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

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  • #161
According to public statements made by Defendant’s attorney Ken Direktor, ‘repair needs had been identified’ with regard to certain structural issues but had not been implemented; one of the most breathtakingly frightening tragedies in the history of South Florida followed,” the lawsuit stated.

The complaint alleges that the collapse could have been prevented “through the exercise of ordinary care, safety measures and oversight.”


First lawsuit filed following partial building collapse in Surfside
BBM. I don't know if that refers to the statement made about the 40-year inspection, but there was nothing incriminating there. The attorney stated that there were issues identified in the first part of the inspection that were in the process of being addressed, starting with the roof. Nowhere did he say that there were serious structural issues with the building.
 
  • #162
5 million seems like a low figure.
 
  • #163
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You've brought up some excellent points in your posts. Something is really bothering me about this besides the obvious loss of life.

My prayers and thoughts to all involved and affected by this tragedy and miracles in the rescue efforts.
Something is bothering me too about this. Simply put, it is what is beneath and surrounding these high-rises.
 
  • #164
I hope they find survivors. I hope the noises they're hearing are from people, and not just from the rubble and ruins shifting.

As tragically shocking this collapse is, I'm almost surprised it doesn't happen more often. I live in a complex with just three walk-up storeys, built late 80s/early 90s, and they are (thankfully proactively) constantly having to repair concrete and deal with leaks and water issues. And we're not basically on the beach as this building was.

Recently a couple of high rises in Sydney were evacuated because of structural issues found and I know that construction occurring in blocks adjacent were definitely determined to be an issue. Dodgy building certification was another.

But in this case I think it's going to be a combo of lots of things: building basically on sand that's changing and moving all the time partly because of sea level changes; repairs and maintenance not being taken seriously enough; the work on the roof combined with work in nearby blocks; and maybe internal renovations where load bearing walls were removed without any kind of inspection or certification. I think the latter is definitely something that needs to be considered and looked at closely - every apartment block I've ever lived in has had occupants who have undertaken renos without full approval.

I went on a couple of real estate websites for 8777 Collins Ave. There were a couple of units, including a PH if I remember correctly, where it looked like many walls may have been removed to provide incredible open spaces. I wonder if some people who renovate conclude that being on a higher floor has no bearing on the structural integrity of the building. We know that's not true after witnessing the catastrophic events of 9/11.
 
  • #165
The Miami-area apartment building that crashed to the ground in a horrifying early-morning collapse Thursday had been experiencing “issues” for years, and it was even the subject of a scientific study last year that warned of it sinking into the earth.

The Champlain Towers complex in Surfside, Florida, was the subject of at least one lawsuit over the maintenance of the structure’s outer walls. In addition, the building attracted the attention of scientists alarmed over flooding and land Erosion

Kobi Karp, an architect who has practiced in Miami since the late 1980s, said the construction method used in South Florida has been the standard since the 1920s, and it is “the most structurally sound and safest way to build structures, whether it’s a two-story home or a high-rise.”
“So even a building built in the 1980s is a relatively young building,” Karp told The Daily Beast, adding that the event that led to the building’s collapse “could have occurred in the past 24 hours or in the past 24 months.”

But, he said, “the cause is either a structural event that occurred because they were working on the roof and put too much load concentrated in a certain area, and/or there was somebody working on the structure and created a cut or damage that caused structural failure. In both scenarios, it seems to be a man-made cause.”
[URL="https://www.thedailybeast.com/ill-fated-champlain-towers-showed-signs-of-something-off?via=twitter_page"]‘Something Off’: Miami Collapse Complex Had Issues
[/URL]
 
  • #166
There is plenty of data from scientists out there indicating how much shore is going to be under water in the next decades.....

This catastrophe is going to wake a lot of people up. There are going to be massive lawsuits filed by high rise condo owners for sure......

Falling structures is more common than I thought, as seen in the below summary....

https://www.wptv.com/news/state/mia...ding-structure-collapses-in-miami-dade-county
 
  • #167
  • #168
That condo sold for $2,880,000! Much higher than the $600K to $700K I've read.
 
  • #169
There is plenty of data from scientists out there indicating how much shore is going to be under water in the next decades.....

This catastrophe is going to wake a lot of people up. There are going to be massive lawsuits filed by high rise condo owners for sure......

Falling structures is more common than I thought, as seen in the below summary....

https://www.wptv.com/news/state/mia...ding-structure-collapses-in-miami-dade-county
It's very scary. I live in Manhattan and see underwater projection maps here too. My building is on solid ground (can see the bedrock in our basement walls) but many buildings are on landfill. I am assuming there is bedrock under the landfill unlike the honeycomb structures of this Florida building. Still, it's all scary.

jmo
 
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  • #170
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  • #174
Snippets from lengthy article.rbbm.
This is what we know about those missing in the Miami condo collapse | CNN
''The sister and brother-in-law of Paraguay's first lady, Silvana López Moreira, were staying with their three children at the building, and Paraguay's ministry of external relations has not been able to locate the family, the ministry told CNN en Español.
That family -- including Sophia López Moreira and her husband Luis Pettengill -- was in the US to receive Covid-19 vaccinations, Paraguay's foreign minister said.
The Paraguayan first lady, along with her parents and her brother-in-law's parents, arrived in Florida on Thursday after the collapse, the Paraguayan President's office said.''

''Nine Argentines were missing as of Thursday afternoon, the country's consulate in Miami said on Twitter.''

''The first cousin of former Chilean President and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet's father is among those missing, his daughter told CNN Chile.
Since the collapse, Pascale Bonnefoy has not been able to communicate with her father, who lived in the part of the building that fell, she said.''

