10ofRods
Verified Anthropologist
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- Jun 27, 2019
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I read a rather lengthy piece of writing by a structural engineer last night, in which he says that building codes are very different these days and that the form of slab and column construction they used on the Champlain (and apparently, he says that they didn't properly use rebar to "tie" the columns to the slab - a short cut that was not anticipated by the architects/engineers).
He also pointed to articles by geologists, though. The barrier islands constantly change shape, and are changing more rapidly in the past decade than in the previous 4 decades.
The idea that local authorities (Miami Beach? Is that the right jurisdiction?) should do emergency inspections and then bar occupancy of compromised buildings seems the only solution. This engineer I read says that what with increase in number of storms, and the saltwater incursion being far beyond what was anticipated back in 1979-80, that inspectors need to take engineering reports seriously.
The expense of all this and the dislocation to real people could be mind-boggling. I would find it hard to sleep at night if I lived in a barrier island high rise building built before 2010. Of course, here in California, we have the debacle of the new transit building in San Francisco, where either the architects got it wrong or (as is common), the contractor skimped in the way the concrete was made and poured.
I didn't realize that if saltwater seeps into concrete and then the water evaporates, the increased amount of crystalline salt, over time, expands the concrete and makes it essentially way more porous, decreasing its weight bearing ability.
I think we will see more evacuations over the next few years - I sure do hope the buildings are systematically inspected and occupants may have to be forced to move, for their own safety.
