NYC Is Falling Down, Falling Down
Its been a tough couple of weeks for New Yorkers: First, a [tornado], then a [steam pipe explosion](http://www.newyorkpress.com/blogx/display_blog.cfm?bid=36716340) and last night, a [retaining wall](http://www.ny1.com/ny1/content/index.jsp?stid=1&aid=72021) on the Upper West Side fell apart, forcing hundreds of residents of a high-rise in the Park West Village complex to evacuate. The wall was part of an adjoining construction site at Columbus Avenue near 97th Street, and its collapse exposed a section of the high-rises foundation. You can click [here](http://www.nypost.com/seven/07262007/news/regionalnews/w__side_wall_collapse_endangers_high_rise_regionalnews_perry_chiaramonte_and_tom_liddy.htm) for a pretty awesome shot of the damage (also pictured left). Thankfully, no one was injured and all but about 16 of the over 280 families who live in the building have been allowed to return home after inspectors declared the property safe. Many residents had spent the night at a nearby public school and local health center.
A Manhattan Department of Buildings spokesman said that preliminary reports indicate that [blasting work may be responsible] for the collapse. Woops. Owners of the construction site were reportedly cited with violations and have been ordered to stop work on the mega-projecta 30-story tower that stretches between West 97th and 100th Streets, from Columbus to Amsterdam Avenues. That could mean mega bucks in damages if they are found responsible. Neighborhood residents told reporters they had frequently complained about the project and questioned its safety long before the incident. Spookay.