Today’s high winds are causing all kinds of problems for the city’s emergency crews. A short time ago, firefighters responded to 154 Broome St., where scaffolding just collapsed. Debris is strewn in the roadway, between Clinton and Ridge streets. Fortunately, no one was injured.
The scaffolding tumbled from the north side of Broome, where facade repair work has been taking place at NYCHA’s Seward Park Extension complex.
The Department of Buildings file for 154 Broome St., reflects two complaints from callers in January, noting that, “unsecured scaffolding was banging against the second floor of the building.” An inspector visited the site, reporting that the scaffolding was “in compliance” and that no violations were found.
Back in November, local resident Dashia Imperiale began asking questions about asbestos decontamination tents that had been set up in the playground at this building. A NYCHA spokesperson said at the time that contractors were adhering to stringent safety standards.
We have a call into NYCHA for more details about today’s incident.
UPDATE 4:25 p.m. A NYCHA spokesperson said, “This scaffolding came down due to the extreme weather the City is experiencing today. Staff is on site and has confirmed no one was hurt. A contractor is on the way to make repairs now.”
The scaffolding was put in place for Local Law 11 brickwork, as well as NYCHA’s facade repairs initiative.
See below for these photos from Daisy Paez:
Here’s a photo from Dashia Imperiale, taken from the residential building across the street:
Here’s a video from Fernando Mateo:
