Early Thursday morning, a twelve-story condo building partially collapsed in Miami Beach.
What We Know:
- Miami-Dade County firefighters were called to the Surfside condo Champlain Towers South just after 1:30 a.m. The condo contained 136 units at 70 percent capacity, 55 of which collapsed. As of June 28, the northeast corridor collapse left more than 150 people unaccounted for and 10 dead.
- On the day of the collapse, rescuers pulled 35 people out from underneath the rubble. Rescuers used sonar equipment, cranes, cameras, and dogs to search for signs of buried people. However, the disastrous formation of debris left few pockets for potential survivors. Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett explains, “When the building came down, it pancaked. So there’s just not a lot of voids that they’re finding or seeing from the outside…There’s just feet in between stories…That’s a tragedy.”
- The Miami-Dade Fire Rescue deployed 80 units and specialist teams trained in confined-space rescue operations, working them around the clock with hopes of discovering survivors. Each time rescuers crack open another area, associated risks prevail. Debris, small fires, falling objects, and unstable surfaces plague the scene, creating dangerous conditions. A large fire beneath the rubble hampered search efforts due to smoke and rapid spreading.
- Florida Governor Ron DeSantis visited the scene Thursday and declared a state of emergency Thursday evening. President Joe Biden offers federal support and resources to those affected.
- Miami-Dade County building codes require a 40-year building recertification process. A few years before its 40th anniversary, any property in the county is obligated to complete an inspection process successfully. The inspection certifies that each structure is structurally and electrically safe for continued use. Built in 1981, Champlain Towers South was up for inspection before 2021. Upon inspection, Morabito Consultants warned in an October 2018 report of severe structural damage below the pool and cracking concrete in the parking garage.
- Poor waterproofing below the pool left water soaking on the concrete structural slab beneath. Documented in the report is engineer Frank Morabito’s statement: “Failure to replace the waterproofing in the near future will cause the extent of the concrete deterioration to expand exponentially.” He recommended the distressed concrete slabs be removed and replaced in a timely fashion. Morabito’s report also detailed abundant cracking and crumbling in the underground parking garage.
- Another area of examination for investigators and engineers is the construction of a high-rise building next door. Surfside building official Rosendo Prieto received concerned emails in 2019 from Champlain Towers South residents on the resident-led board about close construction on the building structure.
- Scientists point out the shifting sands of Miami Beach, a barrier island, as a possible culprit for the collapse. Barrier islands are made up of loose sand and mud. As sea levels change, barrier island elements shift. Shifting is hazardous for local communities, a non-discriminatory threat all buildings and towns on Miami Beach face. An analysis of annual satellite images showed slight fluctuations in Miami Beach’s positioning.
Officials have not declared an official cause of the collapse. The current priority expressed by politicians is rescue and rebuilding initiatives.
