Brooklyn community shaken after "catastrophic" building collapse

Brooklyn residents were left stunned and shaken after Wednesday's building collapse.

Crowds stood behind police tape, mouths agape at the sight of an adjacent building ripped open with bedrooms and closets exposed.

James Williams was inside that adjacent building when the collapse happened.

"We just heard some rumbling, and then after the rumbling, the next thing you know, just opened the door and said, I can see the outside," he said.

Williams was stunned to see the wall of his third-floor apartment gone along with the building next door.

"And then just a whole bunch of shaking and well, after the collapse, I thought we was in it because all of a sudden I just saw a bright light," he said.

Other residents watched as hundreds of firefighters worked to pull people out of the wreckage.

"Infants being pulled out of this rubble. Children, toddlers being pulled out of the rubble. It's heart-wrenching to have witnessed and seen that. But what we're grateful for tonight is the fact that they survived," New York City Council Member Farah Louis said.

Louis says aside from a command center set up at the Flatbush Avenue YMCA, a nearby church became a temporary refuge.

"The church across the street, Bethesda Church of God, opened their doors to the families," she said.

Pastor Alfred Joseph said affected families watched the rescue efforts from his third-floor window.

"One of the ladies said her husband was still under the rubble," he said. "She was not crying, but she was speechless."

Neighbors recalled the chaos of the evening.

"All I could see was just pure dust. I thought it was 9/11. I had to cover my eyes because dust was going into my eyes and my mouth," resident Kevin Fisher said. "As soon as I come around the corner, I heard the screams. So all I could do was just call 911."

"I felt like, oh my God, this is catastrophic. Like, I was praying for them," neighbor Novella Spence said.

The unforgettable image of those homes torn in half weighed heavily as work continued into the night.

"I'm thinking about the people who was in there," resident Desery Lafrance said.

Leaders at Bethesda Church of God say they're prepared to help the community in any way they can.