A not-so-beautiful laundrette moment

9 Aug 11 @ 06:00am by Jennifer Ling

Workers putting up support to secure what's left of the wall at the laundromat. Picture: JASON SAMMON
The wall collapse in Glen Huntly. Picture: JASON SAMMON
Police block off the road around the wall collapse. Picture: JASON SAMMON

more photos

THREE people could have been crushed when a brick wall of a busy Glen Huntly laundromat partially collapsed during construction work at a neighbouring site.

Worksafe and Glen Eira Council are investigating the incident where the side wall of the Royal Ave Coin Laundrette crumbled at lunchtime on August 1, leaving a gaping hole and exposing the washing machines inside.

It is believed construction work at the adjacent site of the old Glen Huntly police station caused the collapse.

Margaret Lorkin, co-director of building managers Stockdale and Leggo Real Estate, said there was one person in the laundromat and two people in upstairs offices at the time.

“They heard it crack and went outside and it fell down,” Mrs Lorkin said.

Mrs Lorkin’s husband, Des, said a bobcat was digging at the site when the foundation collapsed.

Police cordoned off the area while crews worked to secure the building on August 2.

Worksafe spokesman Michael Birt said a decision on whether to demolish the building would be made soon, but Mrs Lorkin said she understood the wall would be repaired.

Glen Eira Council spokesman Paul Burke said the municipal building inspector was still investigating, which might lead to enforcement action.

“We do know there was an excavator and workmen on site to undertake underpinning works in accordance with a building permit as part of stage one of the works to be undertaken at 9 Royal Ave,” Mr Burke said.

Comment by Starr DiGiacomo on August 9, 2011 at 1:46am: Unsafe Buildings: Teen sisters killed in roof collapse

Published: August 9, 2011

Two sisters died and seven people were injured when two dilapidated houses collapsed during heavy monsoon rains. PHOTO:AFP

LAHORE:
Two sisters died and seven people were injured when two dilapidated houses collapsed during heavy monsoon rains in the city on Monday.

Irum, 16, and Bakhtawar, 18, were killed when the roof of their house near Crown Marriage Hall in Baghbanpura caved in, Rescue 1122 officials told The Express Tribune. The girls were killed instantly by the falling debris, they said.

Rescue officials, with the help of locals, were able to pull out five others trapped under the rubble: Ghulam Shabbir, 40, and Shahnaz Bibi, 35, and their three other children Shabbir, Natasha and Riaz. All five were moved to a hospital where they are being treated for their injuries.

Another couple was trapped under rubble when the roof of their home near Youhanabad Stop on Ferozepur Road collapsed. Their neighbours helped Rescue 1122 officials pull them free. Babar Masih, 25, and his wife Mumtaz, 23, are being treated in General Hospital where they are out of danger, said the officials.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 9^th, 2011.

For more picture of the monsoon, view a slideshow here

http://tribune.com.pk/story/227206/unsafe-buildings-teen-sisters-ki...

Comment by Starr DiGiacomo on August 9, 2011 at 1:44am

Comment by Starr DiGiacomo on August 6, 2011 at 11:56pm: Youth killed, 15 injured in Lahore building collapse

LAHORE: At least four people, including an old woman, were killed in separate incidents across the metropolis on Saturday. In the first incident, a youth died and fifteen others received injuries when walls of an under-construction building collapsed on the Defence Road, Engineer Town near Haloki Chowki. Police said that around sixteen labourers were asleep in a mud house when the walls of an under-construction building collapsed and their debris landed on the mud house. All the labourers were trapped under the debris. Rescuers and locals rushed to the scene and were able to shift the trapped persons to a nearby hospital where a youth, who was later identified as Yousaf, succumbed to his injuries. Among the injured persons were 20-year-old Qummar, 30-year-old Ghulam Nabi, 28-year-old Muhammad Saleem, 17-year-old Ahmad, 22-year-old Muhammad Ramzan, 18-year-old Naveed, and 20-year-old Ghulam Fareed. In the second incident, a security guard shot himself when he accidentally pulled the trigger of a revolver he was cleaning, in the Green Town police limits. The deceased was identified as 65-year-old Amanat Ali, resident of Baghbanpura, who served as a security guard in the Green Town industrial area. staff report

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\08\07\story_7-8-2011_pg7_22

Comment by Starr DiGiacomo on August 5, 2011 at 11:52pm: Wall of historic Goodale House collapses

By Rob Pavey

Staff

Friday, Aug 5, 2011 4:38 PM

The Goodale House, one of Georgia’s oldest surviving homes, partially collapsed Friday.

