Miami Condo Collapse

If they have the wherewithal to investigate, I'm betting they find some building inspectors were bribed and/or owners and contractors were taking shortcuts.

People should be held accountable and charged with murder if financial/commercial interests were put above safety.

just when you put your feet 🦶 up & chillz

Ron DeSantis' Florida.....

Has Sophia been found?!?

Hunk Sam Brock is reporting from the scene for MSNBC.

Miami is a third world shothole.

Is it built on that reclaimed land that is supposedly vulnerable to sinkholes and settling?

There's already a thread.

Is this a Kushner property?

Regulations, schmegulations....

R7- The THERE'S ALREADY A THREAD troll

What a shithole state

r1 Forget it, Jake -- it's Florida.

[quote]the next thing your out on the street

Oh, dear.

Wrong title OP. It should have been “Miami condo’s collapse is COMPLETE”

It's Florida. Ain't it supposed to fall down?

Omg this sounds like something from a third world country

So I didn’t see it r7.

R16- Yes, like China.

I just caught that the wing of the building had 70 units.

I wonder how much trembling and shaking there was beforehand. Maybe people noticed signs and were able to flee, hopefully?

*yawn* it’s just Miami…next!

As I understand it, there were three conjoined sections and two of them collapsed.

They're seriously only reporting one person is dead? It has to be higher.

It's a matter of time before Miami is reclaimed by the waters. I would not be surprised if the foundation of this building was too wet to support it.

wtf? was it made in CHINA?

was this an insurance scam?

Either way, building wasn't properly maintained....lawsuits!

Video:

You live by the Florida, you die by the Florida! 🏝 🍊

Mar-a-Lardo annex.

If only it could have been Turd-a-Largo. With Trump inside.

[quote] What a shithole state

tfw people don’t realize states aren’t monolithic — Miami is Blue.

Is it where DL’s favorite whore Kegan Keller aka Tony Goodfellow lives? Is he alive? Are the hole and cock safe?

I have to say what I feel….Miami has so much appeal….MIAMI!!!

Reading quickly I thought it was 1 mayor was killed, thinking how many might they be fearful for, was it an old mayors home or something?

"Building resident Ofe Osin-Cohen told WTVJ that many people in the Towers were snowbirds and weekenders who have homes in other parts of the state. She said the pool area has been crowded with "quite a few people."

Osin-Cohen said she "doesn't want to think about the screams" she heard as she evacuated the building. She wasn't sure where those screams were coming from."

Why did they sell that unit on the top floor to Chrissy Metz?

R26 Holy Shit - and didn’t those people who’s surveillance camera recorded it hear anything from just a block or two away.

If you look in the lower left area, next to the pool, where the cars are, it looks like the ground slumped there, which leads me to believe there might have been a sinkhole type thing that precipitated the collapse. Obviously just a guess. The building then pancaked into the sinkhole, filling it.

It's amazing so few people were hurt... I imagine it's just because that's all they've found so far.

Republicans climate denial, Republicans corporate welfare socialist skipping out on regulations. This was bound to happen. Florida is run by crooked Republicans.

[quote]please call 305-614-1819

Apparently, many tenants are snowbirds or have other homes in FL, so the hope is that all the units weren't occupied.

is this in a good area or shitty area?

It was a good area and now it’s a shitty area.

You know there’s going to be a full investigation and how the contractors skipped regulations and there’s gonna be hell of a lawsuits.

[quote] so the hope is that all the units weren't occupied.

Do the words “bodies being found” mean anything to you?

The building was build back in 1981, so it's not new construction.

Florida is run by crooked Republicans.

Blame DeSantis.

[quote] Is it where DL’s favorite whore Kegan Keller aka Tony Goodfellow lives? Is he alive? Are the hole and cock safe?

Don’t forget about DL icon and Cockgobbler associate, muscle stud Elias Cohen and escort to the stars and prolific Onlyfans creator Travis Lee Dyson. His ass is legendary and in high demand in Miami, including by former gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum, he tapped that ass and then passed out, it was that good.

The more influence the mob has, the more likely the area is run by Republicans, since the GOP is just a political arm of the mob these days.

Wow - that was a huge collapse. Gotta be more people dead. Those old Florida high rises always looked like third world shacks - surprised so few collapse. Some of the crappiest ugliest high rises in the US.

When I clicked R39s link a 'malicious link blocked at a .ru address' message popped up. I just switched to AT&T which has an anti-spyware/anti-virus etc program running all the time and now I see how many links here have that 'malicious link blocked at blahblahblah.ru' message!

The building looks SO OLD. It looks like something you might see in the ghetto somewhere. WTF?

R51 Jewish ghetto or Gay ghetto?

This is one of the units that was on Zillow/ I don’t think they’re getting that asking price now.

What was playing on their ipod?

r54:

"I Fall To Pieces" - Patsy Cline

It's a teardown.

Free Fallin' - Tom Petty

Surfslide

[quote]Florida is run by crooked Republicans.

[quote]Blame DeSantis.

R46 The building was built in 1981. Governor DeSantis was THREE YEARS OLD. The blame should go to Bob Graham, who was Governor at the time. And a DEMOCRAT.

First the bridge, now the building

[quote] You know there’s going to be a full investigation and how the contractors skipped regulations and there’s gonna be hell of a lawsuits.

It’s Florida. Building regulations suck. I remember when my ex-brither in law’s parents moved there. The husband was a shop teacher and into construction. He paid double the price for his house to be built to NY regulations. Also dug a firebreak on the property. I remember because it was the first time I ever heard of a firebreak.

R60 Maralago next!!

R59 based on the images on Zillow, I thought the building was at least 30 to 40 years old.

Speaking of Kegan/Tony, there was a TikTok he did a few days ago wading through waist deep flooding in Miami. What was that about and could it have been a contributing factor? He looked very hot in the video.

Am I in heaven, or am I in Miami?

They had better inspect the two buildings on the right, here in the pic. Both built by the same architect and one is an exact copy.

It's Condominium, the movie! It was prophetic! Crooked developers in Florida! Plus Barbara Eden and a cast of thousands!

Is there a role for me as the young gay OnlyFans entrepreneur?

Russian money-laundering, hiding their cash in apartments they never occupy.

And aren't the people in the background of the link at #26 speaking Russian? booshkie booshkie booshkie

Who will get the contract to build a new apartment building on site?

How long before Ron Death Sentence blames this on Critical Race Theory?

One must think of the 2024 Republican Presidential Primaries first.

R59

DeSantis is anti-Regulation. These old buildings should’ve been checked and regulated since they were built and they probably weren’t. Blame DeSantis.

Can’t Florida just slide into the ocean? Flush the rednecks, hillbillies, Cubans, birthers, etc.

It was the Jewish space lasers that caused the collapse! Kamala Harris was telling the Jews where to aim the lasers. I will be holding hearings and investigations about this.

R53 they’re having a ‘collapsing values’ sale - 97% off for the next 48 hours. It does note that - all sales are as is.

It would be nice if they reported the age of the building, the construction company, last building certification, or any of the other basic facts of the story!

[quote] Russian money-laundering, hiding their cash in apartments they never occupy.

That was my first thought. Though, they like to stock those empties with paying moms waiting to drop anchor babies.

However, I think this is an old Jewish bubbie enclave.

"is this in a good area or shitty area? "

It's in FLORIDUH, so it's shitty

Any building that close to the ocean is going to eventually have problems, regardless of how carefully it was build. Concrete settles, just like any other building material...that lets the elements get into the cracks, and once moisture hits the rebar reinforcement, it starts the never-ending process of rusting...it spreads through the infrastructure like a cancer. Salt air just compounds the issues. I would imagine that similar things will be happening from now on...the age of the buildings is a problem.

