Construction Workers Die Repairing Grand Casino

[alicia-w]

From WEAR TV in Pensacola:

The setting sun provided an ominous light for Gulfport firefighters.
For a brief few moments, it created a ray of hope for the city's rescue specialists.
Chief Pat Sullivan, Gulfport Fire Department: We were hoping that maybe they had fallen and were injured, couldn't get out. And that we would find them alive and that we would be able to rescue them.
But as light quickly disappeared, reality set in.
Rescue personnel on the barge sent word across their radios -- they needed two body bags.
Firefighter: I don't know which one's they wanted. So take them all.
They realized no matter what they tried, the two marine salvage specialists weren't coming out of the toppled casino entryway alive.

Chief Pat Sullivan: They were deep inside the overturned barge.

And much of the dark, hurricane damaged barge was filled with water that had been sitting there since Katrina.

Matthew Faul, Gulfport Fire Department: Water maybe three or four feet, maybe five feet deep at the bottom. So we were having to dig through water.

One firefighter called it the worst recovery scene he responded to in 13 years.

Chief Pat Sullivan: Yes, this is a really, really dangerous situation.

The Texas contractor demolishing Grand Gulfport's casino said the marine workers spent the day pumping water out of the barge.
Why they climbed inside, into an area they didn't belong in, may never be answered.

Chief Pat Sullivan: We're still trying to figure out exactly what happened.

[Lindaloo]

Yeah this was bad! I do not understand why they were in there.

[Ixolib]

Sadly, Katrina claimed another two victims.

I hope EVERYONE involved in this recovery - be it at your own home or on the job - takes this as an opportunity to reconsider their own safety issues and react accordingly.

Let's all hope no more deaths or serious injuries occur in the rest of the recovery effort. Enough is enough...

[Hurricaneman]

Wow

[Ixolib]

Well, technically, they were "dismantling" the casino, not repairing it. It's a total loss...

Construction Workers Die Repairing Grand Casino

[Dionne]

Demolition is the most dangerous phase of rebuilding. You've got to be really careful. Stressed loads can exist that are not obvious. Alot of structures are just piles of rubble waiting for gravity to kick in.....or worse yet a spring loaded I-beam pinned down by a chunk of concrete just waiting to release.

It's a Safety Mans nightmare.

[Lindaloo]

I thought they had blown that barge up.

[MGC]

They blew up the barge that was in the middle of Hwy 90. Two other sections remained in place. The remaining two sections are being demolished.....MGC