily halted. It's unclear where the cold water is from - this morning's rain or a water main break. No power outages (thanks to redundancies that cover the area), some Verizon outages. Too early to tell how long it'll take it fix, but the Mayor hopes it'll be relatively back to normal tomorrow. The big concern is that there may have been asbestos released in the air; they'll know in an hour, but one somewhat positive thing is that there was so much water, hopefully the water the trapped it.
Frozen zone is between 40th to 43rd Street, Vanderbilt and Third Avenues.
Emphasis on being cautious and not rushing out to the street. Would like public not to come to the area.
NYPD: Many street closures - traveling crosstown will is closed on many streets between 34th and 54/59th.
DEP: Erring on side of caution; air monitoring and sampling. Gives props to Con Ed for cleaning out their steam units. Hopes to have test results in hour or so.
Department of Health: Close windows. If there's AC, turn it on to recirculate the air. If people were exposed to debris, wash with soap and water. Put your clothes in a plastic bag. No way to test asbestos exposure yet, but be careful.
Back to Mayor, who says that he's proud of how New Yorkers reacted - from emergency responders to regular people on the street:
We couldn’t be prouder of our New Yorkers. The people that should respond knew exactly what to do and how to cooperate and work together, and the person in the street understood that we’re all here together and they knew not to panic. They rushed around, helped each other. It's what you would expect, it’s inspirational to all of us.He suggests mass transit, versus driving into the area, in the morning.
Update: Watching NY1's The Call, and one person pointed out there's a strong steam smell on the west side of Lexington Avenue near Grand Central and asks "Couldn't this have been anticipated?"
Reader Bill writes about his familiarity about the steam corner:
Con Ed had been working on that 41/lex corner for a while and much of the NE corner was covered by those gigantic steel plates (which were really hotyou could feel the heat radiating up through your shoes). Steam is always coming out of the ground there (and has been vented in the recent past through those orange chimney-like things). Also, a couple of weeks ago, I was heading into the office one morning and crossed that street in the heaviest steam cloud Ive ever seen on an nyc street. When I got into the middle of it, it was a total whiteout condition and I was worried that I was going to walk into someone coming in the opposite direction.
Photograph at top of the steam on East 41st between Third and Lexington Avenues by Joseph Marty/AP; video by Nick Parish; middle photograph of tow truck in hole by WNBC; photograph at bottom by ~Raymond on Flickr
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From someone in the area a phone source, I heard it was sort of chaotic in the area, people running and told to leave the area.
Since then it has calmed down I have been told.
CBS is reporting it is a transformer explosion. They are reporting no injuries, but NY1 is reporting 1. Subway train service continues but is bypassing Grand Central. Not sure about Metro North.
MSNBC's Breaking News Caption says a building may have collapsed.
A perfect denouement to a crappy day...
This is like Choose Your Own News -- do we have any REAL IDEA of what's actually happened?
If it were terrorists we'd have investigations, remediation and new programs for the next five years...but since it's a private company, well, hey, they try.
southbound subway service from 125th has been suspended according to my girlfriend, who just arrived there via metro north.
FDNY now says it is a five alarm fire. NYPD says steam pipe or manhole explosion. Investigation in process.
FDNY reporting no injuries.
There is no S train service.
Now MSNBC says officials confirm they suspect a manhole explosion near Grand Central with nearby buildings evacuated.
From NY1.com:
"Officials say the attack is not terrorist related."
Shouldn't they be calling this an "event" or an "explosion?"
ZOMG teh turrists!!!
I was on 42nd and Park around 5:50pm waiting for a cab when a ton of people started running west on 42nd. I started running as well, of course. All I heard was a low rumbling sound and then when I looked back, it looked like smoke coming out of the building where Altria and the Whitney Gallery are located. Saw some people with clay colored soot on their clothes. Was able to walk up to 6th ave and catch the F downtown.
Good point, Mike D. My heart was pounding like a maniac when I first heard there was an explosion...but give it to the media to still spin it as an "attack." That manhole must have been planning this for months!
