Editorial

Moving ahead after explosion

Posted

When northwest Bronx residents heard a powerful explosion, with some homes actually shaking, on Aug. 20, confusion and fear understandably spread through the community. While some immediately, correctly guessed there had been a natural gas explosion, others feared a deliberate detonation of some kind.

Thankfully, scores of emergency responders were quick to reach the scene of the explosion, the John F. Kennedy Educational Campus, and the incident proved to be an accident.

As ever, members of the FDNY, NYPD, Office of Emergency Management and other first responders deserve our utmost gratitude. They quickly brought the situation under control and administered perhaps life-saving help to three injured construction workers. We wish those men a speedy recovery.

The incident also raises important questions about Department of Education (DOE) and School Construction Authority (SCA) procedures with contractors. We hope the investigation into the explosion turns up constructive practices that can be administered in the future and prevent another calamity from striking a school.

We also hope the DOE and SCA will work as rapidly as possible to reopen the seven schools housed at the JFK campus. It looks like the site will not be ready in time for the start of school a little over a week from now, but, as Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz said, people should be working around the clock to open JFK’s doors as rapidly as possible.

In the meantime, the IN-Tech Academy deserves praise for housing a week of pre-school year activities for some students at JFK’s New Visions Charter Schools.

That is a shining example of community togetherness we should keep in mind as another school year begins.

JFK campus, explosion

Comments