12 story condo collapses in Miami. Many feared dead

[Right_in_Virginia]

More on the swimming pool:Read entire article at Miami Herald

The contractor visited the condo building last week to put together a bid for a cosmetic restoration of the pool as well as to price out new pool equipment — a small piece of the multimillion-dollar restoration project that just was getting underway at the 40-year-old building.

While he had worked in the industry for decades and had “gone in some scary places,” he said he was struck by the lack of maintenance in the lower level. The amount of water at Champlain Towers seemed so unusual that the contractor mentioned it to a building staff member, Jose, who was showing him around.

“He thought it was waterproofing issues,” the contractor said of the staff member. “I thought to myself, that’s not normal.” He said Jose told him they pumped the pool equipment room so frequently that the building had to replace pump motors every two years, but he never mentioned anything about structural damage or cracks in the concrete above.

The deepest puddle of standing water, according to the contractor, was located around parking spot 78 — an area that building plans show is located directly under the pool deck where in a 2018 inspection report, engineer Frank Morabito had flagged a “major error” in the original design that was allowing water intrusion and causing serious damage to the structural concrete slabs below.

He did not photograph that standing water because he was there to examine the pool and what was underneath it.

[Right_in_Virginia]

“In these buildings that are asymmetrical like this one, there is a possibility that if you have one part of the building that collapses, the building does some turning and twisting,” Ehsani said. “In this case, it is possible that a failure any place in this building could cause distortion to the frame of the building and could cause a collapse in any of the areas, not just adjacent [to the failure].”

[thackney]

So sad especially since this could have and should have been avoided.  Failure to make the necessary repairs and bring the building up to code appears to be them not wanting to spend the money.  It's been a couple of years since the integrity of the condo was assessed --- I see many lawsuits coming.

I haven't been able to confirm if the sister condo has been evacuated???

They had approved making the changes.  It takes some time to implement the plan and secure the funding.  That was already underway.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/26/us/miami-building-collapse-investigation.html

...The engineer’s report helped shape plans for a multimillion-dollar repair project that was set to get underway soon — more than two and a half years after the building managers were warned — but the building suffered a catastrophic collapse in the middle of the night on Thursday, crushing sleeping residents in a massive heap of debris....

...“Though some of this damage is minor, most of the concrete deterioration needs to be repaired in a timely fashion,” the consultant, Frank Morabito, wrote about damage near the base of the structure as part of his October 2018 report on the 40-year-old building in Surfside, Fla. He gave no indication that the structure was at risk of collapse, though he noted that the needed repairs would be aimed at “maintaining the structural integrity” of the building and its 136 units....

...The condominium complex had been preparing for the recertification that state law requires of similar buildings in the area that have reached 40 years of age, and was on notice that it needed to complete the repairs in order to pass inspection.

But solving the problem of water leaking down from the pool area into the garage was going to involve major work and cost millions of dollars. Brad Sohn, a lawyer representing at least one resident who has filed a lawsuit against the Champlain Towers South Condominium Association, said on Saturday that residents were facing assessments ranging from $80,000 to as high as $200,000....

...The association had taken out a $12 million line of credit to pay for the repairs and was going through a careful, step-by-step process to get them done, Ms. Berger said....

[Lando Lincoln]

You can bet building managers across the country are pulling out their inspection reports and re-reading them.  If they have them, that is. 

[thackney]

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/06/29/us/miami-building-collapse

...Less than three months before the collapse of the Champlain Towers South condo in Surfside, Fla., the president of the condominium association warned in a letter that the damage in the building had “gotten significantly worse” since it was highlighted in a 2018 inspection.

The letter was written to residents by Jean Wodnicki, president of the association’s board of directors, explaining why a list of extensive construction projects were worth a $15 million special assessment that residents were being asked to pay....

...She explained that these signs of growing damage were why the estimated costs of repair had jumped by some 60 percent since that 2018 inspection. “The concrete deterioration is accelerating. The roof situation got much worse,” she wrote adding: “New problems have been identified.”...

[Fishrrman]

"The letter was written to residents by Jean Wodnicki, president of the association’s board of directors, explaining why a list of extensive construction projects were worth a $15 million special assessment that residents were being asked to pay...."

Let's see here...
$15 million divided by 136 units.
That's $110,294 per unit.

How would you like to get hit with a repair bill like that?

I never could have stood apartment house/condo highrise living.
Glad I never had to.

But something else comes to mind.
All these high-rise buildings constructed of concrete/rebar.
What is the expected lifespan of such construction?
Especially in harsh (salt water) environments as this one?

Brings to mind Paul Simon's song:
Ooh, spare your heart
Everything put together
Sooner or later falls apart
There's nothing to it, nothing to it
You can cry
And you can lie
For all the good it'll do you
You can die
But when it's done
And the police come, and they lay you down for dead
Ooh, just remember what I said

[thackney]

All these high-rise buildings constructed of concrete/rebar.
What is the expected lifespan of such construction?

It depends on the specifications, construction materials and how it is maintained.

I have been part of design and construction using concrete structures where the rebar was epoxy coated to prevent it from corroding.  Of course that costs more.  Also some use sealants on the concrete itself.

[libertybele]

They had approved making the changes.  It takes some time to implement the plan and secure the funding.  That was already underway.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/26/us/miami-building-collapse-investigation.html

...The engineer’s report helped shape plans for a multimillion-dollar repair project that was set to get underway soon — more than two and a half years after the building managers were warned — but the building suffered a catastrophic collapse in the middle of the night on Thursday, crushing sleeping residents in a massive heap of debris....

...“Though some of this damage is minor, most of the concrete deterioration needs to be repaired in a timely fashion,” the consultant, Frank Morabito, wrote about damage near the base of the structure as part of his October 2018 report on the 40-year-old building in Surfside, Fla. He gave no indication that the structure was at risk of collapse, though he noted that the needed repairs would be aimed at “maintaining the structural integrity” of the building and its 136 units....