What a day, I think the people who hightailed it home in the morning got the right idea.
in other news, ConEd wants a rate increase, probably to fix this steam accident.
Here is a picture from AP and Yahoo!
http://news.yahoo.com/photo/070718/480/5f6ea6ca053c4188b576fa4cbc4caab5;_ylt=Ao3kv2Tv3AcLhkJBQfcdhChH2ocA
Click this for the latest Gothamist updated post.
Everyone, get home safe.
It's a ConEd Summer Event! Enjoy!
So, fellow New Yorkers, what's the biggest threat, alleged enemies of the West living in dirt hovels thousands of miles away, or the corrupt, inept, criminally negligent public officials and corporate directors of our nation, laughing all the way to the bank?
does anyone know if this is affecting Metro - North service?
I know it's terrible, but whenever the news reports that a "transformer exploded", I think of the robots from the movie...
Not affecting Metro north/grand central.
as long as you can get to Grand Central you're OK.
Vanderbilt entrance Open.
They said Metro-North is actually running normally, if you can get into GCT.
this is sure going to be one messy commute home.
Watching ABC news now. Newscasters say a major transformer explosion at 41st between 3rd and Lex. They're showing a massive hole shooting huge amounts of steam upwards (with accompanying vibrating sounds). (You could even hear the vibrating sounds on the TV). A reporter said that he could smell sulfur (huh?). At least two injuries reported. News reporters are hyper-ventilating.
New York City - the epicenter of the media universe (sarcasm).
High-pressure superheated steam. Comes as a byproduct of electrical generation @ powerplants,
Piped to large buildings (Met Life, Emp State, etc for heating/cooling).
Same thing happened 1990?/1991 @ corner East 20th street & 3rd Avenue on a Saturday. 3 killed @ that incident.
Valves are located along the line, have to be closed slowly to avoid backpressure. You're not talking your cappucino steam. Over a thousand degrees (F) @ a coupla hundred PSI. Some cold water gets on one of those pipes and bango!
Bad part is that the steam stream aerosolizes the asbestos insulation and sprays it all over. Just check out the 20th & 3rd incident. Building shut down for decontamination for weeks!
If you need to get into G.C. Madison and 47th street entrance is open. Metro North trains are running.
Correction to self: regarding Old Gramercy incident.
Twas 1989 (old stories on the NYT)
thanks [#24-dadoc] - you seem to know more than any of those talking-head dipsy news reporters.
ConEd fucks up yet again.
That video looks pretty bad. Hope no one got seriously injured.
no 4,5,6 service in both directions between the 125th Street Station and the Bowling Green Station.
Thanks, everyone, for your tips and observations - keep them coming, please!
Dadoc is right about the Gramercy Park incident in 1989. Just like that incident, this incident was probably caused by water hammer. I suspect it has something to do with the rain/flooding we had earlier today and a slug of water was created at a low point due to condensing steam.
Steam pressures probably somewhere between 125 to 300psi with a temperature of 350 degF to 417 degF (don't forget your saturated steam tables).
As a warning, the main concern would be the possibility of an asbestos release. Asbestos was used in the past to insulate pipes. An explosion would probably cause some release. I wouldn't be there to breathe that in right now.... although I think they're trying to minimize that by spraying water in the area.
The Bad: If the steam can indeed reach 1000 degrees, you just pray there were no cars/pedestrians above it.
The Flip: Thanks to #19, I can't the visual of Optimus Prime going Peter Petrelli on NYC. sorry...
Whoa, indeed.
Great job with the updates, guys.
Apparently, the east side is a mess down to the Village, tons of people on the street since there is no subway. Everybody stay cool and be careful, get home safe.
And Gothamist had a piece on the steam system:
http://gothamist.com/2005/11/28/superhot_steam.php
I remember it 'cuz in was a Dobkin post without one mention of vandalsism. Excuse me, street art,
Just kiddin' guys, stay on topic
Traffic tomorrow is going to be a nightmare.
