Investigation continues in Flushing gas blast

BY VICTOR G. MIMONI

Wednesday, August 6, 2008 6:09 PM EDT

Almost two weeks after the gas explosion that injured 17 and sent 90 Flushing families into the street, nearly two dozen displaced families cannot return to their homes.

Fire Marshals have not concluded their investigation into blast which occurred at 4:24 p.m. on Friday July 25, and demolished apartment 2P at 147-25 Sanford Avenue.

Within minutes of the blast, Principal Cindy Burgos opened the school’s gymnasium as a shelter/processing center for the Red Cross and the residents, many of whom fled without their valuables or documents.

Community groups have joined with students, parents and the faculty of Junior High School 189, the Daniel Beard School, just yards from the building, to continue their support of the evacuated tenants.

On Monday, August 4, Burgos and Christine Colligan, the school’s Parent Coordinator, representatives of civic groups from the Korean community and City Councilmember John Liu met with Bellanira Sanchez, president of the tenants association, and presented checks representing relief funds for the most severely impacted tenants.

The money was collected by children at the school and from the groups, according to their representatives, Kwang Kim of Korean American Community Service of New York and Ho-Sung Park, vice-president of the Korean American Association of Greater New York.

Liu praised the students and their parents, the groups and Burgos, saying, “[They] quickly pulled together and effectively responded to the call from residents of the building blast for help. It truly is an inspiring lesson in the resilience of the human spirit.”

The building’s owner and several city agencies, on the other hand, have been the subject of withering comments by Liu and other elected officials, with accusations ranging from Assemblymember Ellen Young’s suggestion of “negligence,” to Liu’s caustic review of the cleanup procedures as, “At best, nauseating incompetence, and at worst, despicable cover-up of wrongful actions.”

The city’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM) responds to large fires, explosions and other incidents, and is the “lead agency” once any fire is declared under control.

OEM notified the Department of Buildings (DOB) and the city’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), which responded to the scene.

Because asbestos was a commonly-used material when the building was constructed, DEP ordered testing for asbestos.

DOB inspectors, concerned for the structural safety of portions of the building, issued a “partial vacate” order, which remains in effect as of press time.

The force of the explosion in apartment 2P blew a hole through to apartment 3P above, rendering both completely uninhabitable.

According to the DOB web site, apartments N, P and A of the first floor are unsafe, while N, P, A, B and C are unsafe from the second to the sixth (top) floor.

A sample taken from the scene tested positive for asbestos - this, combined with smoke damage and DOB concerns, put all 16 apartments on the second floor of the building off-limits to residents.

The city’s rules concerning asbestos contamination are very strict - the DEP guidebook for asbestos abatement runs 67 pages. Owners are required to secure the services of a licensed specialist to clean up, following established procedures exactly.

Essentially, everything which may have come into contact with asbestos is considered toxic and must be wrapped up in heavy plastic, sealed with tape and placed in a “red dumpster” to be hauled away to a secure site for disposal.

It was not until Thursday, July 31 that DOB began escorting some affected residents to their apartments, to retrieve belongings.

Those who lived within the asbestos-abatement zone are out of luck. There is no procedure to allow “civilians” into an asbestos abatement site.

It was revealed, however, that one day after the blast, David Pace, one of the building owners, had donned a “hazmat suit” and retrieved a set of false teeth for one tenant.

“We’re under agency direcctions,” said Micahel Elman, the asbestos abatement contractor.

PHOTO COURTESY CITY COUNCILMEMBER JOHN LIU
Local Flushing students, their parents and civic groups raised funds for tenants displaced by the gas explosion at 147-25 Sanford Avenue in Flushing. (From left to right) Kwang Kim, of Korean American Community Service of New York; Ho-Sung Park, vice-president of the Korean American Association of Greater New York; Christine Colligan, J.H.S.189 Parent Coordinator; City Councilmember John Liu; Cindy Burgos, J.H.S. 189 Principal and Bellanira Sanchez, President of Tenants Association at 147-25 Sanford Avenue.