"Florida is run by crooked Republicans"

the word "crooked" is redundant

"Who will get the contract to build a new apartment building on site?"

whoever makes the biggest contribution to desatan's campaign

Don't the streets of Miami flood on a daily basis now? It'll be totally underwater in 20 or so years. These old buildings built from the 70s-early 2000s will just keep collapsing. Too bad this wasn't MAGA-Lardo.

What station are you watching, R76? I've been watching the ABC Miami affiliate, and they've been all over that.

It was built in 1981. Every 40 years buildings in Miami-Dade have to be "recertified", and undergo thorough inspections by structural engineers, electrical engineers, etc. (due to the issues cited by R79). Champlain Towers was in the middle of that process (work had already started on some roof issue).

I can just imagine how many other poorly built buildings are on the verge of collapse there and other places all over the US...and damn, I will NEVER drive across the George Washington Bridge into NYC. It looks ready to crumble

[quote] I will NEVER drive across the George Washington Bridge into NYC. It looks ready to crumble

I have that same feeling when I visit family in Maryland and have to drive across the Bay Bridge. It was not built to handle the amount of 24/7 bumper to bumper traffic it now gets.

R85 My grandfather was part of the crew that wired the GWB, his son , my dad is 100 .

Roads and our crumbling bridges. This is exactly what Biden wants to put money into. Why do the deplorables see this as a problem?

Something fishy is going on with this story.

DeSantis is to blame. All his fault. Also, he made it happen.

Is this how I do it republican asshats? Did I get it right? Just following your lead.

Wow R26: that video looks like an utter collapse into a sinkhole/water intrusion. Isn’t there a new building being right to the side of it?

A woman looking for her husband.

looking a lot like the wtc collapse, will there be walls full of photos of the "missing"

Just a friendly reminder that the Association expects monthly dues to be paid on time. If you're dead, you must submit a death certificate to the Board no later than the first of the month, or be sent to arrears.

The sands must be shifting under Miami….. and so castles made of sand……melt back into the sea….eventually

I have a Washington Post digital subscription and the article on the building collapse indicates up to 51 people are unaccounted for. They also show an image of the building before the collapse and the portion that caved in. It is a rather substantial portion that is gone. Someone up thread mentioned a sinkhole which was my first thought as well. Florida is notorious for Sinkholes and with this structure so close to the ocean that may well be the cause.

" Florida is notorious for Sinkholes"

Florida is a sinkhole, the dregs from the rest of the country drain into it

FIFY

Ongoing construction: At the time of the collapse, the building was undergoing work on its concrete roof, but it's unclear if the work was a factor in the collapse. Work was being done to meet "40-year standards," a strengthening of the building code -- regarding updates and improvements -- enacted following Hurricane Andrew in 1992.

Who lives there: The population is 5,700. About 54% residents are non-Hispanic White, while 45% identify as Latino or Hispanic. In 2018, Surfside was home to about 2,500 Orthodox Jewish residents and there are at least five synagogues within a short drive of Champlain Towers.

More about Surfside: The town sits on a barrier island between the Biscayne Bay and Atlantic Ocean. The median rent is about $2,000; median household income is $69,000; and median home value is $626,000.

He’s dead R90. Obviously. He would have texted her or something.

Yikes, I’m never going to FL again!

And yet Republicans refuse to sign onto an infrastructure bill that would fix roads and bridges and inspect buildings and upgrade this nation. They'd rather see everything collapse.

it does look like the collapse of the Twin Towers. One woman said she is trying not to think of all the screaming she heard. This si something that she will never get out of her head. I hate apt. bldgs.

The Iranians said they'd get their own back.

I feel sorry for the remaining tenants whose condo fees will be raised.

24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice(B) is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

[quote] Has Sophia been found?!?

Dorothy Zbornak would've held up that pancaking condo with her two arms.

I noticed that too, R37, when I first saw the photo. I think you might be onto something.

I saw an interview with a young man who lived on the first floor (of the section that didn't collapse) with his mother & sister. He said there were two collapses, approximately two minutes apart. They were awakened by shaking and a loud boom/crash. He went to their balcony and saw that the entire parking deck had collapsed and there were many damaged cars. The three of them went outside to get a better look when they heard a massive rumbling sound begin behind them -- and they took off, running for their lives.

Dorothy and the gals will be putting on a telethon for the victims of the collapse. Rose will tap dance, Blanche will do a striptease, and Dorothy and Sophia will do a mother/daughter ventriloquist skit.

I don't know what the fucking politicians are doing, every election, they always talk about infrastructure, building bridges and roads etc...EVERY fucking election...but very little has been done.

I bet those fucking working on the roof are non-unionized workers. Maybe they could even be illegal construction workers who are not skilled and don't have proper licenses!

There's no way it's going to be just one person found dead. Wait until they dig through everything, more like 20-30.

Found this map of known sinkholes on Twitter...it doesn't seem like they are common at all around Miami. But they are ALL over vast swaths of the state. There are so many fucking things that can go wrong with property in Florida...you couldn't pay me enough to live in that godforsaken state! Especially after working in insurance...

R90 The lucky ones are going to be those that were taken to hospitals.

Does anyone know the whereabouts of that elder gay who plowed the truck into the parade? Parking at that building can be tricky.

Time for us to start letting nature reclaim some of these barrier islands, maybe?

…..Oh, Florida.

Grampa alert at r50.

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

Better link with picture of famed Argentinian plastic surgeon, his partner, and their newly-adopted six year-old daughter.

Never had I ever imagined this kind of shithole disasters could have happened in America. Never... Thought it only happened in the Third World.

Seconds to Disaster program taught me to look into the dead weight put upon the top of the building that causes this type of structural collapses.

[quote]I don't know what the fucking politicians are doing, every election, they always talk about infrastructure, building bridges and roads etc...EVERY fucking election...but very little has been done.

How much of Biden's infrastructure bill is directed toward actual infrastructure? There is your answer.

Can you imagine this happening to one of those new insanely tall high rises in Manhattan?

R121 yes I can imagine it. I saw “The Return of the King”.

If it says Trump on the building, r121, I can most definitely imagine it.

Saw a map of Florida showing the rock formations underneath. Miami appears to be on tip of limestone and ancient coral reefs.

They better be inspecting all those buildings thrown up during the Cocaine Cowboy building boom.

I don't think it will happen in Manhattan, unless it's downtown...battery park city is built on reclaimed land. In fact, much of downtown area is Hurricane zone 1

Marie Kondo for Miami Condo decluttering.

Fucking frightening!

This happened at night? What time? I can't imagine being asleep and suddenly waking up to find your apartment collapsing on you. Fuck, man!

Plus everyone's pets that are trapped.

[quote]Roads and our crumbling bridges. This is exactly what Biden wants to put money into. Why do the deplorables see this as a problem?

It would offend the evangelicals, who believe that God will protect them in all things and that planning for the future implies a lack of faith that the Rapture isn't coming soon.

The firefighters are now putting out a fire at the site.

Miami Herald now saying up to 99 people feared missing:

The QAnoners are already crying JEWISH SPACE LASERS!

This building was right next to 8701 Collins, a Renzo Piano building with 10m condos. Djokovic sold his this week for 6m

It's creepy to me that you can see lights go on in a couple of condos to the right of the first section, like 'what the heck is going on', then that section collapses too.

the video footage I've seen so far aren't very clear at all...