NEWSFLASH: if you're one of the dingbats still hanging around the area to take pictures or videos with your cellphone, please LEAVE IMMEDIATELY.
Why? The air is laden with asbestos and other toxic particles, dumb@ss.
#35, awesome find.
#33, the news video shows at least one truck on top of the hole.
Fox News currently desperate for some fatalities.
"There's a car down there. What do you think the chances are of the driver surviving this?"
Ugh.
The picture is so reminiscent of 9/11. It has to remind the firefighters now on the scene of that day. The midtown fire station lost many of their firefighters on that day. :(
NYC firefighters are my heros! Thanks, guys!
Thank you conEveryone. You certainly provide this city with exemplary service.
", tons of people on the street since there is no subway. Everybody stay cool and be careful, get home safe.
[34] Posted by: Tim N. | :
take the west side lines.
2,3,A,E,C, D.
although there are delays on the queens bound e train from the flooding earlier.
MetroNorth users can take a bus or cab uptown or a west side train and travel east to the harlem station to try to get their train at 125.
Check MetroNorth's website for updates.
Fox anchor said "The force is so angry."
and why is this still on all the channels?
word of the day...WATER HAMMER
There's a red tow truck in the hole.
WNBC reports 1 fatality
OEM is testing the air, first reports are no postive asbestos readings (at least not now).
Mayor Bloomberg to do press conference shortly.
17 injuries now reported.
OMG, they found a tow truck in the hole. God, I hope that person got out alive...
Up-to-date reporting in crisis situations is what Gothamist is good at (certainly much better than NY1).
ConEd charges among the highest (if not the highest) rates in the nation. And now they want a rate increase! Where is the money going? Just recently I was speaking to a ConEd customer rep on the phone about my exorbitant electric bill and I asked him the same question. His answer: overhead. Huh??? He then went on to say, "But have you seen the price of milk lately? It's more than gasoline!" Groan.
Before you post the "Water Hammer" stuff (which really only relates to household low-temp low-pressure systems, I'd hold off. Really hard (if not impossible) to get liquid condensate in the Con Ed high-pressure system. The temps and pressures are just wayyyyy to high for condensate. In the 1989 incident the line was being worked on at the site of the rupture. I think they attributed it to either inadvertant spilling of cold liquid or a dropped tool,.Two ConEd guys killed and someone (I forget if it was the doorman) fried trying to escape in a lobby about 25 feet away. If the line was not exposed and being worked on, I would figure either just a blow-out or cold liquid exposure. Experiment for the adventurous (or bored, stoned or all of the above). Just try flicking a drop of cold PBR on that exposed 60 Watt bulb in your Dumbo illegal loft (Eye protection, please!!). What happens? localized contraction of a hot solid causing violation of continuity. POP!
So one dead from injuries from the blast.
Does anyone still believe the EPA when they say "The air is safe"???
Not I!
It's the terrorism of crumbling infrastructure.
I say we should declare a war on it.
Should anyone believe Con Ed if they say the air is safe? Take a look at this!
http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F10815FF345B0C728CDDA80994DC494D81&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
Might a smart time to unload that Con Ed stock.
Jen,
Channel 2 is reporting one of the critically injured people has died. a woman, died of a heart attack (possibly from running from the scene?) at bellevue.
dadoc, you seem very smart but I'm pretty sure it was water hammer that caused the gramercy park incident.
And it's not that hard to get steam to condensate even at 500psi and 500 degrees. A perfect way to do it if it was flooded!! ie., storms today!!
Before Bloomberg was interrupted by the sirens, he said that the burst pipe was installed in 1924.
Guest, not a dis....
I think you've got a lot more to give on props of High temp/pressure steam. Engineering background?
I dont think there's any way external runoff or combined storm/sewage outflow can enter the system. Pressure differential too high. Possible a backflow from a side feeder which had been de-pressurized, cooled, then re-pressurized with failure of the one-way-only valve system?
Just looking for ideas.
But wasn't it cool we pegged it before the major media and "Bloomers"' news conference.
Any thoughts would be appreciated!
