A ship floats on the Mississippi River by the Hard Rock Hotel construction site in New Orleans, Friday, Oct. 18, 2019. The Hard Rock Hotel partially collapsed last week. (Sophia Germer/The Advocate via AP)
The Associated Press
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Officials in New Orleans say that plans to safely topple two giant cranes leaning precariously over the crumbled remains of a partially collapsed hotel must be delayed by a day.
Officials said at a press conference that the demotion, scheduled for Saturday, will take place on Sunday, no earlier than noon.
The towers - one around 270 feet (82 meters) high, the other about 300 feet (91 meters) - weigh tons and have loomed over the wreckage for a week. The Hard Rock Hotel under construction at the corner of Canal and Rampart Streets partially collapsed Oct. 12, killing three workers. Two bodies remain in the unstable wreckage and Mayor LaToya Cantrell said recovering the remains would be a top priority once the area was rendered safe.
If the plans succeed, the towers will drop vertically, sparing neighboring structures that include the Saenger Theatre and the New Orleans Athletic Club, both built in the 1920s. Officials said shelter would be provided for anyone needing it as a result of an evacuation around the site.
In a still-wider area, traffic was to be prohibited and people would be ordered to stay indoors until the demolition is complete and an all-clear is given.
"If you are in line of sight of this you are too close," said city Homeland Security director Collin Arnold.
Jenna Ard lives in an apartment building inside the expanded evacuation zone and left her apartment Saturday morning, her car packed with belongings.
"We were told to move our cars at midnight last night and we should be out by 8 a.m. and the firefighters would come by and check and knock on the doors," she said.
She said she'd been hearing the sounds of creaking metal coming from the building and seen drones being used to survey damage and look for bodies in the building.
On Saturday, workers suspended in a basket held by a crane could be seen high over the wreckage, working on the building.
Experts, including engineers who worked on demolitions following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, were called in to try to come up with a plan to clear the site and prevent further injury and damage before the cranes fell on their own. Heightening the urgency was the approach of Tropical Storm Nestor, which formed in the Gulf of Mexico on Friday. The storm's forecast track was well east of the city but officials worried wind from its outer bands could add to the threat of an uncontrolled fall of the cranes.
On Thursday, officials announced plans to attach explosives to the structures. Once planned for Friday, the demolition was pushed back to Saturday. Intermittent wind and rain hampered the preparations as workers in buckets were suspended high over the disaster site.
"They will work as long as it's safe," Fire Chief Tim McConnell said. "The objective is to get this down as quick as possible."
The cause of the collapse remains unknown. The Occupational Health and Safety Administration is investigating and, Cantrell and McConnell said, evidence gathering began soon after the collapse.
Lawsuits are already being filed on behalf of some of the more than 20 people injured against the project's owners and contractors.
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Firemen walk on Canal street in a barricaded area by the Hard Rock Hotel construction site in New Orleans, Friday, Oct. 18, 2019. The Hard Rock Hotel partially collapsed last week. (Sophia Germer/The Advocate via AP)/
The Associated Press
Workers go up to inspect the two unstable cranes before implosion at the Hard Rock Hotel construction site in New Orleans, Friday, Oct. 18, 2019. The Hard Rock Hotel partially collapsed last week. (Sophia Germer/The Advocate via AP)/
The Associated Press
Pedestrians walk on Canal street near the Hard Rock Hotel construction site in New Orleans, Friday, Oct. 18, 2019. The Hard Rock Hotel partially collapsed last week leaving many workers injured, 3 confirmed dead. (Sophia Germer/The Advocate via AP)/
The Associated Press
Workers in a bucket hoisted by a crane begin the process of preparing the two unstable cranes for implosion at the collapse site of the Hard Rock Hotel, which underwent a partial, major collapse while under construction last Sat., Oct., 12, in New Orleans, Friday, Oct. 18, 2019. Plans have been pushed back a day to bring down two giant, unstable construction cranes in a series of controlled explosions before they can topple onto historic New Orleans buildings, the city's fire chief said Friday, noting the risky work involved in placing explosive on the towers. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
The Associated Press
Workers begin the process of preparing the two unstable cranes for implosion at the collapse site of the Hard Rock Hotel, which underwent a partial, major collapse while under construction last Sat., Oct., 12, in New Orleans, Friday, Oct. 18, 2019. Plans have been pushed back a day to bring down two giant, unstable construction cranes in a series of controlled explosions before they can topple onto historic New Orleans buildings, the city's fire chief said Friday, noting the risky work involved in placing explosive on the towers. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
The Associated Press
Workers in a bucket hoisted by a crane begin the process of preparing the two unstable cranes for implosion at the collapse site of the Hard Rock Hotel, which underwent a partial, major collapse while under construction last Sat., Oct., 12, in New Orleans, Friday, Oct. 18, 2019. Authorities plan to blow up the two towering construction cranes that have become unstable at the site of the collapsed hotel. They hope to bring down the cranes with series of small controlled blasts just ahead of approaching tropical weather. The mayor has imposed a state of emergency to seize property and force people out if necessary. They hope to avoid more damage to gas and power lines and historic buildings. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
The Associated Press
Workers in a bucket hoisted by a crane begin the process of preparing the two unstable cranes for implosion at the collapse site of the Hard Rock Hotel, which underwent a partial, major collapse while under construction last Sat., Oct., 12, in New Orleans, Friday, Oct. 18, 2019. Authorities plan to blow up the two towering construction cranes that have become unstable at the site of the collapsed hotel. They hope to bring down the cranes with series of small controlled blasts just ahead of approaching tropical weather. The mayor has imposed a state of emergency to seize property and force people out if necessary. They hope to avoid more damage to gas and power lines and historic buildings. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
The Associated Press
Workers in a bucket hoisted by a crane begin the process of preparing the two unstable cranes for implosion at the collapse site of the Hard Rock Hotel, which underwent a partial, major collapse while under construction last Sat., Oct., 12, in New Orleans, Friday, Oct. 18, 2019. Plans have been pushed back a day to bring down two giant, unstable construction cranes in a series of controlled explosions before they can topple onto historic New Orleans buildings, the city's fire chief said Friday, noting the risky work involved in placing explosive on the towers.(AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
The Associated Press
Workers in a bucket hoisted by a crane begin the process of preparing the two unstable cranes for implosion at the collapse site of the Hard Rock Hotel, which underwent a partial, major collapse while under construction last Sat., Oct., 12, in New Orleans, Friday, Oct. 18, 2019. Plans have been pushed back a day to bring down two giant, unstable construction cranes in a series of controlled explosions before they can topple onto historic New Orleans buildings, the city's fire chief said Friday, noting the risky work involved in placing explosive on the towers. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
The Associated Press
Workers in a bucket hoisted by a crane begin the process of preparing the two unstable cranes for implosion at the collapse site of the Hard Rock Hotel, which underwent a partial, major collapse while under construction last Sat., Oct., 12, in New Orleans, Friday, Oct. 18, 2019. Plans have been pushed back a day to bring down two giant, unstable construction cranes in a series of controlled explosions before they can topple onto historic New Orleans buildings, the city's fire chief said Friday, noting the risky work involved in placing explosive on the towers. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
The Associated Press