[quote] I can just imagine how many other poorly built buildings are on the verge of collapse there and other places all over the US...and damn, I will NEVER drive across the George Washington Bridge into NYC. It looks ready to crumble

No need to worry. Just keep a portable flotation device in the glove box or center console, so once submerged you can float up to the surface. But remember, and this is key, if you have power/electric windows in your car, roll them down while on your free fall. Power windows work like shit underwater. And no need to panic, you’ll have a good 8-10 seconds to escape before you are on the bottom of the Hudson River. Once you’re there however, unfortunately, you’re screwed.

[quote] He’s dead [R90]. Obviously. He would have texted her or something.

Yup, squished to smithereens.

R99 Of course Republicans are against any kind of infrastructure spending.

Fixing stuff like the 46,000 bridges deemed structurally unsound costs money.

We can't give the top 1% their tax breaks if we have to repair things!

r5 you weren't kidding

Only the little people need transportation infrastructure.

The 1% travel by private jet and/or helicopter.

R117 oh no, not the gays, don’t take the hot South American gays. They’re hot and deserve to see the weekend, especially since they were on vacation. That sucks.

This is very sad and tragic. I can't imagine all those Souls in that building went to bed as if it it were any other random night and then this happens at 2 am.

[quote]What was playing on their ipod?

R129 First the collapse, then, now a fire. Next it will be a zombie apocalypse. It must be a sign of the end times. Get the hell out of Florida while you can, before you die.

This is very sad of course, but the news is saying this was an elderly Jewish community. I’m betting many were at or near “the end” before the collapse. But I do feel awful for any pet casualties.

^ OMG... The oldies are expendable, but won't someone think of the puppies?

fucked up.

The mayor said it was a mix of elderly and families. Half Jewish and have Latino.

[quote]What was playing on their ipod?

Lots of Einstürzende Neubauten.

Jewish space lasers!

Any San Francisco gays here? Isn’t there a new, super tall condo high rise in your city that is leaning and sinking because it wasn’t tied into bedrock? Could this happen there too? Gravity is a bitch.

[QUOTE] The mayor said it was a mix of elderly and families. Half Jewish and have Latino.

That’s depressing. I love American Jews and I love fly Latin twinks. Let’s hope they quickly save as many as possible.

Security cam footage of the actual collapse:

[quote]How much of Biden's infrastructure bill is directed toward actual infrastructure? There is your answer.

A shit-load. But infrastructure is more than just roads and bridges, so there's additional shitloads for the other things this country needs to fix.

Holy shit.

MSNBC had an architect from the area on. He said the kind of construction used is the same that has been used throughout Florida for the past 100 years. He kept referring to the building as a very young building and said that, judging from the video from the security camera in a neighboring building, it looked like the failure started in the ground level in the center of the structure. Then once that central piece was gone the tower to the right collapsed. He also kept saying it was a very unique occurrence.

It wouldn’t surprise me if we eventually find out that some mischief was involved.

Everyone I’ve seen so far has been Hispanic - no old Jewish ladies.

It’s annoying they keep saying “1 dead”. Clearly and obviously there are more - they should just say undetermined number of dead. This was a really bad collapse - even if the building was 1/2 snowbirds, there are dozens dead.

[quote]... and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

Hey wait a minute...that sure sounds like the Three Little Pigs.

[quote]Any San Francisco gays here? Isn’t there a new, super tall condo high rise in your city that is leaning and sinking because it wasn’t tied into bedrock?

Yeap, that's the tallest building in SF, called Millennium Tower. Its still sinking (its already sunk 18") but they've figured out a way to stop and correct it. Taxpayers are going to have to pay part of the cost, like $25M, along with the developers, because the design was flawed from the design stage, prior to permitting. I have a friend who lives on one of the upper floors, and you can put a ball against one wall and watch it roll to the opposite wall. I don't think its in much danger of falling, but it still gives you the creeps being in there.

Damn, r157! And I thought my busted 1940's detached garage had issues. At least if it goes sliding off into the sunset nobody will get hurt.

Critical Race Theory made the building collapse!

WaPo latest report: 99 people unaccounted for.

[quote] Everyone I’ve seen so far has been Hispanic - no old Jewish ladies.

Last I saw about 100 people were unaccounted for and I'm guessing the elderly would have been at a disadvantage as far as having a head start in galloping out of there.

R160 holy crap

For R156:

[quote] USA Today reported that last year, Shimon Wdowinski, a professor in the Department of Earth and Environment at Florida International University, did a study on the building and found it to be unstable. He said on Thursday that he knew instantly which building had collapsed when he heard news reports of it.

The article used the term “yearly recertification”. What does that mean? I own a small high rise rental condo in Hawaii and I’ve never heard of this term.

The Millennium Tower is #6, not the tallest.

There are many snowbirds. Hopefully some of the missing are safe up north.

The mayor just said that there is also a sister condo/building of this one. If you lived in the sister building, how fast would you be packing your essentials and getting the hell out of there?

[quote] It’s annoying they keep saying “1 dead”. Clearly and obviously there are more - they should just say undetermined number of dead. This was a really bad collapse - even if the building was 1/2 snowbirds, there are dozens dead.

It's more accurate and responsible to report only the confirmed number of dead. To do what you suggest would cause more panic.

[quote]and didn’t those people who’s surveillance camera recorded it

Oh, dear!

See post at R66 It shows the sister/twin of this building

[quote] If you lived in the sister building, how fast would you be packing your essentials and getting the hell out of there?

Faster than goose shit through a shotgun!

[quote] and they took off, running for their lives.

I hope they said “feets don’t fail me now!” or it doesn’t count.

Here, this'll cheer us up.

Is the Miami condo an insatiable bottom?

What a co-inky dink! I was in that area before it happened getting my Brazilian wax and the lady had to reschedule half-way through. I made it out ok!

99 red balloons 🎈

It was the cladding, I can feel it in me water!

Please tell me Rose, Blanche, Sophia, and Dorothy are safe

[quote]You know there’s going to be a full investigation and how the contractors skipped regulations and there’s gonna be hell of a lawsuits.

Not in Ron DeSantis' Florida there won't be. All the corruption will be covered up and swept under the rug, as long as large donations are made to "Ron DeSatanis 2024".

I wish Mar-A-Lago would fall into a sinkhole.

I hope either a hurricane levels Mar-A-Lago or a UFO drops down to vaporize it.

Unlike our “forever young” DataLoungers, this building understood that life is OVAH after 40!

[quote]First the collapse, then, now a fire. Next it will be a zombie apocalypse.

Who is it you imagine populates the great state of Florida?

This is such a freak accident. All along the Gulf Coast, there are crappy old buildings like this, but they don't fall down.

I love Florida. I've never lived there but to visit it's great.

I’m not too fond of FL. Just another American, southern shithole dressed in golfing gear and diamonds.

[quote] but they don't fall down.

Neither do weeble-wobbles.

But that might be irrelevant.

R176, or 99 bottles of beer on the wall…

They said large pieces of machinery had been working on the rooftop for some weeks. I think that large working machinery pieces shouldn't ever really be on the top of a multifloors residential building. Prayers for all of them, their loved ones, and the first responders helping.

[quote] The Millennium Tower is #6, not the tallest.

Sorry,I should have specified that it’s the tallest CONCRETE structure in SF, similar to the construction in the building discussed in this thread.

The palms were so green that day.

R167 I posted picture of the sister buildings upthread. at R66. Here it is again.

Nobody reads threads.

R190 why would one build concrete super tall buildings? On soggy land to boot?