Don't forget the 6 story ConEd fireball at the corner of Avenue B and 3rd Street two summers ago. That blast--and it was a miracle no one was killed--was caused by younger ConEd works hosing cold water on a smoking transformer. Stupid.
Have any ConEd employees ever been fired for stupid? I don't think anyone was held responsible for Jodie Lane's death and the whole point of the Lane familys suit against ConEd was to force them to deal with the problem. And the Grammercy explosion? Wasn't there a big brouhaha about responsibility?
I was walking home south on 3rd at 6 o'clock, and I must say, it was pretty terrifying. I had my iPod headphones on and suddenly noticed that everyone was on their cell phones and heading north. I kept going south (my mind was just screaming 'get home') and got to 3rd and 41st at about 6:10. I've never seen anything like it...and the sound...I thought the buildings were going to collapse. People were taking pictures, which I don't get. Just get the fuck out of there! I couldn't even look at it anymore, I just started running away. Good job with the updates, Gothamist.
how close is too close? i work in 20 something and lex and live in midtown west... should i be cautious of abstesos in the air?
just wondering.
.
It happened on the East side of 41st and Lexington Ave. I was like a block away in the office. At first I thought it was thunder, but it just kept going for like over 20 minutes it seemed, and it was very very loud.
Very scary, the NYPD says it was not terrorism. They say it was a steam explosion. Smoke and steam went up over the 45th floor. There was no black smoke like a fire though. People were running down Lexington. It was pretty scary, I was positive while in the area that it was terrorism.
It happened right around the corner from one of the biggest creators of traffic congestion in NYC.
Will Mayor Bloomberg do anything about Park Ave. being blocked off at 42nd street?
I think Mayor Nanny Bloomie is a very arrogant man. I also highly doubt he rides the subway that much. He's the mayor, I want someone driving him around so he can work and make calls and stuff. New Yorkers shouldn't want him wasting all that time on the subway.
We all have to wonder what Bloomberg is really thinking of with this congestion pricing tax scheme. Maybe he mostly just wants a new tax. Just wrap it up in ‘concern for the environment’, and then people can just demonize those who oppose it.
If he cares so much about traffic jams, congestion and air pollution, why does he let Park Avenue be blocked off? Why doesn’t he do anything about that?
It's true, Pershing Square Restaurant blocks Park Avenue going South at 42nd St. for about 12 hours a day/5 months of the year! This Causes Massive Congestion and Air Pollution!
But apparently it does not bother NYC’s Nanny-in-Chief Mike “Congestion Pricing Tax” Bloomberg?
It certainly supports his claim that the city is hugely congested.
Check out the map! Tell your friends!
http://whataplanet.blogspot.com
http://preview.tinyurl.com/38obfd
Check it out!
Thanks!
:)
Good thing I'm off work for the summer (I work near the site of the explosion)from there . I saw the story on the news, Apparently it was a pressurized steam pipe that blew . The scary thing is with all the Gas lines, Electrical, & So forth this could have been worst then it was . I hope the debris blown into the air is non-toxic . Posted by; "Still Not Amused"
yes, take a look at the before pix of this intersection, and the after.
this intersection has ALWAYS been a little steamy.
before
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tasveer_hi_tasveer/848284882/
after (geyser of steam)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tergiversation/847188277/
Not to point out the obvious, but there are steam leaks all over the city.
I think some of these "vents" may be part of the design of the system.
wow #63, way to turn this accidental tragedy into an anti-congestion-pricing pathetic rant. +1 for troll!
also, subway beats car almost every time.
Yeah, I love how all of the armchair engineers think they know it all. I'm sure every expert's first instinct after something like this is to comment on a blog post.
Jeeez .. WABC kind of outcovered everyone tonight; they had the only live shot at the scene for about 1/2 hour or more ... the steam geyser and mud gusher was awesome ...
everyone else was steam-rollered.
saddest sight was WPIX rolling up late to the scene, even though the story was literally 2 blocks away from their HQ at 42nd/2nd.
to poster #66,
wrong. those vents are not part of the design of the system. those vents are to there to funnel out steam caused by stray water (rain water, underground natural rivers, etc) that happened to drip onto a hot steam pipe.
