Photos of the World Trade Center construction taken by AccuWeather staff the week of Aug. 20, 2011.

By Vickie Frantz, AccuWeather.com Staff Writer

Aug 27, 2011; 1:18 PM ET

Construction at the site of the World Trade Center memorial, Reflecting Absence, has been halted due to Hurricane Irene.

The Mayor Michael Bloomberg suspended construction on Friday and crews disassembled the cranes that were on site, according to Latimes.com. This was done to prevent the cranes from coming apart in high winds, crashing to the ground and causing major damage to anything or anyone below.

Despite dismantling the cranes and securing building supplies, there is still a risk of damage to the building itself. Winds are expected to be sustained at 50-60 mph with gusts to 65-75 mph as Irene impacts New York Sunday morning, according to AccuWeather meteorologists.

Wind can be funneled between tall buildings increasing wind speed.

Glass windows have already been placed toward the center of the building. The wind could dislodge the windows. The windows become dangerous as they fall and break or could even be blown into other buildings and cause more damage.

This is an issue not only for the construction site of the World Trade Center, but for any construction sites along the path of the storm.

Glass that has been placed, boards that are not fully secured, as well as metal beams all become potential projectiles in tropical storm-force winds.

The best way to stay safe is to avoid areas around construction sites while the storm moves through.