My money is on Iranian special forces who cut that structural column and got Jared and Ivanka’s address wrong.

R176 why is the middle one so much whiter?

This is DeSantis' Florida. Tragedy and death.

How long will it take them to dig out the bodies?

[quote]This is such a freak accident. All along the Gulf Coast, there are crappy old buildings like this, but they don't fall down.

It has nothing to do with age. It has everything to do with the physical integrity of the structure.

A 40yo building doesn't seem old and crappy to me.

Repairing infrastructure/building anew is a non-starter. We will not raise taxes to pay for it. We will however, reconsider if you Democrats agree to eliminate Social Security, Medicare, and the Affordable Care Act.

The heat is unbearable in Florida right now. But imagine being under all that rubble during this heatwave

Those poor people ...

a new report reveals that the building has been sinking 2 millimeters a year for the last 30 years,

The floors pancakes. Former people in there a now squashed, probably not resembling anything formerly human.

[quote]Miami Herald now saying up to 99 people feared missing:

We know where they are. "Missing" just sounds better than "squished flatter than a matzo."

[quote]There are many snowbirds. Hopefully some of the missing are safe up north.

I hope they ...

SPREAD THEIR TINY WINGS AND FLY AWAY!

I saw a woman being interviewed and she told the reporter her daughter was visiting her father who lived in the building and believes they're dead. The reporter asked her what made her think that. She pointed and said look at it!

A man interviewed on CNN said his mother and grandmother were in that building, and when he talked to her just before the building collapsed she said she was woken up around 3:00 - 4:00am by strange creaking noises and she was unable to fall back to sleep because of it.

This wouldn’t happen in Venezuela!

Buck wouldn't have BEEN in that building!

I just hope the people who perished were GOP supporters

It happened close to the 40th anniversary of the Hyatt regency walkway collapse.

[quote]The heat is unbearable in Florida right now. But imagine being under all that rubble during this heatwave

I feel for the rescue workers as well, I saw that their gear is 80 pounds and they can only do 15 minutes at a time. This is peak heat and humidity in June and it rains every few hours which slows down the work.

R92 Condo fees will still be due from a deceased owner’s estate until their apartment is sold (good luck with that) or the condo association is legally dissolved.

I think it’s been “dissolved” R213.

[quote]The building looks SO OLD. It looks like something you might see in the ghetto somewhere. WTF?

r51 this is how most condos that went up in the crack era look in South Florida. Tacky and ugly. The prices for a basic 2/2 in a building like this are obscene now. Im sure the association is headed by some carpetbagger from New York who flies down once a year during the winter and charges the Russians and South Americans huge fees to live in a shitty looking building.

Every condo I've lived in Florida was in need of a new roof. The associations steal money for years and rooves that have been under the brutal elements in Florida since the 80s just deteriorate from the heat, humidity rain and hurricanes.

Building was built in 1981. Governor was Bob Graham Democrat. Sorry Bitches.

^ Because he personally built it all himself? *rolls eyes*

Do the freeper trolls try to blame Dems for everything?

[Quote] and rooves that have been under the brutal elements in Florida since the 80s

Oh, dear.

"Don't the streets of Miami flood on a daily basis now?"

That's probably what happened. It got flooded by one or more of the super-hurricanes over the past decade and the foundation was weakened.

R217 thinks all Dems should be beatified. Like he has never heard of the word 'politician.'

I don't know why people are saying this building was "so old." It was built in the 1980s, not the 1880s. The "pre-war" buildings in NYC were built between1900-1939 (pre-WW II). Beach front properties suffer damage from the elements (salt air, hurricanes), but 1980s should have been fine. The style (dated, ugly) of a building is a separate issue from the quality of the build. (I don't think this collapsed building was ugly.)

R214 True, it's physically dissolved, but not legally dissolved, which means condo fees are still due. The same is true when a condo building burns down and needs to be rebuilt. Many people in the process of buying a condo don't even have the apartment inspected, much less the structural aspects of the building. It's usually not a problem, until something like this happens.

Would you bitches still pay your condo maintenance if you lived in the part of building that's still standing?

I'm guessing it was developed by Jeb Bush or one of his pals.

Oh just fucking stop, R3. Moron.

They were probably building cell phone towers on top, and the building was going to get a financial kickback.

R221 It appears from the remaining part of the building that it was at least partially on stilts to create covered parking under the building at the ground level. I previously owned a condo at the shore that was built on underground piles. The surrounding land sunk, but not the building. The electrical transformer box on the grounds of the building sunk and the power wires got pulled out and cut the electricity to the building (thank goodness, no fire). It happened twice. After that, the condo had extra cabling installed between the box and the building. It may have happened again, but I sold that apartment quite some time again. The condo building next to that was also on piles and had a parking deck on stilts with parking above and below the deck. It also sunk and collapsed (thankfully not the building it was attached to), crashing the cars parked below. To my knowledge, no one was hurt or killed.

Bottom line: I now know never to consider buying a property with anything that's up on stilts, including the building itself.

Climate change isn't real and has no impact on our *splat*

R95 I was unfortunate enough to live in Florida for 2.5 years and saw many sinkholes, including one that developed next to my apartment building. Between that and the heat, humidity, reptiles, giant bugs, and torrential electrical storms, I couldn't wait to get out of there and will never live there (or probably even visit it) again.

Miami is nice, so I'll say it thrice.

Oh Marie Kondo we love you get up.

R229, I agree; I hate the heat.

[quote] Omg this sounds like something from a third world country

The people of Miami/Dade County love you too.

A researcher said the building has been sinking since the 1990s !!

He was doing a research about Miami sinking and noticed this building. However he concentrated on flooding etc not structural building issues.

The 12-story beachfront condo in Miami-Dade County was built in 1981 — and had been sinking into the ground since the 1990s, according to a 2020 study conducted by Shimon Wdowinski, a professor at Florida International University.

“I looked at it this morning and said, ‘Oh my god.’ We did detect that,” Wdowinski told USA Today on Thursday.

Wdowinski’s research focused on which parts of Miami were sinking, in an effort to determine what areas could be most impacted by sea-level rise and coastal flooding.

His team found that the Champlain Towers South in Surfside had been sinking at a rate of about 2 millimeters a year in the 1990s, the report said.

However, the study focused on flooding hazards, not engineering concerns — and mention of the “12-story condominium” appeared in only one line, USA Today reported.

“We didn’t give it too much importance,” Wdowinski said, adding that he didn’t believe anybody in the city or state government would have been aware of the study.

R222, Brother you got that right. I’m on the opposite coast and in a fairly low-ruse condo. I’ve got new neighbors down the hall & across the pool deck. Both are tied up in litigation with the sellers, the realtor (same agent for both units, Russian of course) and our inept HOA.

Thank god nothing even remotely close to this has happened here, and you’re right, nothing is a problem…until it’s a problem. Sadly, for these people it happened suddenly in the middle of the night while they were asleep. Horrifying.

[quote] He was doing a research about Miami sinking and noticed this building. However he concentrated on flooding etc not structural building issues.

The man who can't see the forest for the trees

[quote] The man who can't see the forest for the trees

He's a geologist.

R193 The building in Miami was 12 stories. That's not super tall. Maybe you were thinking of SF the earthquake city with super tall buildings. WTF!!

R236 I bought a condo apartment in a brand-new condo building that had one exterior exterior detach within a few years. The builder used an external insulation and finishing system (EIFS) in a suboptimal manner. The master insurance policy wouldn't pay because it was due to bad workmanship rather than a covered weather event. The condo board chased that bastard builder through the legal system for about 6 years, almost until the state's liability clock ran out. Finally there was a settlement, a big chunk of which went to the condo's attorney, and not enough was left to pay for the entire repair. The condo had to have a special assessment and ended the 24-hour security guards to save money.