I gotta admit looking down 41st st from Fifth ave was super scary when I left work at 6.
#69.
you should know how traffic on 42nd street is like. wpix was stuck like the rest of them schlubs in traffic. they aren't like some rich white old fogey wabc who can zip around in a helicopter all day.
DAMN IT i work on 43rd and 3rd. I know a girl who works in downtown manhattan who got throat cancer at age TWENTY FIVE and the doctors told her they were seeing a lot of that in people who work near ground zero.
Anyone know where to get more info on the asbestos (which I'm SURE was in that smoke)?
to #69
you know how traffic is on 42nd st, trying to get two blocks can take a half hour. i don't think wpix has a helicopter like wabc.
The CW11 was last because they were ordered to evacuate and got back on the breaking news at around eight thirty.
Looks like Sheldon Silver's denial of the congestion pricing plan BACKFIRED. Now with less streets to drive on. Zing!
Yeah!! Iraq is rockin' $12Bil a month. F' our infrastructure and subway system. Hooray for Haliburton and KBR, they deserve our hard earned tax dollars!!! As long as there is freedom and democracy in the mideast, I will be happy to live in a third world primitive shit hole that the US is becoming. Mayor Mike, enjoy your weekend in Bermuda, we'll be fine.
#63, you're pretty edumacated...and quite moronic.
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Kudos to Jeff Rossen from Channel 7 - he was the first reporter on the scene and did a good job conveying information.
He's definitely not my favorite reporter (did you see Bowling for Columbine?), but nice job tonight.
It took 77 posts but some retard worked Iraq into the conversation. Is that you Hillary? We know you have no position on anything other than being anti-Bush.
And because certainly if there were no war in Iraq the Federal government would be giving billions to a private utility to rebuild its steam pipes.
WABC was great!!! It was awful seeing the other networks try to cover this. NBC still had harry potter stories on during it.
#73, asbestos doesn't cause throat cancer. And there were far worse things in the Ground Zero air than on 41st St. And getting cancer at 25 does happen. It even happens to kids.
I was there too, on 43rd and Lex had just looked at my watch at 5:56. Just blogged about it:
http://mjroseblog.typepad.com/buzz_balls_hype/2007/07/non-fictional-t.html
Accidents are caused by a series of failures along the way. Who's failures - since the 20's when they were built - becomes the next question.
I never realized all that mystery steam emanating from the city's crevices was so dangerous.
When someone said Transformers, I was like, 'Megatron?'
Was near the middle of it, evacuated out of the Hyatt Grand Central when it happened. My impressions, based on what I thought then and now...
At the time, very scary stuff. We were evacuated immediately... told we need to leave now from a conference, and it became immediately apparent that this evacuation was clearly 100% real, not some drill... something real was happening, though no one had any idea what. It's 6 PM and we're being evacuated urgently out of a hotel that sits atop Grand Central, and we have no idea why. We just know that this is something apparently very real.
Moving down into the lobby, people moving fast to get out. No running or yelling or screaming, or irrational panicking - just everyone 100% focused on moving quickly to get out as fast as reasonably possible. The lobby was eerie, and we're all wondering what on earth could be going on. Again, focus on moving quickly right now, and getting out.
Step outside, low strong steady rumbling noise. No one has any idea what it could be. A very light drizzle of some schmutz is coming down on everyone. Huge cloud of smoke billowing dozens of stories upward somewhere very close and to the south (yes... now I know in hindsight it was steam, but this is what we all perceived at the moment). Occassionally a car will go by, moving north, that is completely covered in this same schmutz that is drizzling down upon us.
The immediate objective of everyone on the street: to move north as quickly as reasonably possible. There was no freak-out panic - just 100% intent and focus on the part of everyone on moving north (on Park at this point), walking swiftly, nobody running, yelling, screaming, nothing irrational... just everyone walk fast now, walk fast now, walk fast now.
