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

[indicolite22]

The light is on though. I was actually wondering if that apartment belonged to the lady and her two kids. They were talking to the security guard

The lights were on on the 2nd floor (unit #202). The family that escaped lived on the ground floor (#111) on the pool side. I later found a resident from another ground floor apt (#101) on a fundraising site, so they likely escaped as well or weren't home.

 

[GatorFL]

Were these reports shared with the owners? I certainly think the the city and the HOA majorly screwed up by not taking action, but I'm not ready to place blame on the owners until I know what information and details were shared with them. I also think the engineering firm(s) should have placed more emphasis on the urgency of the repairs.

I've heard the residents had this information for a long time and that the letter from the engineer was posted on the HOA website even.

 

[indicolite22]

Do they know the cat survived?

The cat was in the condo that is still standing. I'm not sure why it wasn't rescued together with its owners. Perhaps they couldn't find it or it wasn't allowed (that would seem cruel).

 

[Dontknow?]

Surfside Rescue Work Stalls Over Safety Concerns as President Biden Arrives

“What we know is that the columns on the east side of the building are kind of, of concern, not compromised, but just right now of concern," Jadallah said. “Hypothetically, worst-case scenario: If these columns are truly really bad, we are worried they could collapse right back into the parking garage.”

Surfside Rescue Work Stalls Over Safety Concerns as President Biden Arrives

 

[CrimeAway]

The lady from the apt #611 had a lucky escape. Not only did she decide to leave the building after seeing a large crack appear in a wall, she missed the nearest staircase to her apt and took the one next to the elevators (more familiar) which remained standing after the collapse. She was on the 4th floor on her way down when the collapse started.

https://www.elnuevoherald.com/noticias/sur-de-la-florida/article252471203.html

I believe that the walls around elevator shafts and central stairwells are often some of the strongest in a building, but I'm no expert. Maybe @Warwick1991 could offer some expertise?

 

[Dontknow?]

Surfside
Town in Florida


Description
Population: 5,725 (2019)
Area: 361 acres

(A square mile is 640 acres)

size of surfside fl - Google Search

 

[bears10]

I've heard the residents had this information for a long time and that the letter from the engineer was posted on the HOA website even.

I guess I will have to wait and see what comes out in MSM and in the court docs. I am not a fan of HOAs the way you are. Exact opposite actually.

 

[dixiegirl1035]

LIVE: Leaving now...Air Force One on Tarmac about to leave for Florida to visit with families and officials in Surfside. Biden, first lady and a small entourage of officials on board.

 

[bears10]

The cat was in the condo that is still standing. I'm not sure why it wasn't rescued together with its owners. Perhaps they couldn't find it or it wasn't allowed (that would seem cruel).

It was probably hiding. When I first heard about this tragedy I immediately thought about my cats. They would be terrified and it would be near impossible to wrangle them and get them out quickly. They get freaked out when the doorbell rings, so I can only imagine how scared they'd be in a situation like this. I am so glad the cat is alive and that they are able to feed him, but I really hope they can get him out ASAP.

 

[CrimeAway]

The cat was in the condo that is still standing. I'm not sure why it wasn't rescued together with its owners. Perhaps they couldn't find it or it wasn't allowed (that would seem cruel).

My understanding is that Coco's owner was unable to grab the cat when she evacuated. The cat has been seen, and firefighters have left food using a cherry-picker. I really wish that they had set a humane trap, (at night), with Coco's favorite food, on the balcony.
Local feral cat TNR groups are usually full of great ideas about trapping cats, in order to take them for spay/neutering.

Firefighters offer cat food to missing pets trapped alive in the Miami condo collapse rubble

 

[GatorFL]

I guess I will have to wait and see what comes out in MSM and in the court docs. I am not a fan of HOAs the way you are. Exact opposite actually.

Is anybody a fan of HOAs? LOL

They have their function. I live in a gated community, we have a pretty good HOA, probably the best I've ever had. But most are atrocious.

 

[Dontknow?]

Rescuers stopped work at the site at 2:11 a.m. ET when on-site engineers identified that one column had shifted 8 to 10 inches and three cracks were expanding.

Rescue effort halted at condo collapse in Surfside, Florida, because of concerns over instability of section still standing: What we know

 

[GatorFL]

Rescuers stopped work at the site at 2:11 a.m. ET when on-site engineers identified that one column had shifted 8 to 10 inches and three cracks were expanding.