Regarding condos/co-ops, there is an inherent absurdity in their design in that essentially all HOA boards are not qualified to run a building. That's not a criticism of the people, it's just a fact. That's why condos should pay for professional management. However, it has been my experience from several condos that management can't/won't do everything, and at least one person on the condo board is going to have to spend time working on at least some aspects of the condo, meaning that those aspects may not get managed in a knowledgeable manner.

Many people buy into the various types of HOAs and have no idea of the problems and risks that are involved. HOA apartments are sold as being "carefree-living," but they don't tell you that everyone, including the HOA board members, wants to be carefree.

^^ Exterior wall, not exterior exterior

R8, Jared and Ivanka's condo is just a block away.

Not sure if this is true, but heard that Mcafee stated that the 31+TB of his dirt on corrupt powerbrokers were in his condo “near” 88th and Collins Ave north of Miami beach. The condo that collapsed today was 8777 Collins Ave, which happens to be in that very position.

Can anyone here verify that?

R242 I suspect the collapsed condo was a remnant of what remains of the former middle class residents of that area. The apartments appear to be quite a bit less expensive (relatively speaking) than some of the surrounding condos, such as the one the Kushners own. It wouldn't surprise me if Kushner rushes in to buy out the condo owners at bargain basement prices, terminates the condo, builds a high-end condo in it's place, and makes hundreds of millions of dollars in profit. That's the kind of thing he does, and as his father-in-law would say, "it makes him smart." Living off the misery of others is what they do.

The sale of this condo just closed a week ago for $710,000. It must suck to buy a new condo, only to have it collapse a week later.

This building may have been sinking for years...

Florida topography is just prone to sink holes, as such even single or two story buildings can have issues. Large multi-floor even more so...

State only requires buildings to be recertified/inspected every forty years IIRC. That seems like a pretty long time IMHO.

People have known for 40 years to ask to see the Engineer's Report when buying a coop or condo. That's how you spot issues that will require future special assessments.

Building seems to have been filled with largely residents from South America. At least one family was here so a member (or all?) could get covid-19 vaccination.

It does seem as this this building acting as a pied-a-terre for South Americans might prove a blessing in disguise. Many residents might have been away (as in back at their home countries) which will bring the dead and injured count down hopefully.

How young boy was found and rescued...

Can you imagine being asleep in your bed, or maybe just lolling around watching television before calling it a day, then *Boom*! Building just collapses sending you plunging down.

R246 I think the professor and Florida International University should have reported their findings to the city building department and the condo board last year. When the lawsuits start, the professor and his university might receive an unpleasant surprise.

R250

That professor is being very careful to couch his words in media interviews. He is also saying that findings regarding sinking may or may not have contributed to this collapse, and so it goes.... My guess is he's going to clam up when his employer, family, legal representation or whoever tells him to stop stirring the pot unless he wants to be hauled into what surely will become a blitz of legal proceedings.

R251 If FIU has deep enough pockets, my guess is there will be a lawsuit(s). I'm a scientist, and we love to tell the world what we found, but many of us have no sense when it comes to legal issues.

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

Reports mention roof construction, which reminds me of the cause of this 2016 Dallas parking garage collapse (crews placed debris on it while renovating the nearby pool.)

It really looks like a sinkhole event. I can't think of anything else, except explosives, that would bring a building down like that.

R53 The seller has taken their condo off the market.

Hugs

Next to drowning being buried alive must be one of the most awful ways to die. Imagine being trapped beneath all that rubble just hoping and praying you're found in time.

Real estate industry says.....

Again if you hit a paywall, can't help. Wasn't for me.....

It could have been much worse. I can't figure out why

1) they are building super tall buildings at sea level, on iffy stone and coral

2) anyone wants to invest in South Florida, for the long run

Wow, those rents are really coming down, aren’t they?

Was there a water tank involved? Has Elissa Lam commented?

The only people saying that are Q loons on Twitter and some chans, r243. It's based off of a fake tweet. Be smarter.

Among still missing is a university of Chicago student and his gf.

Was JOHN MCAFEE'S GHOST INVOLVED?!

Wow, so we still have foreigners coming to the country to get a vaccine.

R266 yeah, and honestly more power to them. Anyone in the US know who wants to be vaccinated, is vaccinated. And while it sucks they are not paying for the vaccine, they are helping the economy in other ways probably, such as spending tourist dollars, AIRBNB fees, ect.

What a horrific story that was to wake up to yesterday. I'm not religious, but even I asked God (who I don't believe in) to please have made the vast majority of the apartments vacant.

So awful.

R267 I'm a Millennial living in Norway. I'm literally in the last prioritized group which means I won't get my first dose before mid to late August, and that's if I'm lucky. Looks more like it will be September. Meanwhile my boomer parents are fully vaccinated and can travel wherever they want. I can't even leave the country... fuck this shit. Thank god there's an election this fall. Can't wait to get rid of the conservacunt Norwegian government.

Yeah, they're not going to find those missing alive. Ask the citizens of Mexico City. They will find pieces of those poor people.

[quote] why is the middle one so much whiter?

What difference does it make to you? I’ve got my eye on you!

Oh, who the hell says thrice, r230?

[quote] I feel for the rescue workers as well, I saw that their gear is 80 pounds and they can only do 15 minutes at a time.

But we ain’t want no federal help. We got this.

[quote] I’m on the opposite coast and in a fairly low-ruse condo.

Does that mean if you have a second floor unit you’re really on the third floor?

Or they told you there was a rooftop pool but there isn’t? Nah, that would be a high ruse I guess.

[quote] The sale of this condo just closed a week ago for $710,000. It must suck to buy a new condo, only to have it collapse a week later.

Look on the bright side, she now has that open floor plan she wanted.

[quote] The seller has taken their condo off the market.

Attention first time home buyers: Now is your opportunity to get in on the ground floor! Every unit is now on the ground floor! .

[quote] I'm not religious, but even I asked God (who I don't believe in) to please have made the vast majority of the apartments vacant.

Did he answer you?

R266

Don't see anything wrong, foreigners have been arriving in New York and elsewhere to get covid shots while here not long after they began offering.

Biden is now buying up stock and sending it to those who don't have, so apparently United States has sufficient.

The rescuers are going to find a dog or a cat still alive, they always do.

Death toll has risen to three...

When I lived nearby in the 90=s the building appeared to be mostly Jewish vacationers. The neighborhood flooded frequently with sewage during storms AND high tides. You could smell shit from blocks away.

More importantly, the first time I ever sucked a strangers cock was in the park that is next to the building. I wasn't cruising, I was walking to the beach but I looked over at a hot, barrel- chested Cubano sitting in the bushes and he just took it out. He took. It. Out. A large, thick, intact piece that was curved down perfectly to fit a throat.

I'll never forget looking up at him and seeing the "Number 1 Dad" necklace that he was wearing and thinking he got it for Father's Day, which was a few days before. Funny, I remember how happy he was. He was very appreciative and patted my head like a dog and even danced around a little.

[quote]Not sure if this is true, but heard that Mcafee stated that the 31+TB of his dirt on corrupt powerbrokers were in his condo “near” 88th and Collins Ave north of Miami beach.

I wondered how long it would take for the conspiracy nuts to latch on to this story. They never disappoint!

R281

Local NYC news is reporting a Jewish couple from New Jersey who had an apartment in this building are among the missing.