A few blocks north, and now some are slowing down or stopping to look south to see what is happening. No one has any idea. Just the same enormous cloud of "smoke". I'll keep walking away now, like most people. By 47th/48th, people are starting to settle down a bit and feel safer, but still moving north. Many are on the phone, presumably trying to call loved ones (which I was doing). By 50th, the rush north has calmed, everyone feels safe enough now and most are on their phone.
Eventually we all learned that what had happened was not nearly as bad as what we were all afraid of. Thank God.
Asbestos is a known human carcinogen. Most health officials say there is no safe level of exposure to asbestos."
I found a supreme court case about workers exposure to asbestos while working on the pipes under Grand Central Terminal so the pipes most definitely contained asbestos.
http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/VA-Pilot/issues/1996/vp961102/11020303.htm
YEP!
And there's even an entry completely devoted just to Grand Central on an Asbestos and Mesothelioma website: http://www.mesotheliomasos.com/jobsitesGrandcentral.php
Why am I not surprised that ConEd was camped out on that corner? Okay, so maybe the problem was already there and ConEd had nothing to do with it. Maybe the whole street was going to blow up yesterday (and/or just after a big rain) regardless of a massive ConEd encampment. But, ya know, ConEd was not only camped out on that corner, they covered it with metal plates and walkways and trucks and they knew that massive steam was pouring out, at a minimum. They could have roped off the most dangerous areas before/during/after the rain. Even if they didn't fully anticipate the explosion, they might have guessed that there was a serious problem and, say, shut off more of the street and/or dumped extra crews on the problem. I'm sure we're going to hear "X then Y and then Z caused the explosion and, of course, ConEd had nothing to do with it." And, maybe in a highly technical way it's absolutely true. However, they might have, say, anticipated a problem, and/or paid extra attention to the steam pipes during/after the rain, and/or shut the steam down, and/or moved people out of certain buildings, or whatever. I'm sure there's a lot of gray area but, regardless of the causes, it's not true that ConEd wasn't literally On It when it blew. And it is probably not true that the only good they could have done was to stop it cold. They could/should (and maybe did, I dunno, surprise me ConEd) stuff to make the situation safer. I'd like to know, in detail, if/how they were planning to deal with it if it blew, regardless of the exact cause of the explosion.
did you guys hear about the new game, developed by enlightened youth of IRAN?
http://www.gameology.org/node/1051
ok... WAR!!!!!!!!!!!
From what I've heard, much of the research that went into the supreme court decision regarding Asbestos was heavily flawed...
It's harmful in large doses, no doubt, but I don't think there's any big reason to panic here. The ground-zero dust also had quite a bit of other nasty stuff in it.
I was in my office on 3rd between 40th and 41st when I felt the building shake and heard the rumble. I wasn't sure what i was and when I looked out on 3rd, I just saw people running. everyone in my office was at a small loss on what to do. I looked out on 41st amd that's when I freaked.
I don't care if it was just a steam pipe, it was traumatic to see people running for their lives today. It was a very very scary experience.
Hope everyone is home and well. All the best,
the girl not going to work tomorrow b/c her building is within the frozen radius.
I worked at 375 Lex Ave for 5 and a 1/2 years and that corner always had steam coming out of the ground. Sometimes it was heavy steam, the kind you could barely see through. There was always some kind of work being done. The ground was always hot when you walked over it, you could feel it through your shoes. There are so many delis there (Delmonico's, Old Bridge, Cafe Metro) so when it's lunch time, that corner is packed with hundreds of people.
Con Ed should be thanking their lucky stars this explosion didn't happen around noon.
My condolences to the deceased woman's family and my prayers to all those hurt or traumatized by this needless event.
I wish my office was in the fro-zone.
my office is running on generators right now due to power difficulties.. thankfully i'm working from home- 40+ flights of stairs is a bitch!
I work on 43rd right OUTSIDE of the frozen zone but I AM NOT going to work today.
Andrew Troisi of the New York Office of Emergency Management said people in the area who do not need to be there should leave.