“I’m going to hope it can be restored, but that process lies with the current owner,”: said Erick Montgomery, executive director of Historic Augusta Inc.

Built in 1799 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 as the Fitzsimmons-Hampton House, the Federal-style, multistory building was purchased in 2009 by Wes Sims, a Birmingham, Ala., investor who—at the time—hoped to renovate the structure.

Montgomery, who visited the house today, said the collapse involves part of one wall.

“I didn’t go inside, obviously, but it could be that the rest is relatively stable,” he said.

The long vacant house was used as a restaurant in the 1970s and early 1980s and was for sale and priced in the $250,000 range for several years before ultimately selling to Sims for less than $20,000.

Efforts to locate Sims today were unsuccessful.

The surrounding area—now flanked by Bobby Jones Expressway and mammoth chemical factories across Sandbar Ferry Road—was once a 500-acre plantation established by Thomas Goodale in 1740.

Goodale also operated the Sandbar Ferry at the nearby river crossing, in addition to a restaurant and inn, according to early historical accounts.

In 1799, the year the home was built, the site was sold to a Charleston, S.C., merchant named Christopher Fitzsimmons, who later gave the home to his daughter’s new husband, Wade Hampton Jr.

His son, Wade Hampton III, would later become governor of South Carolina.

http://chronicle.augusta.com/latest-news/2011-08-05/wall-historic-g...

Comment by Starr DiGiacomo on August 5, 2011 at 11:50pm: Fri, Aug. 05 2011 05:18 PM EDT

Flooding in Charlotte Prompts Evacuations, Rescues

By Fionna Agomuoh

Floods in Charlotte, North Carolina, due to torrential rains that occurred around midday on Friday have prompted evacuations, rescue attempts and flash flood warnings.

The rains began just before 12 p.m. and lasted until about 1:15 p.m., accumulating approximately three inches of rain and up to six inches in some areas.

Residents began calling in emergencies immediately, one of the first being a celling collapse at the Sola Salon on in the South end of Charlotte. No one was injured, but many women had their hair and nails ruined.

A ceiling collapse also occurred at an Embassy Suites on South Tryon Street in Charlotte. Erik Slemon of Robert Graham, LLC, was staying at the hotel and captured the fall in on his camera phone. He described the event as "fast and fierce."

"It went from completely dry to torrential downpour," he told News 14 Carolina.

"Its not something you ever expect to happen, and then you just see the ceiling coming down."

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Rains overpowered the hotels drainage pipes and causes the collapse.

Billy Graham Evangelistic Association told The Christian Post that its headquarters in Charlotte suffered no damages as a result of the floods.

But other areas of Charlotte have not been as fortunate. Police and the Fire Department have started evacuating people from two Charlotte neighborhoods. First responders to the flood rescued 16 people who were trapped in vehicles. Approximately, 77 road incidents have been reported, but none have mentioned injuries

Charlotte Fire Department spokesman Capt. Rob Brisley warned residents not to drive through flooded streets. He reported that most of the motorists required rescues because they decided to go through streets with high water.

Flash flood warnings were placed on Gaston, Mecklenburg, Cleveland and Lincoln Counties until 4 p.m.

Spokeswoman for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Services, Jennifer Frost reported that parts of Interstate highways 77, 485 and 85 are temporarily shut down due to flooding.

"It came down very fast," said Frost, according to CNN. "It got so dark downtown, it looked like night."

Having worked in the area for nine years, she said she "never seen anything like this before."

http://www.christianpost.com/news/flooding-in-charlotte-prompts-eva...

