FL- 12 Story Condo Partial Building Collapse, many still unaccounted for, Miami, 24 June 2021

[drama_farmer]

The latest from the approved YouTube account:

Interesting observation from him that rings true: Leading up to the collapse, the building was full of "experts" conducting the 40 year re-cert. You'd think at least one of them would have noticed the danger. I see it as similar to the "bystander effect." The mere presence of those experts probably gave confidence to individuals that the building was not in imminent danger.

I really feel for the condo board, especially the president, who seemed to be working to sort out years of problems with the building. These are/were not experts, but neighbors who volunteered for a thankless job.

I was impressed with the letter sent to the residents. Very thorough and professional. I wonder how many of her neighbors actually read the document, IMO

 

[IQuestion]

I wonder if the city is liable at all. They let the building continue to be occupied. They could have condemned it.

GATORFL If there was a bell I could ring on this post.....consider it rung after reading your post! I have been thinking about this (for days) and even though many have spoken of deferred maintenance on the building, I have concerns over the city municipal code enforcement's (hereto referred to as CMCE for this post) role in this. Obviously the owners, renters, guests etc were all paying taxes to the city? Aren't they entitled to the same protections as citizens in other structures? This is my reasoning....If a local citizen got food poisoning from a restaurant, enforcement agencies work to avoid this type of scenario. They do spot checks on food prep, temperature of fridges, cleanliness, pest control etc. They could even shut down the restaurant.... and no one would have a problem with it. Ie, they protect the public regardless of financial status or residence. No one would blame the diner for eating the food, right? So, IMO I believe the residents (regardless of status) were entitled to diligent & rigorous enforcement of structural safety checks.
Hey, no problem if anyone disagrees with me. After all, this is what we do: bounce off ideas, speculate, question, comment and hopefully try to make sense out of tragedy.

 

[sds71]

Nir said she had just returned home to her two children around 12:30 a.m. ET when she started hearing “knocking sounds.”

As sounds became increasingly louder, Nir said she started to believe neighbors were doing “major construction,” and she went to speak to the building’s security guard about the early morning disturbance.

Nir said as she was speaking to the guard, she heard a big boom and saw the garage had collapsed. At this point, Nir said her son and daughter were standing outside of their apartment and she told them to run, believing an earthquake was taking place.

Mother and daughter said they saw garage collapse before running from Surfside condo

Jewish man describes escaping Florida tower: Building collapse took a few minutes

 

[SuziQ]

Sara Nir, a resident, told The Post that shortly before 1 a.m., she noticed loud “knocking” noises that she assumed were caused by construction work. Around 1:14 a.m., she heard a noise that she thought sounded like a wall crashing down, and she left her ground-level apartment to complain to a security guard in the lobby.

She estimated that about a minute later, while she was in the lobby, she heard a very large boom and saw that part of the surface-level parking area — and part of the pool deck — had collapsed into the underground parking garage. She and the two of her children who were home at the time then ran from the building.

Nir’s son called 911 at 1:19 a.m., he said, a time that he said he confirmed by checking the time stamp on his phone. About a minute later, a dispatcher with Miami-Dade County Fire and Rescue called for an engine to respond to an alarm at the building, audio shows...

The experts said that the columns may either have suffered “axial failure,” meaning that they suffered too much stress from compression, or punching shear failure, when a concrete slab fails under pressure at the point that it connects to the column and falls. The column effectively “punches” through the slab. This can cause a succession of collapses as weight accumulates from above, the experts said.
The video footage shows that about seven seconds after the initial collapse, a second section of the building starts to fall…

According to Jack P. Moehle, a professor of structural engineering at the University of California at Berkeley, the first section probably “dragged the remaining portion sideways until its gravity-load carrying capacity was exhausted and it, too, collapsed.”

Experts noted that, unlike the first section, the second section visibly twisted and sloped to one side in the moments before it fell…
https://www.washingtonpost.com/inve...e/2021/building-experts-miami-condo-collapse/

What happened before the collapse is going to be very interesting. It seems the events were not as sudden as I thought.