Has Gio Benitez or any of the other DL fav news media reported yet?

[quote]Let's check in with the DL paper of record, for the latest photos if nothing else

I can't argue. God forgive us.

I wonder what happened to the person(s) who slept on that tilted white bunk bed. Did they survive or did they roll off the bed into the hole below?

I’m looking to buy a condo/house in the area (I know, I know, because Florida) and this is one of the buildings I was looking at. The condos, as someone said upthread, were reasonable for ocean-front and for the area. I guess I’ll stick to houses.

Honestly, why would anybody want to live in Florida?

In no particular order it's humid, tacky, vulnerable to hurricanes and flooding, likely to sink at some point, property prices are vulnerable to rising seas, filled with crazy people and Trumps, dependent on tourism from crazy people.

I cannot see the appeal. The climate isn't even pleasant.

R287

What makes you think private homes are any less at risk for sinkholes?

Hint, they aren't......

One poor unfortunate soul went to sleep in his bed and never was seen again. Sink hole swalloed up much of the house, his bed and man sleeping in it.

His body lies still some twenty feet below surface where it will remain.

[quote] The sale of this condo just closed a week ago for $710,000.

Funny, now that I look at pictures of the place, I’d expect a little more for my 700k.

I wasn’t aware I’d have to live with neighbors on top of me.

This place is only about two blocks from where Ivanka and Jared have a place.

I am surprised at the prices in this building. A friend sold her condo three blocks away for $4 million. It is a pricey area so while this building was not cheap, it was a lot less than nearby properties.

It's a tear down.

Something like this has the possibility to undermine sectors of our economy: you cannot live in a high-rise if you are uncomfortable the building may collapse. This is hopefully going to reveal flaws in our entire system and building code. The Collins Avenue building passed inspections...of course you will pass code if the code is too lenient...but some land (this was formerly marshland) is not meant to support tall buildings. The system is rigged to favor builders—they bring in the engineers who figure it out. The standards are not as rigorous as they should be.

I am skeptical of modern construction methods. My home built in 1858 has beams of immense thickness. My Mom’s house built in the 1930s does not compare. I also had a 1905 4 square that was brick and solid. In modern buildings, everything is about cutting costs and corners.

F289. Totally agree. Florida is an arm pit. If it’s not annual hurricanes and flooding, then there are allod the Deplorables in the hinterland, confused seniors at the beach, and worst of all: Iguanas everywhere. I don’t even want to visit.

I was just talking to a friend who is president of a poorly-built condo in our midwestern city. I was recommending the building do a reserve study which would include engineering analysis to reveal flaws, and she said the board did not want to do that. If they learned of more flaws they would have to disclose to new buyers and it would cost the current residents too much money to address them.

So, know this when you look at condos. There will be suspected problems but no one wants to really know about it, talk about it or pay for it. Buyer beware.

Wow, r292, great scoop! We haven’t heard about that yet.

Nope. Certainly not in this thread. Uh uh.

R297

My dear, you don't know the half of it.

R298

Eat dirt and die trash.

R244, unremarkable unit, not an attractive building.

Death toll now risen to four (4) with 99 still unaccounted for; building manager says place was "quite full" so likely more persons are in that rubble. Hopefully they will be found alive.

R288- Honestly, why would anyone want to live in California. In no particular order it's tacky, prone to drought, mud slides, wildfire, and earthquakes.

R302- Are you new? There are 159 people missing.

Isn't part of Surfside considered a gay area? I recall some DL thread about it a few years ago.

Yes!!!

Yes, Surfside is about as gay as Yonkers.

A friend told me the building was found to be unstable last yr...how many others are in this condition... tons!

Thanks R307- I'm moving my GAY ass to Yonkers.

This wasn't an accident. They've been clearing the beachfront for more Renzo Piano, Four Seasons, south of Bal Habour type projects. Surfside and North Beach are the last strip on old classic Collins Ave. This was the best location on the strip.

I wonder what Rose, Dorothy , Blanche and Sofia would have to say about this disaster unfolding in their town.

I've got the inside scoop. Apparently 2 different experts recently identified serious issues with this building. And guess who lives a block away.Ivanka and Jared in a 40,000 a month rental!

I just love that civil engineers are finally having their day in the sun.

"Honestly, why would anybody want to live in Florida?"

I agree with you 100%, R288. I was just in Sarasota in April. Aside from coastal areas, Florida is flat and ugly and made even uglier by relentless urban sprawl.

R302 Mayor just said that 159 are unaccounted for. Awful.

[quote] And guess who lives a block away.Ivanka and Jared in a 40,000 a month rental!

There truly is no God...and if there is, he has extremely poor aim.

R269 I'm really sorry to hear that. I guess we're spoiled in America. Basically anyone here who wants one can get one. And millions of idiots don't want one. So embarrassing, frankly.

Hang in there, buddy.

R310, that’s crazy. Even when there’s intentional damage for insurance fraud, the perps aren’t trying to kill people.

Another one here who is very skeptical of modern construction methods. In my suburban area, there has been a flurry of mid-rise apartment buildings, most 5-6 stories tall. There is not a single ounce of steel or reinforced concrete used in construction. They're all wood framed from the ground floor to the top, covered with particle board and Tyvek, then sheathed in some cheap as shit material and Dryvit. They are huge fire death traps just waiting to happen.

Of course, the developers will say they're fully up to code. But they spent millions convincing local building commissioners that this method of construction was safe, and the idiot commissioners agreed.

[quote] I've got the inside scoop.

Uh, really, you don’t.

R312- from What's Happening !

Rerun- Hey Shirley, what's the scoop?

Shirley- Scoop is, you're FAT!

R295

This building went up over forty years ago IIRC.

Building codes are largely function of local government. As one poster stated he knew someone who had their Florida home built to NY code, not Florida.

At end of day when buying into multi-family (co-op or condo) due diligence is always necessary. But then again you can't easily lay hands on what isn't on paper yet. Sure when you're buying a private home can request (and pay for) a full structural engineer report. From a co-op or condo you'll get what they have if it is available. No co-op or condo board is going to commission such a study just for one potential buyer.

Also you have fact this building went up forty years ago when local codes were quite different. Things have changed several times since but no one knocks down buildings and rebuilds each time there are such changes.

As wont to happen whenever disasters of this magnitude occur experts come out of the woodwork offering their "professional" opinion. But also careful to say they couldn't possibly say exactly what happened...

"Slossberg noted that the condominium, which had two-bedroom units on the market asking between $600,000 and $700,000, was built in 1981, when the county had different construction codes.

"With every hurricane, new construction codes come out. New engineering codes," he said. " … This is [4]0 years later [since the building was constructed]. The codes have changed at least a dozen times. I know they have. So, some of these older buildings are not really built to withstand the type of same weather conditions as when they were built originally."

/quote

Crooked real estate agents selling Florida swampland were a common trope in late 20th century American humor. That's what the salesemen in "Glengarry Glen Ross" were selling.

That's not to say that building on reclaimed wetlands is unique to Florida, but come on, there had to have been warning signs.

R322, what’s your aversion to articles?

[quote] The building looks SO OLD. It looks like something you might see in the ghetto somewhere. WTF?

What a tiresome comment.

[R227], there was (& probably still is) a small apt. complex in Seattle on Lower Queen Anne Hill, just before 15th Ave. West heading South turns into Denny Way, that's built on stilts on a hillside that slopes downward at a 45 degree angle. I would look at it on my bus ride home from work and wonder how the builder ever got approval.

