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

[Dontknow?]

Brooke Shafer
@BrookeShaferTV

JUST IN: Sources tell
@CBSMiami
search and rescue crews have pulled another body from the rubble in #Surfside. That brings the death toll to 5 people

 

[Dontknow?]

Shawn Reynolds

@ShawnReynolds_
2m

NEW: the remains of more people have been recovered from the rubble of the Surfside, FL condo collapse per family members given a private. The remains have not yet been identified per
@VaughnHillyard
report on
@NBCNightlyNews

 

[PayrollNerd]

Getting caught up on the thread. Lots of great info here from our WS building pros! Your expertise is helping me understand what is logical in such a collapse.

It seems to me that if there were pets who survived, maybe next to their owners, that the rescuers would hear them first. I may have missed any pet reports tho. Maybe the building only permitted service animals.

Hoping they find a lot of owners absent due to this being their second home. Maybe they’re snowbirds, this is a vacation unit or something not lived in full time. That would reduce the expected loss of life.

 

[Dontknow?]

Liane Morejon WPLG

@LianeWPLG

#BREAKING: According to
@MayorDaniella
Levine Cava, another body was pulled from the rubble today as well as other additional “human remains”. The death count now stands at five. 130 accounted for. 156 unaccounted for.
@WPLGLocal10

Nick Ciletti
@NickCiletti
19s

#BREAKING - Officials confirm 5 people have died in the #Surfside condo collapse. 156 are still missing.

 

[SouthAussie]

So ... the Australians who are missing are technically not Australians. They live here part of the year, there part of the year, but are not Australian citizens. They have Australian family.


An Australian family is facing an anxious wait on the wellbeing of their relatives after a tower collapsed in Miami, Florida.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) confirmed they are providing consular assistance to the family of the residents, who were living in the residential block when it collapsed on Thursday.

However, DFAT noted that "as those family members are citizens of other countries, our embassy in Washington is coordinating consular assistance with the relevant embassies."
No Australians missing in Miami tower collapse, government says

 

[Antimony]

I went thru the diagrams of the building a second time.

The prints are a lot clearer towards the end.
I think the big penthouse was an addition at some point.
Elevator to big penthouse only goes from floor just below to the top.
Otherwise two elevators for the rest of the building.
Looks like it was a super place to live if you could afford it.
I saw no smoking guns, however, I have no idea what to look for.
I am not an Engineer or Architect.

Also a few buildings in china were wobbling last week and then there is that very high rise in Frisco that is leaning a couple feet.
JMO only

 

[sds71]

North Bay Village announced on Saturday that Police Chief Carlos Noriega’s mother has been unaccounted for since the partial building collapse on Thursday morning in Surfside.

Hilda Noriega is among the 159 people who Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said have been unaccounted for since a section of the Champlain Towers South crumbled.

“We ask that our community join us in prayer and in respecting Chief Noriega and his family’s privacy at this moment,” village officials said in a statement.

Chief Noriega visited the search-and-rescue site and saw an envelope under his shoe. It was a card that had belonged to his Cuban mother.

“On the outside, it was addressed to Hilda and the card had butterflies on it and it was a birthday card signed by her prayer group,” said Sally Noriega, her daughter-in-law.
https://www.local10.com/news/local/...counted-for-since-surfside-building-collapse/
North Bay Village police chief’s mother has been unaccounted for since Surfside building collapse

 

[SuziQ]

Florida Gov. DeSantis: Miami sister building of collapsed condo may have to be evacuated

Florida Gov. DeSantis: Miami sister building of collapsed condo may have to be evacuated

 

[SuziQ]

Missing grandparents’ landline calling from inside Champlain Towers condo, family says

 

[SouthAussie]

Missing grandparents’ landline calling from inside Champlain Towers condo, family says

OMG that is heartbreaking.

 

[Hoytie]

Missing grandparents’ landline calling from inside Champlain Towers condo, family says

OMG that is heartbreaking.

Very spooky. Let's hope this is a sign that they are alive. Stranger things have happened in life.

 

[whitelilac]

And combined with the soil/sand recession of that one particular zone, the structural damage has evidently tipped the balance of the building. IMO


A Florida high-rise that collapsed early Thursday was determined to be on unstable land a year ago
The building ..... has been sinking at an alarming rate since the 1990s
USA TODAY

Underneath its foundation is sand and organic fill — over a plateau of porous limestone — brought in from the bay after the mangroves were deforested. The fill sinks naturally, and the subsidence worsens as the water table rises.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2021/06/25/rising-sea-levels-condo-collapse/

It's all well and good if a structure sinks into fill over time...but that is assuming that the sinking is uniform at the building's entire footprint. If the sinking is uneven, if one corner or section sinks more than another, there will be massive structural trouble....a lot.