 

[Herat]

Whoa. Good catch on that first photo as I had not noticed as to those pilings still standing and punched through. (reposting your photo below)

At this time, there are some on scene personal videos/testimonials/interviews that night that were done.. waiting to discuss on the main thread/public thread here.... waiting here at WS for them to hit MSM. Sitting on hands................ sitting on hands... as will take time to hit MSM.

It's hard to understand how that local area of pool deck surface could cause the collapse of the middle section near the elevators that collapsed first in the video.

It's actually much closer to the section that remained standing.

I guess the issue of where this was in relation to the shear walls in the garage will be important

*Joining the sitting on the hands section awaiting more info*

 

[SuziQ]

Nir said she had just returned home to her two children around 12:30 a.m. ET when she started hearing “knocking sounds.”

As sounds became increasingly louder, Nir said she started to believe neighbors were doing “major construction,” and she went to speak to the building’s security guard about the early morning disturbance.

Nir said as she was speaking to the guard, she heard a big boom and saw the garage had collapsed. At this point, Nir said her son and daughter were standing outside of their apartment and she told them to run, believing an earthquake was taking place.

Mother and daughter said they saw garage collapse before running from Surfside condo

Jewish man describes escaping Florida tower: Building collapse took a few minutes

It appears that many who were already awake or woke to the noise were able to escape. The poor souls that were sleeping didn't stand a chance.

 

[Dontknow?]

Rubble from Surfside condo brought to grassy field in Miami-Dade
Among the concrete are clothes and other personal belongings

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Some of the debris from the collapsed Surfside condo is being brought to a warehouse so engineers can test the concrete and figure out why the building came crashing down.

But not all of it is useful.

That’s presumably why much of it is being dumped in a grassy field 10 miles away from the site of the Champlain Towers South.

Rubble from Surfside condo brought to grassy field in Miami-Dade

I know that's a lot of rubble but it's not much considering the mass amount at the building.

 

[indicolite22]

It's hard to understand how that local area of pool deck surface could cause the collapse of the middle section near the elevators that collapsed first in the video.

It's actually much closer to the section that remained standing.

I guess the issue of where this was in relation to the shear walls in the garage will be important

*Joining the sitting on the hands section awaiting more info*

The witnesses quoted in the last few articles heard a noise (while in their ground floor apartment) resembling a wall crashing down BEFORE the deck collapse. They were in the lobby complaining about the noise when the deck collapsed with a booming sound. So it's possible that something else failed first.

 

[dixiegirl1035]

Here is a link to the insurance policy. I keep getting swamped at work so I haven't had a chance to read it, but I know insurance has been a topic of interest. Hope this has some helpful info.

https://www2.miami-dadeclerk.com/ocs/ViewerPDF.aspx?QS=c5IYpK185bZZt/e6fign/hI1CGzm4M+Et6NEHld3oSTj8oFbfnm0uiNPm2kxq7TKN+Lto4SOkVYDc1UERNUejPXxBR6SzqARAm//BxsKnHOsS0KrTcIoS/BN8TxAUB9Te2v6Qa4lh55+ic9yevnBu/uvlhV3U3c1awaDR5rqrCUYBtyU1JxlCkcJ40kvhynKSroU70inJ7QljFIPanfdjLPAsN9K4hWfN1DvLThAdhRMgxJ6NH7SNZVGT5gcya5Q/vf/6CG/LvgAJxIydWoFC4NOe7fz50IRmAaX9DA5QgLZLVlu/Y3oveW8d8OD+c8/82ek/rOh/92fZ9uQUJVbmL+2S7BGx91u

It comes up totally blank for me. Screen shots allowed mods as is from a legal link?

 

[Christineisfab]

In the early hours of June 24, a 13-story beachfront condo partially crumbled in thunderous, smoke-billowing waves. At least half of the 135 units of the Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Fla., disintegrated in mere seconds in what was most likely one of the deadliest building collapses in American history. Here are the apartment locations of the known missing and the confirmed dead.
Floor by Floor, the Missing People and Lost Lives Near Miami - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

I was just coming here to share this! Super informative graphic... I've been curious as to whether they have found the deceased in similar areas. It looks like they have -- all of the recovered so far lived on the north side of the building.