Rescue effort halted at condo collapse in Surfside, Florida, because of concerns over instability of section still standing: What we know

There is a tropical storm headed our way as well. I bet rescue/cleanup efforts will be impacted further.

 

[bears10]

My understanding is that Coco's owner was unable to grab the cat when she evacuated. The cat has been seen, and firefighters have left food using a cherry-picker. I really wish that they had set a humane trap, (at night), with Coco's favorite food, on the balcony.
Local feral cat TNR groups are usually full of great ideas about trapping cats, in order to take them for spay/neutering.

Firefighters offer cat food to missing pets trapped alive in the Miami condo collapse rubble

That is a great idea. Even if it scares or pisses Coco off for a few days, he/she will get over it quickly, and it's much better than the alternative.

 

[JaimeInLA]

SBM. Quite a few more names of the missing have been revealed in MSM sources, with and without the floor/apartment # info.

there’s also a really good thread on Twitter that lists the names of all of the missing, and has photographs for many of them.

 

[amymarie]

Rescuers stopped work at the site at 2:11 a.m. ET when on-site engineers identified that one column had shifted 8 to 10 inches and three cracks were expanding.

Rescue effort halted at condo collapse in Surfside, Florida, because of concerns over instability of section still standing: What we know

I’m so thankful they have engineers checking on the safety of the structure. I personally feel that they won’t find any more survivors and I would hate to see any volunteers get hurt. There have been enough deaths already.

 

[JaimeInLA]

Were these reports shared with the owners? I certainly think the the city and the HOA majorly screwed up by not taking action, but I'm not ready to place blame on the owners until I know what information and details were shared with them. I also think the engineering firm(s) should have placed more emphasis on the urgency of the repairs.

Yes, a 17 page letter was sent to all of the residence providing excruciating detail of the issues when they were notified of the special assessment. You can read that letter here: https://s.wsj.net/public/resources/documents/miamiletter0628.pdf

As the former president of an HOA, I can tell you, that residents often just don’t care. The whole reason they bought a condo in the first place so they don’t have to deal with maintenance issues. The board has to be elected every year, and board members often campaign on not raising maintenance fees and not doing special assessments. It’s literally how they get elected. A special assessment requires a majority vote from the residents who live in the building. Many of the people in condos are on fixed incomes and have no way to pay an extra $1000 a month for the next 15 years — so they vote no.

The only solution I can see here is more government oversight. Condo boards cannot be left in charge of their own safety because they have a major conflict of interest.

 

[dixiegirl1035]

Rescuers stopped work at the site at 2:11 a.m. ET when on-site engineers identified that one column had shifted 8 to 10 inches and three cracks were expanding.

Rescue effort halted at condo collapse in Surfside, Florida, because of concerns over instability of section still standing: What we know

Prayers going up that the remaining structure doesn't fall upon the debris field. And may the incoming tropical storm have the least impact, although from above.... appears expected worst weather will be Monday pm.

 

[dixiegirl1035]

there’s also a really good thread on Twitter that lists the names of all of the missing, and has photographs for many of them.

@JaimeInLA If you or any folks come across MSM stuff, and as you are seeing about names/stories/background of all affected, please share here on the threads as many here are interested.

TIA

 

[bears10]

I've heard the residents had this information for a long time and that the letter from the engineer was posted on the HOA website even.

Based on Raysa Rodriguez's complaint, I am not sure if they knew or not. It could just be worded this way for lawsuit purposes.

34. Defendant did not only fail to repair the building and ensure the safety of it, but also it failed to disclose to its residents the fact that the building was in an unsafe condition that threatened the safety of their residents.

67. Among the duties Defendant had to Plaintiff and Class members were <sbm> (5) to warn residents of the dangers of the dangers associated with the deterioration, subsidence, and destruction of structural integrity of the common elements of Champlain Towers South Condominium, and to compel their evacuation to the extent the common elements of Champlain Towers South Condominium could not be safely and timely remediated.

The complaint also has a pic of a huge crack on the garage ceiling that I hadn't seen before (could have been in MSM already though, I'm not sure) and the declaration of condominium.

https://tinyurl.com/yhud2nrr