 

[SouthAussie]

It's all well and good if a structure sinks into fill over time...but that is assuming that the sinking is uniform at the building's entire footprint. If the sinking is uneven, if one corner or section sinks more than another, there will be massive structural trouble....a lot.

Yes. Exactly. Residents have been speaking of creaking, and structural cracks for quite a while. The chances of the structure sinking evenly are slim to none. IMO
I was reading an article yesterday where a lady told her brother (their father has owned an apartment there for 30 years, her brother and family lived in it) that the building is going to collapse one day.

ETA:
“She felt the building shake,” said Chi, a nurse practitioner. “Then everything collapsed.”
Chi said her sister-in-law, a psychologist, was taken to Ryder as well but that she did not know the whereabouts of her brother, an attorney. Chi said her father has owned the unit in Champlain Towers South for about 30 years, and that leaks were a chronic problem.

Between tearful cellphone calls in the hospital’s driveway and hugs with other family members gathered outside, Chi recalled an eerie premonition she had shared with her brother.

“The last time I was there, I looked at him and I said, ‘I am serious. This building is going to collapse.’ ”

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/miami-beach/article252324218.html

 

[sds71]

They came here to share in the sea, in sand.

They came to retire. They came to work. They came to the Champlain Towers in Surfside to escape or to start anew. They came for healing — for vaccines or just to fish in the clear blue ocean. They came in from the cold winters up north. They came from the uncertainty of countries to our south. They came for a last, desperate chance…

Read more here: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article252389933.html#storylink=cpy

Relatives of 7News Chief Meteorologist Phil Ferro found in rubble of collapsed condo building – WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports | Fort Lauderdale

 

[Angela_Beckett]

Seems like Topos, a heroic team of volunteer rescuers are arrived to help. If there is someone alive, they may find and extract them. These guys have lots of experience due to the devastating quakes in Mexico, plus assisting in similar events around the world.
it’s hard to keep the faith given the state of the building, but miracles exist
Mexican and Israeli task forces join search for survivors in Surfside building collapse

Here some more info on who Topos are
Who are Los Topos, Mexico's volunteer rescuers?

 

[whitelilac]

Yep. Exactly. Residents have been speaking of creaking, and structural cracks for quite a while.
I was reading an article yesterday where a lady told her brother (their father has owned an apartment there for 30 years, her brother and family lived in it) that the building is going to collapse one day.

ETA:
“She felt the building shake,” said Chi, a nurse practitioner. “Then everything collapsed.”
Chi said her sister-in-law, a psychologist, was taken to Ryder as well but that she did not know the whereabouts of her brother, an attorney. Chi said her father has owned the unit in Champlain Towers South for about 30 years, and that leaks were a chronic problem.

Between tearful cellphone calls in the hospital’s driveway and hugs with other family members gathered outside, Chi recalled an eerie premonition she had shared with her brother.

“The last time I was there, I looked at him and I said, ‘I am serious. This building is going to collapse.’ ”
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/miami-beach/article252324218.html

A one story wood frame house, sinking unevenly, will have sloping floors, crooked door frames, wall cracks etc.....I've seen it a lot in my area which has unstable land in several locations. I needed to shore up the back of my previous townhouse...a marble would roll down the floor on its own.

But a 12 story building...with massive loads? It's inevitable it will collapse (IF uneven sinking is indeed the cause). If only....

It's a horrific tragedy for so many people, at 1:30 am no less when people are home and asleep.
I can't get it out of my mind.....all those poor people...and their families, loved ones.

 

[mickey2942]

Crews at collapse site find body, raising death toll to five

Given the fact that there is still a fire going on deep inside the building, with the smoke that comes from the fire, I doubt that there are any more survivors.

 

[SouthAussie]

A one story wood frame house, sinking unevenly, will have sloping floors, crooked door frames, wall cracks etc.....I've seen it a lot in my area which has unstable land in several locations. I needed to shore up my previous townhouse...a marble would roll down the floor on its own.

But a 12 story building...with massive loads? It's inevitable it will collapse (IF uneven sinking is indeed the cause). If only....

It's a horrific tragedy for so many people, at 1:30 am no less when people are home and asleep.
I can't get it out of my mind.....all those poor people...and their families, loved ones.

When I saw the video of the crumbling ceiling - when the collapse started, CCTV from an empty apartment - I could only imagine people waking up to ceiling crumbs falling on them, and not having a chance to get out.

 

[SouthAussie]

Therapy dogs have arrived at the Florida hotel where relatives are waiting for updates on their loved ones still trapped in the collapsed building in Surfside.

As families wait in agony for updates on missing loved ones, there are ways you can ensure they don't face this situation alone. Organizations are on the ground to help.

