7/7/26 Manhattan Collapse Box 790

[entropychaser]

Pardon my ignorance but does a drone flying inside a building give the same answers they’re looking for compared to humans inspecting? Generally curious. I think it sounds the same as a “surround and drown” operation of a vacant but in this case maybe brief inspections by SOC before seeing how serious this is was necessary? Either way, you’re more experienced than I would be and it makes for good discussion.

You and I would call it experience or perhaps "street smarts". The proper concept is the German word "Gestalt"- looking at something as a whole rather than as a collection of separate parts. Humans do it, drones can't (so far).

 

[RCL]

I think the initial use of drones would be better to evaluate whether or not it was safe enough to put even one member on those floors to evaluate the situation. Worst case scenario - I'd rather chance losing two or three $50,000 drones than ONE member if even a partial collapse would occur.

The other 2 problems with drones, are size and signal. A building, especially under construction may block the signal the drone needs to operate. In which case it's useless. They typically need access to a.certain amount of satellites to operate effectively. The other problem is the size of the drone vs the space available. In some cases, the drone may be physically to big to maneuver around or tbrough obstacles like door frames, some hallways etc.
Another issues is the actual feel of the bldg. Walking thru a floor, a person may feel the floor spongy, or bowed, feel vibrations,hear the joints stressing or moving, or notice things a drone wouldn't. A drone can't open door which if it doesn't open normally is another clue something isn't right. Unfortunately this is one of those catch 22s.

 

[NYBravest82]

I'm both happy and upset that we have this much experience with building collapses

 

[captaindewey50267021@gm]

I saw in the photos above Chief of Rescue Operations Downey on the scene and this reminded of what, retired, Deputy Chief Vincent Dunn has repeated over and over again, the Collapse Zone for any building must be at least 1 & 1/2 Times the height of the building, but lethal fragments/components of the building can travel far over 1 1/2 X and at times alot more if they roll. The use of drones and also the old school use of surveyor's transits can keep an eye on any exterior movements from a safe distance. But how do you maintain a collapse zone for a 36-story building in Midtown Manhattan? Who approved the building plans? Who has been inspecting the construction site? My experience with the NYC Building Department is not a good one, often the Bldg. departments "engineers" are fatally wrong, and I can site fatality building collapse reports to prove it.
Captain Bob Rainey FDNY Engine 26 retired.

 

[seniorofficer]

Cliff Johnson of Steamfitters Local 638, who was working inside the building, told PIX11 News that his members were inside when the structure began to fail.

“The general contractor chose to go non‑union for this project. All we want is responsible construction in the City of New York,” Johnson said. “They did not shore up the job correctly. The beams started crumbling, the floors started crumbling, and they might have to evacuate the other side.”


Johnson said the project was a total renovation, with crews gutting the 33‑story building and planning to add another 16 stories.

 

[seniorofficer]

In many ways, this can be attributed to Mayor Mamdani’s newly released “Block by Block - The Housing Plan for a New Era,” which proposes $22 billion in capital investment over five years to build 200,000 new affordable homes and preserve 200,000 more. The plan also allocates $5.6 billion to NYCHA repairs, aggressive zoning overhauls, and tenant protections through roof-to-cellar inspections.
But buried in the 112-page document is a wage provision that threatens the very workers who will build these homes. The administration frames its policy as a win for labor, but the reality is that the plan implements a $40.00-per-hour top scale limit for construction wages on these projects.
Let's be perfectly clear: a $40.00/hour top scale is not a prevailing wage. It operates as a strict cap.
Because of this rigid $40.00 maximum hourly rate, signatory contractors of the NYC Building Trades will completely lose the ability to compete for or participate in this work. Highly skilled union carpenters, laborers, electricians, plumbers, ironworkers, and operating engineers earn far above a $40.00/hr top scale when you factor in standard prevailing wage rates, health benefits, pensions, and mandatory apprenticeship funding. The end result - General contractors utilizing non-union laborers and companies that circumvent codes and regulations.