...The condominium complex had been preparing for the recertification that state law requires of similar buildings in the area that have reached 40 years of age, and was on notice that it needed to complete the repairs in order to pass inspection.

But solving the problem of water leaking down from the pool area into the garage was going to involve major work and cost millions of dollars. Brad Sohn, a lawyer representing at least one resident who has filed a lawsuit against the Champlain Towers South Condominium Association, said on Saturday that residents were facing assessments ranging from $80,000 to as high as $200,000....

...The association had taken out a $12 million line of credit to pay for the repairs and was going through a careful, step-by-step process to get them done, Ms. Berger said....

Ok, the plans to make the repairs were underway, and a $12 million dollar line of credit was taken out and for that they deserve some credit, but I would think that the resident should have been warned; perhaps a letter from the condo association??

 2 years is a long time especially with the rains that FL gets not to mention the hurricanes. 

[Gefn]

They found another body last night. Death toll is 12, 149 still missing.


https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/miami-condo-collapse-search-and-rescue-teams-remain-hopeful-death-toll-reaches-12

[Gefn]

Miami-Dade state attorney prepares grand jury to investigate Surfside condo collapse


https://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/news/2021/06/30/miami-dade-state-attorney-preps-grand-jury.html

[Lando Lincoln]

The developing negligence component could drive final settlements to incredible heights.

[rustynail]

Exxon and other Big Oil companies denied and mislead on the on going Climate Disaster which lead directly to this tragic infrastructure collapse.

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

"The letter was written to residents by Jean Wodnicki, president of the association’s board of directors, explaining why a list of extensive construction projects were worth a $15 million special assessment that residents were being asked to pay...."

Let's see here...
$15 million divided by 136 units.
That's $110,294 per unit.

Wow. I think i'd sue, personally.

But the value of the condos might have made it worthwhile. And if this is the alternative then it's a no-brainer.

[mountaineer]

I heard the other day that whenever there's the slightest movement in the rubble, even a millimeter or two, the recovery teams have to clear out and wait until they're sure it's safe to go back in and look for bodies. No wonder it's taking so long. 

[Smokin Joe]

Exxon and other Big Oil companies denied and mislead on the on going Climate Disaster which lead directly to this tragic infrastructure collapse.

Exxon had what, exactly, to do with a leaky pool deck?

[roamer_1]

Ok, the plans to make the repairs were underway, and a $12 million dollar line of credit was taken out and for that they deserve some credit, but I would think that the resident should have been warned; perhaps a letter from the condo association??

2 years is a long time especially with the rains that FL gets not to mention the hurricanes.

Actually, in construction terms, two years is about off the drawing board and heading into environmental impact studies and permitting...

[Smokin Joe]

Actually, in construction terms, two years is about off the drawing board and heading into environmental impact studies and permitting...

Unless you are a pipeline, then you're still looking at maps and feeding lawyers.

[Gefn]

One week after Miami building collapse, search and rescue halted due to safety concerns


Multiple police officers and rescue personnel said that the vacant, still-standing part of the building was shifting and might also flatten.

A week after the partial collapse of a Miami Beach-area condo building, search and rescue crews paused their work early Thursday over fears that the other half of the building might come down.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said operations were halted over "concerns about the standing structure." She said the families of those missing were informed, and the "search and rescue operation will continue as soon as it is safe to do so."

Fire Chief Alan R. Cominsky said "slight movement in the concrete floor slabs near north and south corner of the building that could cause additional failure of the building moving in the debris pile" forced the temporary stop at 2:11 a.m.

South Florida is also expecting a possible tropical storm, which could interfere with search efforts. Crews have grappled with bad weather since work began on the site shortly after the collapse around 1:30 a.m. June 24.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/one-week-after-miami-building-collapse-search-rescue-halted-due-n1272891

[Gefn]

This is getting worse and worse. 

[Lando Lincoln]

A living, breathing nightmare 

[mystery-ak]

Emergency physician gathering photos among wreckage of Surfside building collapse

A physician providing medical care to the dozens of emergency responders conducting rescue efforts for the 145 people who remain unaccounted for following last week’s Surfside, Fla., building collapse is also working to collect photos and other personal items found among the debris.

Benjamin Abo, who arrived at the Champlain Towers South building following its partial collapse early in the morning last Thursday, told The Associated Press that he and others quickly began finding photos and personal items among the debris.

“On the first morning that I was here, [we] came out from the garage and looked down and we see a wedding photo,” Abo said. “Obviously from ’70s, maybe early ’80s, in a synagogue.”

The doctor, who serves as the medical director of Miami-Dade Fire Rescue’s Urban Search and Rescue Team, added, “And then all of the sudden we find some more wedding photos, or a bar mitzvah photo, or some vacation photos.”

“And it really started building up," he continued. "And then when we started getting access to other rooms, bedrooms and living rooms and things like that, you really start to piece together who was here."

more
https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/561256-emergency-physician-gathering-photos-among-wreckage-of-surfside

[Victoria33]

Elsa tropical storm should reach Florida by Monday night into Tuesday.  Normally, this is too early for a hurricane.  Terrible this is coming.  Hope it stays a tropical storm and does not develop into a hurricane, however, tropical storms can dump large amounts of rain.  I so hope this does not happen.

[DB]

Exxon had what, exactly, to do with a leaky pool deck?

I think that was heavy sarcasm...

[Sighlass]

It's a conspiracy, Jewish photo paper is superior. /s

Sorry, my mind is warped today.

[Smokin Joe]

I think that was heavy sarcasm...

Oh, okay, my Bad. (some oil on that concrete might have protected it...)