"This is a rescue operation. We have not begun to really detail the possible contaminants in the area, but there's a very good chance that hazardous materials are in the air," he said. "Let's not take any chances."
The explosion was on 41st and Lexington. They froze off Vanderbilt which is FURTHER than 3rd ave and from the videos I saw the smoke was everywhere.
CAN SOMEONE tell me which direction the wind was blowing all that stuff? Why did they freeze off til Vanderbilt and not til 2nd ave??
It must of be traumatic for some. they had video of people running, just running. some running out of their shoes and some men running with their shirts and jackets off. the only time that happened was that day.
i saw it happen - i work on lex between 40th and 41st, was exiting my office buildling and saw the fucking street open up. i saw that school bus in the pictures get pushed forward with the intensity of the explosion. i just knew the subway was being bombed. we all screamed and ran through our buildling out the back entrance, and i couldn't believe that people didn't know what had happened - everyone kept stopping me and saying "what happened?" and i just kept repeating, "i don't know, the street exploded." i eventually got in a cab and in soho, no one even knew anything was wrong.
funny thing, two years ago when i was living in the south slope i saw ANOTHER conEd related explosion outside of my bedroom window at 4am. a fiery explosion shot 6 stories in the air. i never found out what happened b/c it wasn't anywhere on the news the next day. who sees two explosions in one lifetime in this country?
The comments here were amazing... I used some as reference at a site that's talking about this as being an aborted false flag operation (to be blamed on Iran) to get us into Martial Law.
I know this might be hard to believe, but another forum was talking this just 4 days before (on July 14th)...
... You have to read this entire thread:
http://snipr.com/1oi63
"In the days after the September 11 attacks, residents and workers were told by the Environmental Protection Agency the air was safe. Dust samples taken at the time found dangerous levels of asbestos.
Scientists have plenty of data on these severe cases but much less information about what happens when you inhale small amounts of asbestos—e.g., at rates of less than one fiber per cc of air. At low levels of exposure, the effects may depend on the type of asbestos fiber inhaled, as well as the genetic makeup of the victim and whether he or she is a smoker.
But anecdotal evidence shows that very low levels of exposure can make you sick decades down the road.
As the city moved quickly to clean up the area around Grand Central, there were some questions about whether enough was being done to protect people. Joel R. Kupferman, director of the New York Environmental Law and Justice Project, said the city should have explained whether the debris samples were analyzed using traditional methods or with sensitive electron microscopes, which would have given a more accurate reading.
Tests were continuing, but the city's Office of Emergency Management said in a statement that long-term health problems were "unlikely".
Mayor Bloomberg said that 12 air samples were taken throughout the day by the city's Department of Environmental Protection and that none showed evidence of asbestos.
But 14 of 56 samples of debris collected near the blast contained asbestos. Most had just trace amounts of less than 1 percent, Mr. Bloomberg said, but two samples, believed to hold pieces of the pipe insulation, did contain what he called significant amounts of asbestos. Con Edison officials said their own sampling produced similar results.
One sample, from 41st Street and Lexington Avenue, was 8 percent asbestos, while the other, taken at 150 East 42nd Street, between Lexington and Third Avenues, contained 16 percent, according to Charles G. Sturcken, a spokesman for the Department of Environmental Protection. Results from tests on 15 other samples were pending.
"Every single test we did of the air showed there is no asbestos in the air," the mayor said at a news conference at 44th Street and Vanderbilt Avenue, blocks from the site of the blast. "It is important to remember that health experts have found that it is very unlikely that brief exposure to asbestos — even at very high levels of asbestos —causes any long-term consequences."
THE ABOVE WERE GATHERED FROM DIFFERENT ARTICLES. don't believe them that there's nothing in the air. They're lied before and have even more reason to lie now (I've been reading and Bloomberg defends Con Edison in the most ludicris situations because of their business relationship.) He's saying it's "unlikely" that brief exposure causes any damage but "Most health officials say there is no safe level of exposure to asbestos"
And you know what Bush did it