''Six Colombian citizens are unaccounted for following the collapse, Colombian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Camila Mugno told CNN on Friday.
It wasn't immediately clear whether they were inside the building at the moment of the collapse. Records indicated that the six had been staying there, the foreign ministry's office said.''

''Venezuelans also missing
"At the moment we are handling information from six Venezuelans not located in the collapse of the building in Surfside," Brian Fincheltub, Venezuela's consular affairs director, tweeted.''

''Jewish community members are missing, rabbis say
Some members from The Shul of Bal Harbour synagogue are among the 99 people unaccounted for, Rabbi Sholom Lipskar told CNN's Wolf Blitzer.''

''Members of the synagogue believed to be missing are Nancy Kress Levin, Jay Kleinman, Frankie Kleinman, Arie Leib, Yisroel Tzvi Yosef and Tzvi Doniel, according to Lipskar.''
''He added, "I have to tell you, when I walked past ground zero, there was row after row after row of firefighters who are literally waiting to rush into a building that could fall at any time."

''Uruguayan citizens missing
Three Uruguayan citizens are among the missing, according to the consulate in Miami.''

''A woman who said creaking noises woke her up in the building the night before the collapse is missing, her son, Pablo Rodriguez, said.''

''The Patel family
Vishal Patel, his wife Bhavna Patel, and their one-year-old daughter Aishani Patel are believed to be among the missing, their niece Sarina Patel told CNN, adding that Bhavna Patel is four months pregnant.''

''Cassondra Stratton, the wife of Michael Stratton, senior policy advisor with the law firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, is among those still believed to be missing, his law firm's spokesperson Lara Day told CNN.''
 
  • #175
Snippets from lengthy article.rbbm.
This is what we know about those missing in the Miami condo collapse | CNN
''The sister and brother-in-law of Paraguay's first lady, Silvana López Moreira, were staying with their three children at the building, and Paraguay's ministry of external relations has not been able to locate the family, the ministry told CNN en Español.
That family -- including Sophia López Moreira and her husband Luis Pettengill -- was in the US to receive Covid-19 vaccinations, Paraguay's foreign minister said.
The Paraguayan first lady, along with her parents and her brother-in-law's parents, arrived in Florida on Thursday after the collapse, the Paraguayan President's office said.''

''Nine Argentines were missing as of Thursday afternoon, the country's consulate in Miami said on Twitter.''

''The first cousin of former Chilean President and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet's father is among those missing, his daughter told CNN Chile.
Since the collapse, Pascale Bonnefoy has not been able to communicate with her father, who lived in the part of the building that fell, she said.''

''Six Colombian citizens are unaccounted for following the collapse, Colombian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Camila Mugno told CNN on Friday.
It wasn't immediately clear whether they were inside the building at the moment of the collapse. Records indicated that the six had been staying there, the foreign ministry's office said.''

''Venezuelans also missing
"At the moment we are handling information from six Venezuelans not located in the collapse of the building in Surfside," Brian Fincheltub, Venezuela's consular affairs director, tweeted.''

''Jewish community members are missing, rabbis say
Some members from The Shul of Bal Harbour synagogue are among the 99 people unaccounted for, Rabbi Sholom Lipskar told CNN's Wolf Blitzer.''

''Members of the synagogue believed to be missing are Nancy Kress Levin, Jay Kleinman, Frankie Kleinman, Arie Leib, Yisroel Tzvi Yosef and Tzvi Doniel, according to Lipskar.''
''He added, "I have to tell you, when I walked past ground zero, there was row after row after row of firefighters who are literally waiting to rush into a building that could fall at any time."

''Uruguayan citizens missing
Three Uruguayan citizens are among the missing, according to the consulate in Miami.''

''A woman who said creaking noises woke her up in the building the night before the collapse is missing, her son, Pablo Rodriguez, said.''

''The Patel family
Vishal Patel, his wife Bhavna Patel, and their one-year-old daughter Aishani Patel are believed to be among the missing, their niece Sarina Patel told CNN, adding that Bhavna Patel is four months pregnant.''

''Cassondra Stratton, the wife of Michael Stratton, senior policy advisor with the law firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, is among those still believed to be missing, his law firm's spokesperson Lara Day told CNN.''
Well, with the well-heeled residents/guests, it likely means the investigation won't be swept under the rug but will be taken seriously. I mean, it should ANYWAY, but I think it will get the attention it deserves. I hope.

jmo
 
  • #176
That condo sold for $2,880,000! Much higher than the $600K to $700K I've read.

Well.... a penthouse IS a penthouse. The pictures do make one think about a few questions posed earlier...about how tenants might be removing walls when redecorating... That penthouse sure is open concept to the max.
 
  • #177
Well.... a penthouse IS a penthouse. The pictures do make one think about a few questions posed earlier...about how tenants might be removing walls when redecorating... That penthouse sure is open concept to the max.

I didn't read at first it was a penthouse but all the ones I've looked at on Zillow have wide open floor plans. It would be a shame if contractors removed any load bearing walls. That's just wrong. jmo
 
  • #178
I’ve read so many different news reports, some report 99 missing and others report 159. Those are the two numbers I keep seeing.
 
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  • #180
Filing # 129480730 E-Filed 06/24/2021 11:29:18 PM
@sds71 sbm bbm Less than 24 hours after event: a race to the courthouse?

Regardless, the surviving condo owners, guests, AirBnB'ers, et al must be living a nightmare. And the others who lost their lives, sad, sad, sad.
my2ct
 
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