 

[dixiegirl1035]

What happened before the collapse is going to be very interesting. It seems the events were not as sudden as I thought.

Yes, MOO if verified... should hit MSM soon documentation of such minutes before the collapse. I think we have seen a few on these threads by MSM already. Perhaps one that hasn't hit MSM that ties it all together for us to discuss on threads.

MOO

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

4 more bodies found in Miami condo rubble; death toll up to 16 (nbcnews.com)

In addition to the bodies, crews found other human remains, Miami-Dade Assistant Fire Chief Raide Jadallah said.

Four more bodies were recovered at the site of last week's partial collapse of a Miami Beach-area condo building, bringing the death toll to 16, officials said Wednesday.

Crews found the bodies in the rubble Tuesday night, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava told reporters during a morning news briefing. Relatives of the four victims have not been identified.

The number of unaccounted for people stands at 147, while 139 people who were in the building are accounted for, the mayor said...

 

[bears10]

It comes up totally blank for me. Screen shots allowed mods as is from a legal link?

What about now? I'll flag my post just in case tinyurl isnt allowed, but the source is the Miami Dade court site. The previous link I posted was just a mess.

https://tinyurl.com/4ab2znb5

 

[dixiegirl1035]

What about now? I'll flag my post just in case tinyurl isnt allowed, but the source is the Miami Dade court site. The previous link I posted was just a mess.

https://tinyurl.com/4ab2znb5

Thanks! 61 pages filed June 28th. Legal document, ...

egads... limits on payouts... and much more that we thought might happen... is happening. Note all the exclusions in the policy. MOO

 

[moonriverfarm]

From City of Miami Building Dept:
Building - Unsafe Structures
Unsafe Structures
Pursuant to Miami-Dade County Code Sec. 8-5

A building shall be deemed a fire hazard and/or unsafe if:

1. Vacant, unguarded and open at doors or windows
2. There is a accumulation of debris or other material therein representing a hazard of combustion
3. The building condition creates hazards with respect to means of egress and fire protection
4. It exhibits signs of structural stress such as cracks, unusual sagging, rotting of wood members, termite damage, or if ceilings, walls and roofs are collapsing or caving-in
5. Water service is disconnected
6. Work is performed without proper permits and inspections
7. As additionally defined in Chapter 8 of the Miami-Dade County Code

How to begin the compliance process of an Unsafe Structure Case:

1. Building shall be boarded to prevent further damage or to impede illegal entry and vandalism
2. Windows and doors shall be secured with minimum 1/2" plywood using established and approved securing methods
3. Floors and roof openings shall be secured, as well as any existing fences
4. The property will be kept clean
5. Power may be disconnected to prevent accidental electrocutions or electrical fires

NOTE: Securing the property only initiates the process required in the compliance process. An unsafe structure must be brought to 'living conditions' or be demolished if it is deemed beyond repair.

If property can be repaired:

• If the structure can be repaired, property owner shall retain the services of a design professional
• Plans will be submitted for approval to the City of Miami Building Department Plans Review Section and all required permits shall be obtained, and inspection processes met in a timely manner.

If compliance date cannot be met:

• A one-time extension may be granted if request is found to have merit.

Once property is repaired:

• When all repairs and inspections are completed, a ‘Certificate of Completion’ is signed by the Building Official, and a final inspection must be requested from the Unsafe Structures Section for the pending Compliance Case.
• An Unsafe Structure inspector will go onsite to inspect the property and finding the property to be in compliance shall issue appropriate documentation
• The lien payoff amount may be obtained by contacting 305-416-1177 or email unsafestructures@miamigov.com
• When all fees have been paid and collected by the Finance Department, a request for Certificate of Lien cancellation may then be requested by contacting 305-416-1177 or email unsafestructures@miamigov.com

Please be advised that the recording process may take up to 6 weeks.

