Advertisement All documents removed from Hard Rock Hotel site for investigation, demolition of cranes scheduled Share Shares Copy Link Copy

A controlled demolition of the Hard Rock Hotel construction site is expected Saturday.City officials cited the weather as a concern and have scheduled the explosion for noon Saturday.A tropical disturbance in the Gulf of Mexico will bring gusty winds to the area Friday. Winds 10-20 mph with some higher gusts are possible.According to New Orleans Fire Department Chief Tim McConnell, the winds are picking up and may shift the timeline of the demolition. There are also seven cars remaining in the parking garage near that site. Those cars should be removed by Friday night. Small explosives have been placed at the site so the cranes collapse in an exact location.According to Mayor Latoya Cantrell, all documents such as papers, maps, blueprints and computers have been removed from the Hard Rock Hotel site and have been secured by OSHA for the investigation. The plan for the explosion is to avoid a major gas line that services the French Quarter and the Central Business District. There is also a major electrical line that services the French Quarter on Iberville Street that must be avoided during the demolition, according to McConnell.The evacuation zone will be expanded briefly before the demolition. Those in the expanded evacuation area will be notified in person. Once the demolition is complete, those in the expanded evacuation area will be able to return to their homes. Those living in the area should contact Ready.Nola.Gov for more information.Three people died in the collapse. Two bodies remain inside the site, and the National Guard has been brought in to assist in the search and recovery of those victims. McConnell said 112 people were working inside the building when the 18-story structure began to crumble.Officials said 30 people were hurt and treated at an area hospital. Eighteen people were taken by emergency medical services to an area hospital, while others went on their own. One person remains in the hospital as of Thursday. Gov. John Bel Edwards declared a State of Emergency in Orleans Parish following the collapse of the Hard Rock Hotel in downtown, which, when coupled with the potential for tropical weather, presents an urgent threat to the City of New Orleans.The emergency declaration allows the state of Louisiana to provide additional necessary assistance to the City of New Orleans, including contracting with a company planning the controlled demolition of two cranes located inside the Hard Rock Hotel collapse site.“I am extremely grateful to the Mayor’s Office, the city of New Orleans, and the incredibly skilled engineers who have taken on this task. As I said yesterday, the state is committed to providing the city with any resources they may need,” Gov. Edwards said. “That’s why today I declared a state of emergency in the City of New Orleans."We spent all of yesterday working with the city, the building owner, the contractor and the contractors who will be able to eliminate the threat posed by the two cranes. I will continue to work with the Mayor to ensure that we are doing everything we can to protect lives and property.”Evacuation: The New Orleans Fire Department will order a temporary evacuation for a larger area than the current evacuation zone. The demolition time is not yet finalized; however, the evacuation order will go into effect no earlier than Saturday afternoon. More precise times will be communicated as soon as possible. The New Orleans Fire Department will also go door-to-door Saturday with physical evacuation notices.The City anticipates the temporary evacuation order to be in place for a few hours but will communicate to the public when it is safe to return. The city will offer a temporary relocation center at the Treme Recreation Center, 900 N. Villere St., for evacuated individuals who require a place to go during the temporary evacuation order.TEMPORARY EVACUATION ZONE:All individuals inside the Temporary Evacuation Area must evacuate.TEMPORARY EXCLUSION ZONE:All individuals in the Temporary Exclusion Zone must remain indoors. No vehicles or pedestrians will be allowed on the street or outside of structures, including on rooftops.CURRENT EVACUATION ZONE:Once the explosives operation is complete and the City has determined it is safe, the temporary zones will be shrunken as appropriate. The current evacuation area will likely remain in place however that will be determined after demolition.What to Expect During Demolition:UTILITIES:In preparation for the controlled demolition of the cranes, the New Orleans Fire Department is requesting services to be shut off in the Current Evacuation Zone. That includes electricity, gas, water, and sewer. Services will be re-connected as soon as it is safe to do so. We thank residents and businesses for their continued patience with these necessary safety precautions.SOUND:The public should expect the sound of the detonation of the explosive to be very loud, similar to the sound of a firework. The best way to protect yourself is to stay inside until the event is over. All individuals near the Temporary Exclusion Zone who must be outside, including workers, should wear earplugs. There is a small possibility that windows and other glass in the immediate vicinity of the crane demolition -- inside the Temporary Evacuation Zone will break.AIR QUALITY:The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality will be monitoring air quality. The crane demolition may create dust. If you have breathing problems and live near the Temporary Exclusion Area, consider wearing protective masks and sealing your doors and windows. You can also reduce dust inside of your home by turning off your A/C until the dust settles. Anyone exposed to dust from the Hard Rock Hotel collapse should monitor their breathing and health. Signs of respiratory issues from dust are sneezing, coughing and eye irritation. Please remain safe inside and listen to all warnings to stay away from the evacuated area.Stay Connected:Text HARDROCK to 888777 for updates directly from the City of New Orleans on the crane demolition. Information will also be shared on ready.nola.gov and on Twitter @nolaready. For questions or concerns, please call 3-1-1.RTA: At 3 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 20, the New Orleans RTA is relocating its temporary central transit hub from RTA headquarters 2817 Canal Street to Duncan Plaza 343 Loyola Avenue. As the City of New Orleans continues its response to the Hard Rock Hotel building collapse, this temporary solution keeps riders closer to the original transit hub while remaining outside of the evacuation zone. The RTA will provide onsite operations management and customer service.The Hard Rock Hotel evacuation zone continues to prohibit RTA transit service to the Elk and Canal hub. The RTA is working closely with the City of New Orleans and will continue to update riders as new information becomes available. The RTA has implemented these service changes to minimize the burden to its riders while continuing to provide safe, reliable service. These changes will remain in effect until further notice. Riders will be able to make transfers to buses at Duncan Plaza as they normally would from Elk and Canal. Lines serving the Transit Hub are:15-Freret, 28-Martin Luther King, 32-Leonidas-Treme, 39-Tulane, 51-St. Bernard-St. Anthony, 52- St. Bernard-Paris Ave., 57-Franklin, 62-Morrison Express, 63-New Orleans East Owl, 64-Lake Forest Express, 65-Read-Crowder Express, 80-Desire-Louisa, 84-Galvez, 88-St. Claude, 91-Jackson-Esplanade, 100-Algiers Owl, 101-Algiers Point, 102- General Meyer, 106-Aurora, 114-General DeGaulle-Sullen, 115-General DeGaulle-Tullis, 202-Airport Express Streetcar service changes continue until further notice for the following lines:Riverfront Streetcar – service suspended along entire streetcar line, RTA is recommending that riders use the 55-Elysian Fields or the 5-Marigny-Bywater in place of the suspended Riverfront Streetcar line. Rampart- St. Claude Streetcar – service suspended along entire streetcar line. Canal streetcar-Cemeteries – streetcars will continue to run as normal from Liberty to Cemeteries or City Park, all streetcar service is suspended from Liberty Street to the river. Bus bridges are in place and servicing the suspended portions of the Canal streetcar-Cemeteries line. Canal streetcar-City Park/Museum – streetcars will continue to run as normal from Liberty to Cemeteries or City Park, all streetcar service is suspended from Liberty Street to the river. Bus bridges are in place and servicing the suspended portions of the Canal streetcar-City Park/Museum streetcar line.