New Hamburg (Dutchess) - Building Collapse 2-15-07

[PVFD233 68]

Date: 2-15-07

Time:11:09

Location: Parking Garage @ Poughkeepsie Galleria Mall (2001 South rd.)

Frequency: 453.900 (Dispatch) 453.925 (Response) 453.800 (Command) 453.750 (New Hamburg F/G)

Units Operating: New Hamburg, Mobile Life, Arlington 32-13,52, DCBF FieldCom (command truck),City of Poughkeepise Police Mobile Command Post , Town of Poughkeepsie Police, Wappingers with 1 Engine on stand-by @ New Hamburg station 2, Hughsonville with 1 Engine on standy-by @ New Hamburg station 1

Description Of Incident: Partial Building Collapse @ Parking Garage (Poughkeepsie Galleria Mall), 30x50 ft section with other areas in danger of collapsing

Writer:SPFC56-233

11:09 - 1st Dispatch for New Hamburg and Mobile Life to respond for a partial building collapse Garage @ Poughkeepsie Galleria Mall (2001 South rd.), Unknown if any Injuries

11:17 - 2nd dispatch for New Hamburg 53-11,13,45,52

11:18 - Update from New Hamburg Command Partial Building Collapse involving 7 vehicles, unknown if occupied

11:19 - New Hamburg Command request Arlington with 32-13,52 under M/A

11:20 - Arlington dispatched for 13,52

11:23 - County advises New Hamburg command no response from 13 and 45 Arlington 13,52 on rd and Arlington has ALS unit on stand-by

11:23 - New Hamburg command notifies County 911 Personel checking vehicles for occupants and Multiple units on Stand-By including Medi-Vac

11:29 - Mobile Life Car 1 on scene

11:30 - County Car 3 request county to notify county Car 21 to head down with Command Post to be set up East Side of JC Penny

11:45 - 53-45 Responding

11:51 - New Hamburg command request County 911 to notify "TrapRock" Rep to utilize Heavy Equipment Operators and use of Heavy Equipment to assist at scene

11:53 - New Hamburg Command request coverage for New Hamburg Stations

11:53 - 53-45 on scene

11:56 - Wappingers and Hughsonville dispatched, Wappingers to relocate 1 engine to New Hamburg sta 2 and Hughsonville 1 engine to relocate to New Hamburg sta 1

11:58 - County left message for traprock waiting for call back

11:58 - Hughsonville 45-31 relocating

12:03 - 2nd dispatch for Wappingers to relocate with 1 engine to New Hamburg station 2

12:05 - Wappingers 68-12 relocating to New Hamburg station 2

12:05 - county advises New Hamburg command Wappingers and Hughsonville relocating

12:06 - From Poughkeepsie Journal Web-Site

A section of the parking lot at the Galleria Mall has collapsed.

The collapsed area is on the upper deck, in front of Best Buy and Ruby Tuesday.

Emergency personnel have responded to the scene. There have been no reports of injuries, so far.

Town of Poughkeepsie police are at the scene. Police have the area taped off.

Carol Meyerowitz, catalog supervisor at JC Penney said part of the ramp up

to Best Buy was affected.

"They're telling everybody to move their cars and now they won't let us near

it. They asked everyone from the upper and lower levels to move their cars.

My car is under there," she said.

Meyerowitz, who answered the phone to JC Penney, said she had to keep making

announcements to customers and employees.

12:12 - Hughsonville relocated to New Hamburg station 1

Red Cross Requested to scene

12:18 - County notifies command 20 minute ETA for Red Cross

12:26 - County 911 to Fieldcom (command) have county car 4 land line communications center

Town Police request City of Poughkeepise Police Mobile Command Post to scene

14:08 - per 45-1 Manpower requested to Hughsonville fire station

14:10 - Town of Poughkeepsie Police 273 request EMT to food court of mall for 2 pts 1 Hypertensive and 1 Diabetic both unable to get to cars for meds due to collapse

14:16 - Mobile Life 284 responding

14:16 - Mobile Life 275 responding

14:18 - Mobile Life 284 on scene

14:20 - Per New Hamburg command Arlington 32-13,52 New Hamburg 53-13,45 in service and all Stand-By Companies released will be operating with 53-52

From Poughkeepsie Journal Web-Site

Rescuers preparing to search collapse area

Check back for frequent news updates, photos and video from the scene

Rescuers are awaiting word from engineers to venture beneath a parking deck to look for anyone potentially trapped in the partial collapse today at the Poughkeepsie Galleria.

Authorities said they don’t believe anyone was underneath the parking deck when it collapsed a few minutes after 11 this morning, but uncertainty about the structure — and the possibility of a second collapse — has limited their search options until the rest of the parking deck can be stabilized.

“We’re just hoping there isn’t ... no one’s come forward yet,” said New Hamburg Fire District spokesman Jeff Renihan when asked about the possibility of anyone trapped beneath the layer of snow and debris.

A rift of approximately 30-foot by 50-foot opened up after the collapse, with snow and debris in its center piled almost as high as the deck itself.

17:11 - New Hamburg command to county 911 show all equpiment in service personel clear from scene, scene turned over to town police

Video courtesy PoughkeepsieJournal.com

Additional Info and Photos

Edited February 16, 2007 by SPFC56-233