Red Cross responders conferred about the Chapter’s emergency operations at Second Avenue and 51st Street on Saturday afternoon. (Photo: Anita Salzberg)

A construction crane at 51st Street and Second Avenue collapsed on what was a mild Saturday afternoon, March 15, damaging three buildings and destroying a fourth. Tragically, four people, all believed to be construction workers, were killed, two dozen more were injured, and at least three individuals remain unaccounted for.

Approximately seventeen buildings in the immediate were evacuated due to safety concerns. In response, Greater New York Chapter volunteers and employees sprang into action, opening a Reception Center/Family Assistance Center/Shelter at Manhattan’s High School of Art and Design at 228 E. 57 Street and Second Avenue. There, Chapter relief workers were prepared to provide humanitarian support for up to 1,000 individuals evacuated from their homes and apartments in the form of sympathetic attention, food and beverages, and safe overnight shelter

At a Family Assistance Room for Missing Persons, families of the missing and deceased received compassionate care and support from Red Cross mental health counselors and disaster chaplains. One family of a missing construction worker remained overnight at the Reception Center in order to be close to the site.

That same night, Red Cross transported 7 neighborhood residents to the Vanderbilt YMCA at 224 East 47th Street, where 11 people displaced from their homes spent Saturday and Sunday nights.

Since Saturday, Chapter relief workers in a Red Cross Emergency Response Vehicle (ERV) on Second Avenue between 49th and 50th Streets have been providing food and beverages for some of the more than 300 firefighters and 150 police officers who responded to the accident. At this writing, more than 875 meals and 20 cases of bottled of water have been served to first responders, along with cookies, fruit, juice, Gatorade, hot chocolate and coffee.

The ERV will remain on the scene until at least dinner tonight, providing meals and drinks for emergency responders and search-and-rescue crews searching for missing individuals who may be trapped in the debris.

As of this morning, March 17, the ARC/GNY Reception Center moved to St Peter's Lutheran Church at 54th Street and Lexington Avenue. It will be open until further notice from 9 am to 9 pm as an information center for the families of missing persons and for residents displaced from their homes.

Twenty families are now present at the Center, as are representatives from ARC/GNY partner agencies including the NYPD, Office of Emergency Management (OEM), Department of Buildings, Department of Homeless Services, the Housing Preservation Department.

Through Monday morning, more than 43 volunteers and 8 employees have participated in the Chapter's response.

To volunteer to help others during a disaster, people need to be trained in advance. The Greater New York Chapter’s new training program, the one-day Reserve Institute, was created for New Yorkers who want to respond to major local disasters. Many additional volunteer training opportunities are also available.

The large evacuation required by this incident also reinforces the need for individuals and families to Be Red Cross Ready—to have a disaster supplies kit, a family communications plan and to be informed. Take our interactive readiness quiz to see how ready you and your family are for the unexpected.

The American Red Cross in Greater New York is not a governmental organization. It relies on individual and corporate gifts, special events and grants from foundations and local, state and federal government to fund its essential programs and services. Your dollars make a difference.

New Yorkers can help the Red Cross provide assistance to residents affected by this accident and the emergency workers on the scene by making a contribution at www.nyredcross.org or calling 1-877-REDCROSS.

More Photos:

Red Cross personnel at a Chapter Emergency Response Vehicle stationed on Second Avenue between 49th and 50th Street distributed food and beverages to first responders and construction workers involved in the search and rescue-effort. (Photo: Anita Salzberg)

AmeriCorps Volunteer Azizah Smith (left), an OEM relief worker (second from right) and Red Cross client caseworker Lillian Yang (far right) assist a client at the NYC Reception Center at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church. (Photo: Anita Salzberg)