Comment by Starr DiGiacomo on August 5, 2011 at 11:46pm: Building collapse wreaks havoc in Karachi

* 7 killed, 15 injured as five-storey building collapses in Karachi

* Four women and two girls among dead g Rescue operation continues

By Atif Raza

KARACHI: At least seven people, including three women, three minor girls and a boy, were killed and 15 others injured when a five-storey building collapsed in Moosa Lane within the limits of Baghdadi police station, Lyari, here on Thursday.

According to police and eyewitnesses, at around 11:00am the five-storey building ‘Qasr-e-Roqayya’ fell down along Shah Abdul Latif Bhattai road.

On information, rescue teams, officials of the Karachi Building Control Authority (KBCA) and others, rushed to the scene and recovered the bodies of seven persons. The deceased were identified as Hawwa Bibi, Khadija, Rozina, Arshia, Imran and Bilal while identity of other deceased girl could not be ascertained till filing of this report.

Rescuers said the victims Arshia and Bilal were juniors among five siblings namely Hammad, Komal and Kiran. They said that Abdul Ghaffar and Komal along with their five children were living at top floor of the building.

KBCA officials said the building was 20-year-old and was in deteriorated condition. They said that it was included in decayed buildings list and added that the inhabitants were also suggested to evacuate it to avoid any untoward incident but they refused to do so.

SSP South Naeem Sheikh expressed fear of further casualties in the incident and said that more casualties could be reported as the debris of the building was not completely removed so far and the rescue work was in progress.

SSP South further said that rescue teams along with army teams are busy in recovering the injured persons.

SHO Baghdadi Jan Muhammad said that some 20 families were living in the building. He said that although the rescue operation was expedited, the teams were facing difficulties due to dense populated area.

When contacted, DC South Mustafa Jamal Qazi said the district government on the directives of Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan had established a relief camp at Shah Latif Bhattai Hall to facilitate the traumatized persons of this incident. He said the Commissioner Karachi Muhammad Hussain Syed also visited the spot and assured the inhabitants of the area of utilising all resources for providing maximum relief to affected families.

Civil Hospital Karachi sources confirmed that all seven bodies and 15 injured persons were bought to the hospital. The deceased were identified as Arshia, 07, daughter of Abdul Ghaffar; Hawwa Bibi, 70, wife of Usman; Imran, 06, son of Usman; and Bilal, 19, son of Abdul Ghaffar, Khadija, Rozina.

They said that all injured Alia, 35, wife of Riyaz; Kulsoom, 40, wife of Yousuf; Komal, 35, wife of Abdul Ghaffar; Rabia, 6, daughter of Abdul Ghaffar; Muskan, 07, daughter of Imran; Samina, 35, wife of Imran; Adeel, 19, son of Abdul Ghaffar; Imran, 35, son of Yousuf; Parveen, 48, wife of Abdul Ghafoor; and Bilquees, 34, wife of Abbas were in stable condition.

Meanwhile, army rescue team comprising some 50 personnel also reached the site of incident along with sniper dogs but the dogs were unable to point out the people stuck under debris.

Rescuers also made the lighting arrangements to continue the rescue efforts while believed the people get stuck in debris will be brought out till morning because of the congested locations.

The Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA), in late hours, also issued an initial report of the collapse of the building. The technical team of SBCA, after inspecting the site of building collapse, forwarded a preliminary report of the incident to SBCA director general.

The report said

Comment by Starr DiGiacomo on August 4, 2011 at 1:50am: Bank, two houses collapsed, two injured in explosion

Wednesday, 03 August 2011 10:50

0 Comments

GUJRANWALA: A heavy explosion occurred in a private bank building causing collapse of bank, roofs of two adjacent houses of the bank and damage to a gas pipeline, besides injuring two people, on Gujranwala-Sialkot road here on late Tuesday night.

According to Rescue 1122, The explosion took place in MCB Pattomand Branch. Fire fighter teams of Rescue 1122 rushed the spot and brought the fire under control after hectic efforts.

In explosion, bank security guard, Habib s/o Afzal and Azhar s/o Muhammad Iqbal received burn injuries. Habib was shifted to DHQ Hospital in a critical condition.

