According to a report by Time Magazine, last week,
New Orleans heard from city leaders, including Fire Superintendent Tim
McConnell, who laid out the plans for the body-recovery of Quinnyon Wimberly
and Jose Ponce Arreola—the victims who remain in the wreckage of the Hard Rock
Hotel. However, further delays have pushed back the already overdue recovery
efforts.
The original plan, to have retrieved the body of Quinnyon
Wimberly by the end of last week and the body of Jose Ponce Arreola by the
middle of this week, seems to have fallen short, due to malfunctioning
equipment and storm delays, according to NOLA.com.
The contractor involved informed McConnell of the delay but
offered no updated timeline as to when the building will be safe for rescue
teams to enter.
According to 4WWL, since July 13, wrecking balls have
been put to use dismantling parts of the building in order to clear the way for
rescue teams to be lowered in on baskets.
"The timeline has shifted dramatically," said McConnell.
"Not having it this week is significant."
The 10-month holdup from the October 12, 2019, hotel
collapse is due to disputes between 1031 Canal Development LLC, the building
developer, and the city, as to how best to retrieve the bodies and pull down
the structure.
"We're at more than 10 months now," said McConnell. "It's very
frustrating for rescuers who do this for a living. It's even more so for the
families."
Both McConnell and Mayor Cantrell have been in contact with
each of the men's families and have updated them as to the status of the
operation.
At the moment, the building remains too dangerous and
unstable for teams to enter.