Surfside, Florida, is a swank, sleepy escape a stone’s throw from Miami!

Yes. ..R16. I could see this happening in places like India. These contractors rake in the money...take a lot of shortcuts in construction in the quality and stability of the building. Very corrupt...but, it's Floriduh. How terrible...can't imagine. People asleep at the time. This reminds me of when the FIU bridge collapsed in Florida a few years ago. Same thing.

[quote]Yes, Surfside is about as gay as Yonkers.

Well, it is not far from Haulover.

[quote]rooves

Bless your heart, R215.

R326 Is this the building you were talking about?

It's a word, R272!

Hunny I live in the South and I'm in a Condo in a there story building....in a complex of 8 such buildings and the roof and the ceiling collapsed in one of our buildings! No one was hurt as fa as I know, but I'm glad I'm on the first floor with access to a window I can jump out of. The thing is, with some of these, (Ours was built in 1984, they ae not structurally sound. I was walking around up on my second and third floors and the hallways were kind of sloped and they were creaking. I thought about all the expensive furniture, appliances like refrigerators, pianos, etc. moving in and out over the years and you know shit happens. And also, if the plumbing is old and there are those small leaks over time that make shit unstable. My point is while this is tragic and it is Florida and the building was sinking in that shit infested swamp, it could happen anywhere. People need to think about the damned building codes.

[quote] Well, it is not far from Haulover.

Is that near the Uhaul?

[quote] in a complex of 8 such buildings and the roof and the ceiling collapsed in one of our buildings!

Oh, Jesus!

This is going to get interesting from a legal perspective… by interesting I mean $$$$$$.

May also interest y'all to know that in most cities, fire and rescue equipment...like the ladders? Only go as high as the 9th floor or something like that. So if you're looking for a condo in a high rise don't go above 9.

R328, there is a difference. The FIU Bridge had not even opened to the public yet.

This building has housed tenants for 40 years.

It is two very different types of incompetence.

Just curious whose chances of survival is higher, those in the higher or those in the lower floors.

other than the boy pulled from the rubble right after the collapse, were there any survivors in the units that collapsed?

Hunny, they brought in the cadaver dogs. And t hey don't have a lot of time. I would say the window is 72 hours after the event to find anyone alive. Right?

Imagine some poor schmuck who just happened to be there at 1:30 AM on a Grindr hookup.

Kaboom!

I owned a condo in a 100 year old historic building that was rehabbed. The units were nice and it seemed like a good idea to buy there at the time--great location, beautiful setting, good amenities, etc. But that building had lots of problems that got worse over time-structural issues, mold, a boiler that constantly was being repaired, a rooftop deck that leaked, etc. People rotated in and out of the HOA/condo board every year or so and the property management didn't want to deal with the big problems.

When it came time for me to sell and move on, everything seemed okay with getting the financials and budget from the HOA (and the bitch was lying about all of that) until the day before settlement, then all hell broke loose because my buyer needed those to get his bank loan, etc. In the end we got it all sorted out but I had already moved to another part of the country and I had several yelling phone calls threatening lawsuits with the property manager and her bosses.

Not to go on and on, but it was a life lesson for me. These condos/HOAs a lot of the time are not run well and can be covering up major problems. So do your homework if you intend to buy one. In the case of this building collapse, I have to wonder if things will come out later on about structural issues with the building. I really dodged a bullet getting out of mine when I did--it was also in early February 2020, right before covid. If the deal had blown up due to the HOA's incompetence, I might've been stuck with that condo for who knows how long.

All you people criticizing Florida are missing the point. It’s not for year-round living. It’s for the winter.

R344

Eh. I lived there in the winter and still hated it.

Also, it's not as if all the bad things go north in the winter.

They keep saying most of these people were snowbirds. What are they still doing in Florida in JUNE??

R319–a few of those type buildings have gone up in flames in northern NJ. One was still under construction. Instant bonfire. Long video, but worth a browse.

R346, a lot of snowbirds got stuck in Florida for COVID and they still have not gone back.

And some of them never will r348

I blame the very corrupt Rick Scott former governor of Florida for all the corruption and filth he ushered in and the lax code enforcement and the fucking denial of infrastructure problems. I want to hang all of this on the corrupt Republicans...and I bet that it would be completely justified.

I blame Hillary and Bill Clinton, R350. These people are pure evil, and when all the dust finally settles, you best believe these two career criminals had something to do with it.

It’s for the winter. —New York

which last 6months + 1 day for the tax dogers, who then come back to live off the rest of us for 5 months and 29 days

If it was a sinkhole, they ain’t never gonna find it.

There is a sweat spot in the middle, Rose, I mean R339, where you get less weight from the top (only 6 or 7 floors) while being cushioned by compressed air from the bottom and gaining less kinetic energy.

Sweet spot I mean

^^ In CA, the only yearly certs are for the elevators, fire extinguishers, and the fire alarm/supression system. Certifications vary by state, and by city, so you may not have to deal with any. ^^

Florida Condo owner here. My unit (5th/top floor in a mid-rise building) is approximately 6 miles from Surfside. I could see the news helicopters circling the collapsed condo area from my front door yesterday.

My building was built in 1966, adjacent to a "highly rated" golf course. I have lived here 16 years and during that time we have had two new roofs put on, both times as a result of hurricane damage. No one should ever underestimate the insidiousness of the damage hurricanes can do., both in the immediate, and in the long-term. In the first instance, Hurricane Wilma broke the strapping causing extreme water damage on the top three floors. Luckily, the damage was largely contained on the other wing of the building, but we spent YEARS in litigation and in attempting to remediate damage caused by the storm. It ran the gamut from black mold remediation to rewiring entire units whose junction boxes were destroyed by the storm.

The building that collapsed is paying the price for its proximity to the ocean. Salt air fatigues rebar faster than anything save a blow torch. And while the reclaimed marshland on which it was built certainly contributed to its collapse, the fact that buildings in close proximity did not suffer the same fate makes me look at shoddy construction and lax building codes as more causal.

I endured Midwestern winters for 13 years and have endured Florida summers for longer than that. Give me the humidity-drenched, blast furnace temperatures interrupted by intermittent hurricanes any day. The unrelenting damp, unrelieved gray and bone-chilling cold of Ohio were more than this human flesh could long endure.

Couldn’t disagree with you more about where to live, but vive la difference!

Why do Florida buildings only have to be inspected once every forty years? It should be once every decade. Especially in sinking Miami.

oh miami condo building we love you get up

R340. They rescued the boy's mother as well. She had more serious injuries and has had a leg amputated but is recovering.

Which floor were they on?

R361 Link?

Link

Annnnnnd...here's Chris Cuomo. In a short-sleeved shirt. He's dying to pull a survivor out of the rubble.

I don't know how many rescue workers are searching the rubble but maybe they should request more. The longer it takes, the less chance of finding survivors.

if they've been digging for 36 hours and haven't found any, or heard voices, the odds of anyone alive in there are practically nil.

R66 I think the identical building should be evacuated. Now.

Researchers who found Florida condo was sinking reported similar issues nearby

Two researchers who found that the collapsed Miami-Dade condo building was sinking for years before it crumbled to the ground Thursday had identified several other areas of the city that had similar subsidence issues, according to a study published last year.

The paper, authored by Shimon Wdowinski and Simone Fiaschi, determined the 12-story Champlain Towers South in Surfside had been sinking by a rate of 1.9 mm per year from 1993 to 1999 before it collapsed on Thursday.

The researchers also identified several other areas of the city that were subsiding at faster rates during those years, according to the study, which was published by the journal Ocean and Coastal Management.

