Crane Expert : Evacuate People And Let Crane Fall

WABC Eyewitness News interviewed Thomas Barth, a crane engineering expert, who said recommended that people living near the damaged crane attached to One57 luxury condominium should evacuate the area. Should the crane collapse, Mr. Barth said, that officials should allow the crane to collapse and focus on controlling the damage -- basically to prevent injuries and casualties.

Crane Collapse One57th Lux Condo At 57th Street NYC Hurricane Sandy

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Wind gusts from Hurricane Sandy bent and folded over a construction crane attached to the tall luxury condominium building going up on West 57th Street. The construction crane is folded over and is now dangling in the sky.

Damaged, dangling crane atop (for now) 1 57th Street NYC. twitter.com/jonathanwald/s…

— Jonathan Wald (@jonathanwald) October 29, 2012

A large presence of FDNY, ambulances, and police have closed the streets around the high-rise. Hurricane Sandy has not yet made landfall, so weather conditions will continue to worsen. Wind speeds and gusts will make it impossible for rescue workers to stabilise or secure the dangling construction crane until after Hurricane Sandy has past and weather conditions have subsided.

Officials with NYC Office of Emergency Management issued a text alert, advising people who live in nearby buildings to relocate to lower floors.