Valuation to demolish a structure beyond repair:

• When in the opinion of the Building Official the structure is over 50% damaged, the Building Official will issue an order to demolish the unsafe structure
• Demolition permit shall be obtained and inspection processes met including final inspection
• Full payment of Lien charges must be paid prior to Unsafe Structure case being closed

For additional information or to contact our Unsafe Structures Division, you may email us at: unsafestructures@miamigov.com

To request a file search, you may use the following form: Unsafe Structure's File Search Request Form

Oh my.

 

[GatorFL]

From City of Miami Building Dept:
Building - Unsafe Structures
Unsafe Structures
Pursuant to Miami-Dade County Code Sec. 8-5

A building shall be deemed a fire hazard and/or unsafe if:

1. Vacant, unguarded and open at doors or windows
2. There is a accumulation of debris or other material therein representing a hazard of combustion
3. The building condition creates hazards with respect to means of egress and fire protection
4. It exhibits signs of structural stress such as cracks, unusual sagging, rotting of wood members, termite damage, or if ceilings, walls and roofs are collapsing or caving-in
5. Water service is disconnected
6. Work is performed without proper permits and inspections
7. As additionally defined in Chapter 8 of the Miami-Dade County Code

How to begin the compliance process of an Unsafe Structure Case:

1. Building shall be boarded to prevent further damage or to impede illegal entry and vandalism
2. Windows and doors shall be secured with minimum 1/2" plywood using established and approved securing methods
3. Floors and roof openings shall be secured, as well as any existing fences
4. The property will be kept clean
5. Power may be disconnected to prevent accidental electrocutions or electrical fires

NOTE: Securing the property only initiates the process required in the compliance process. An unsafe structure must be brought to 'living conditions' or be demolished if it is deemed beyond repair.

If property can be repaired:

• If the structure can be repaired, property owner shall retain the services of a design professional
• Plans will be submitted for approval to the City of Miami Building Department Plans Review Section and all required permits shall be obtained, and inspection processes met in a timely manner.

If compliance date cannot be met:

• A one-time extension may be granted if request is found to have merit.

Once property is repaired:

• When all repairs and inspections are completed, a ‘Certificate of Completion’ is signed by the Building Official, and a final inspection must be requested from the Unsafe Structures Section for the pending Compliance Case.
• An Unsafe Structure inspector will go onsite to inspect the property and finding the property to be in compliance shall issue appropriate documentation
• The lien payoff amount may be obtained by contacting 305-416-1177 or email unsafestructures@miamigov.com
• When all fees have been paid and collected by the Finance Department, a request for Certificate of Lien cancellation may then be requested by contacting 305-416-1177 or email unsafestructures@miamigov.com

Please be advised that the recording process may take up to 6 weeks.

Valuation to demolish a structure beyond repair:

• When in the opinion of the Building Official the structure is over 50% damaged, the Building Official will issue an order to demolish the unsafe structure
• Demolition permit shall be obtained and inspection processes met including final inspection
• Full payment of Lien charges must be paid prior to Unsafe Structure case being closed

For additional information or to contact our Unsafe Structures Division, you may email us at: unsafestructures@miamigov.com

To request a file search, you may use the following form: Unsafe Structure's File Search Request Form

The building was in Surfside, a different municipality.

 

[Chelly]

The building was in Surfside, a different municipality.

Thanks for pointing that out. I'll see if I can delete the post.

 

[helenff]

I've seen a few people ask, why does the video we've seen only begin at the big collapse? I'd like to see the minutes before it, as there were obviously warning signs for a few minutes - the knocking sounds, cracks, the deck going.

 

[bears10]

The building was in Surfside, a different municipality.

It says Miami-Dade County Code Sec. 8-5. Surfside is within Miami Dade County.

 

[bears10]

I've seen a few people ask, why does the video we've seen only begin at the big collapse? I'd like to see the minutes before it, as there were obviously warning signs for a few minutes - the knocking sounds, cracks, the deck going.

Prob because it was 1AM and whoever didn't sleep through it was probably freaking out/confused. People may have provided LE with footage that hasn't been shared with the public.