DIG Gujranwala, Ahmad Mubarik, SSP Operation, Bomb Disposal Squad and other officials reached the spot and investigation was in progress.

According to Rescue 1122 the blast occured due to a gas pipeline leakage.

http://www.brecorder.com/pakistan/general-news/22015-bank-two-house...

Comment by Starr DiGiacomo on August 3, 2011 at 5:20am

Glen Huntly building on edge of collapse

Emergency Services

2 Aug 11 @ 03:52pm by Shannon Nagyivan

The wall collapse in Glen Huntly
Police block off the road around the wall collapse

UPDATE 4.25pm: Glen Huntly’s Royal Ave is expected to reopen tonight after a building partially collapsed yesterday.

Police blocked the road to traffic at 9am today after discovering the extent of the damage.

Glen Eira Council’s director of communications Paul Burke said the council issued the owner with emergency orders to secure the building after the collapse yesterday afternoon.

“The southern wall of 8 Royal Ave has partially collapsed presumably as a result of some underpinning work being carried out on the adjacent site,” Mr Burke said.

“The builder and the owner of the building have now engaged people to make the site safe. Royal Ave has been totally blocked off while this happens and now it is expected to be reopened to traffic at 6.30pm.”

Leader photographer Jason Sammon captured these dramatic images as workers tried to stabilise the brick wall and prevent the building from completely collapsing.

The block of shops and offices were all empty when the incident happened.

Nearby worker Des Lorkin said contractors working on a development at the old police station site caused the collapse around lunchtime on Monday.

“A bobcat was digging at the site and the foundation collapsed,” he said.

“Some tenants have things stored upstairs, but they can’t get them because the building is unsafe apparently.

“I think they are looking at pulling the whole building down pretty soon.”

http://caulfield-glen-eira-leader.whereilive.com.au/news/story/glen-huntly-building-on-edge-of-collapse/

Comment by Starr DiGiacomo on August 2, 2011 at 3:39am: Raw Video: San Bernardino Co. road collapse

Couldn't link the video here but use the link below. This is wayyyy beyond sinkhole status.

More rain is forecast for San Bernardino County, California heightening concerns of more road collapses like this one. No one was hurt in this collapse and the Hwy 330 will be closed through the winter.

http://www.news10.net/video/732276513001/0/Raw-Video-San-Bernardino...

Comment by Starr DiGiacomo on August 1, 2011 at 9:01am

Concrete slab collapses in Montreal tunnel

CBC News

Posted: Jul 31, 2011 10:17 AM ET

Last Updated: Jul 31, 2011 10:01 PM ET

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Quebec overpass collapse inquiry warns structures at risk

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A fallen piece of concrete has forced the closure of the eastbound lanes of Montreal's Ville-Marie Expressway and a partial closure of the westbound lanes.

Police say the 15-metre block of concrete in the Ville-Marie tunnel fell near the City Hall exit. No one was injured and no one was stuck in the tunnel.

"Our officers arrived at the scene and we verified and made sure that no one was stuck underneath the rubble," Daniel Thibaudeau, spokesman for Quebec provincial police, told reporters Sunday.

The part that fell is a screen-like slab meant to block the light, so drivers entering and exiting the tunnel are not blinded.

Construction workers on the scene told the CBC's Peter Akman they had been doing work on the walls of the tunnel and believed vibrations from that may have caused the slab to fall.

Officials have closed the eastbound lanes of the Ville-Marie expressway while investigators examine the collapse. CBC

Transport Quebec spokesperson Caroline Larose said engineers from the ministry are inspecting the structure. She tried to reassure Montreal drivers, saying the provincial government regularly inspects the city's transportation infrastructure and has invested $4 billion this year alone.

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Collapsing Buildings and Roadways

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Unsafe Buildings: Teen sisters killed in roof collapse

A not-so-beautiful laundrette moment

Wall of historic Goodale House collapses

Flooding in Charlotte Prompts Evacuations, Rescues

Floods in Charlotte, North Carolina, due to torrential rains that occurred around midday on Friday have prompted evacuations, rescue attempts and flash flood warnings.

Bank, two houses collapsed, two injured in explosion