• The American Red Cross is helping displaced residents find safe places.
• ATJC Aventura Turnberry Jewish Center is collecting donations for individuals and families impacted by the collapse. The organization is asking for urgent items including sheets, pillows, phone chargers, and snack food.
• Direct Relief has teamed up with the NBA's Miami Heat to collect donations helping provide healthcare for survivors and equipment for first responders.
• Greater Miami Jewish Federation is accepting donations to help provide spiritual support and crisis counseling.
• World Central Kitchen is serving hot meals to the Surfside community to make sure displaced residents and rescue crews are fed as they face the unexpected.

Florida building collapse near Miami: Live updates

 

[Eloise]

Catching up!

So unimaginable that 159 residents are unaccounted for! Yet dogs haven't sniffed anyone in several days. There are probably not 159 who have additionally perished, but why haven't absentees notified friends or relatives or authorities? This collapse is known about globally. Frustrating! JMO

Exactly. That's what I'm thinking - those people can mostly be presumed dead (or hopefully just hanging on long enough to be rescued) - there might be a couple here and there who are so deeply into vacation mode somewhere they don't know yet and aren't taking phone calls but I think that's a long shot at this point, sadly.

Getting caught up on the thread. Lots of great info here from our WS building pros! Your expertise is helping me understand what is logical in such a collapse.

It seems to me that if there were pets who survived, maybe next to their owners, that the rescuers would hear them first. I may have missed any pet reports tho. Maybe the building only permitted service animals.

Hoping they find a lot of owners absent due to this being their second home. Maybe they’re snowbirds, this is a vacation unit or something not lived in full time. That would reduce the expected loss of life.

As with my reply above, I think at this point, with this being international news, anyone who just wasn't at home has probably checked in (which is why there is an 'accounted for' number). There might still be a handful who is truly incommunicado somewhere. Let's hope for their families sake that's the case.

Yes. So what pool is this missing woman speaking of? Being a resident, one would think that she knows where the pool is. Is there more than one pool?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/06/25/condo-collapse-search-for-survivors/

From her fourth-floor balcony, Cassandra Stratton, 40, was on the phone with her husband as she watched the pool cave into a crater in the ground and felt a deep tremor in her apartment, her older sister Ashley Dean said. In a moment, the line cut off.

“She screamed bloody murder and that was it,” Dean said Stratton’s husband told her.

IMO if she saw anything at all, it must have been before the first (middle) part of the building came down, otherwise she would have only seen a cloud of dust. Maybe she was in the middle part with a good view of the pool deck. But we don't know if it all started there. The closest part of the building is still standing. I wonder for how long the building was shaking before the first part collapsed.

Cassie must have been shocked and terrified and her husband would have been half confused and half worried and now is probably just brain fried from worry and grief. I'm not surprised it's not precise. I'm betting she meant the pool deck which definitely does look sunken. That said, I don't know if it's sunken in appearance because of the collapse or if sinking had something to do with causing the collapse.

Champlain Towers South resident survives by climbing through rubble in the dark with her dog

“I was one of two I think that survived on my floor,” Schechter said.

Not knowing whether or not all of her neighbors made it out has been haunting her. She said she called one of the neighbors who lived on her floor but he didn’t pick up.

this lady woke up and acted quickly, and it saved her ... I wonder how many didn't wake up until it was too late (I definitely know some people who sleep deeply enough they'd sleep through the shaking and noise, and some people might take some kind of sleeping meds) or who woke up, but hesitated

The inspection report of 2018 is alarming, but the photos "appear" to my absolutely untrained eye to be relatively minor issues, although they need fixing. As in, some concrete falls off the bottom of the balcony. Bad, but impending catastrophe? Cracks in the walls - again, bad, but impending catastrophe?

The NYT and the Washington Post reports both say the plans for correction had been approved and work was scheduled for this year. There would have to be documentation of this in the owner / HOA records and of approval of funds for the repair.

I have to think, as in all remodel/ repair projects, there would be far more severe damage found when the contractors actually started ripping the damaged concrete off of there.

However, should they have found clear evidence of impending failure, I wonder how fast they would have been able to actually get the condo owners to understand they had to move out of their units for the forseeable future until the scope and cost of repair was finalized. I have to think the entire process would have taken so long and been so stunningly expensive that this would not reasonably been fixed before collapsing.

As they say, it's complicated.

But this has to be a horrible warning to older high-rise buildings at seashores around the world. Think of Waikiki Beach in Hawaii - I'm pretty sure some of those buildings are at least 30 years old and up to 50 stories tall!

BBM: I think this is true of the balcony damage (and there are other reports by trained and qualified people who say the same), but the damage in the garage is far more meaningful and serious JMO.