About a mile and a half south of the Champlain Towers, the ground on Park View Island was seeping down at an average rate of 2.3 mm a year, according to graphs published in the study.

And about seven miles south of Park View Island, two areas under the Flamingo/Lummus neighborhood in Miami Beach were sinking at a rate of 2.0 mm per year, according to the data. MIAMI-DADE, June 25, 2021 (Xinhua) - Photo released by the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue shows a partially collapsed residential building in Miami-Dade County, Florida, the United States, on June 24, 2021. At least three people were dead, and 12 others injured, while 99 people were possibly missing after the 12-story residential building partially collapsed early Thursday in Miami-Dade County, local media reported.Dade Fire Rescue - U.S. Florida Miami Dade Building Collapse - 25 Jun 2021“I looked at it this morning and said, ‘Oh my God.’ We did detect that,” Shimon Wdowinski told USA Today.CHINE NOUVELLE/SIPA/Shutterstock

North Bay Village, an island between Miami and Miami Beach, was also sinking, but the researchers did not include an average rate of the decline, the study shows.

One of the authors of the study told USA Today that he was stunned when he saw news of the building collapse and remembered the study.

“I looked at it this morning and said, ‘Oh my God.’ We did detect that,” Wdowinski told the newspaper.

He added that the findings do not certainly point to that being the cause of the collapse, but said the level of sinking results in “impacts to buildings and their structures,” the newspaper reported.

The former mayor of Surfside cautioned people about drawing conclusions about the cause of the collapse.

“This is an extraordinarily unusual event, and it is dangerous and counterproductive to speculate on its cause,” Daniel Dietch told USA Today.

They keep comparing it to other building tragedies where they find survivors hours and days later. I really hope that will be the case, but this one seems different. It takes a special kind of person to dig through all of that and ultimately find the human remains. *Shivers*

Climate change is real folks!

Your shitty state is SINKING! Just like your political party!

First off, most of these people are probably old and they shock of the collapse probably killed them via heart attacks, strokes etc. They are gone! RIP! I hope they didn't suffer too much!

They are not snowbirds. I heard on the news that they are people who live year round in FL. That's according to people in the building...I heard this yesterday via Shep Smith @7pm on cnbc

Is Miami the new Venice? Those building have been sitting in water for 200 plus years and they’re holding up well enough?

[quote]Not to go on and on...

And yet, you do.

[quote]And some of them never will

They will in body bags, R349.

I prefer not to think of this as a tragedy, but sweet, unexpected, early, inevitable relief from a life of living in a concrete building in an anonymous Florida beach town.

It was revenge for Wednesday attack on Iran.

Mayor Pete needs to talk to them about the importance of infrastructure

I would have been wishing for death by the first day if I was trapped under there, claustrophobia issues aside. My god, the heat, the humidity, no water. If the collapse didn't kill them, I'd think the exposure would have by now unless the weather has been "kind". The weather is currently 80 degrees with 81 percent humidity. Not particularly "kind". What a horrible fucking way to go.

the real estate value of this area just tanked big time!!!

esp that researcher also pointed out a couple of areas that are sinking, not far from this location!

hope all that zero state tax was worth it!

Gee, I wonder if the home insurance will pay out...the sinking earth...rusted steel and rotting who knows what!

Florida’s building code is not lax and it’s designed for the weather conditions that affect the state. Global warming has affected the severity of the storms and hurricanes so of course things need to be reviewed to keep up.

After Andrew and a few other storms the regulations were tightened and now the standard is considered up to par if it’s Miami -Dade building code, and based on insurance industry standards Florida’s code is excellent.

This building is 40 years and water front which presents some maintenance challenges. Most of shrieking on this thread about politics and shitty Florida tropes are tiresome.

The level of compression has really gone down hill on DL, people don’t bother to even read before making ridiculous comments about something that was already discussed.

I miss the old catty bitches with wit on here.

Lawsuits were reportedly filed about cracks in Florida tower that collapsed

The Florida apartment building that suffered a devastating partial collapse was unstable, sinking for decades — and had recently developed sizable exterior cracks, according to reports.

The Champlain Towers South in Surfside had been sinking at a rate of about 2 millimeters a year in the 1990s, according to a 2020 study conducted by Shimon Wdowinski, a professor at Florida International University.

And on Thursday, town officials said the high-rise had been undergoing a county-mandated 40-year recertification process, which involves electrical and structural inspections.

But reports also have emerged about cracks in the 12-story structure.

In 2015, a resident sued the condo association for failing to fix cracks in the outside wall of her unit, NBC News reported, citing a lawsuit filed in Miami-Dade County.

The owner, whom the network could not reach for comment, said the cracks led to water damage that cost $15,000. The court documents noted that the cracks were a structural issue, so the association was liable for the cost.

The resident had previously filed a lawsuit against the association in 2001 because of a similar issue, NBC News reported.

The two sides reached a settlement in the case, but that kind of cracking was described as “of interest” in the county’s Structural Recertification Form, according to the outlet.

Cracked walls or shifting foundations can be indications that sinking has affected the stability of a building, Matthys Levy, a consulting engineer, professor at Columbia University and author of “Why Buildings Fall Down: How Structures Fail,” told USA Today.

The building’s residents might have noticed changes, Levy told the paper.

“Had there been changes in the building? Cracks in the walls, in the floor? Floors not being level, things rolling off tables?” he said. That would suggest the building had been shifting.

Kenneth Direktor, an attorney for Becker, a law firm that represents the resident-led association that operates the Champlain Towers, said the building had hired an engineer for a 40-year recertification process, as is required under county building code, NBC News reported.

“They were well into the review with the engineer about the project,” Direktor told the Miami Herald.

The engineer had identified the needed repairs for the building to meet structural standards as part of the recertification process, he said.

“They were just about to get started on it,” Direktor told The New York Times, adding that he had seen nothing to suggest that the collapse had anything to do with the issues identified in the engineering review.

He told the newspaper that any waterfront building of that age would have some level of corrosion and concrete deterioration from exposure to ocean salt.

Direktor added that if there had been anything to suggest that a collapse was possible, the review process would have been handled very differently.

“What everyone is going to have to wait for is the results of a thorough engineering investigation,” he told The Times.

Any county property constructed 40 years ago or longer is required to complete the inspection process within a few years of that anniversary to certify “each building or structure is structurally and electrically safe for the specified use for continued occupancy,” according to a notice sent to property owners, NBC News reported.

Peter Zalewski, a principal at Condo Vultures, a South Florida real estate market analysis company, told the network that there are recent examples of the local government shutting down Miami Beach apartment buildings and forcing residents to move out if they fail their inspections.

“I’ve been here since 1993, and I’ve never seen something like this happen,” Zalewski told NBC News, referring to Thursday’s disaster.

“You would think any problems that large would have been detectable. If a recertification was being done, expect reports that say what problems currently exist in the building,” he added.

[R331], my memory is from 1993. I realized it's combined with an apt. building I visited in San Francisco in 1984 that looked more perilously balanced on its hillside. The building I live in now seems to be sturdy enough. I live on the ground floor, wh. is the top of the parking garage and a thick concrete slab over it. The Nisqually quake in Winter 2001 shifted a few items an inch or two, but nothing was damaged or fell from the wall. It makes me think the building is constructed on bedrock, unlike the minestrone soup that most of downtown Seattle is built on top of.

“I have a feeling that something else is going to be discovered that happened that we can’t assume right off the bat,” Zalewski said. “Forty-year-old buildings don’t just collapse, and there’s a whole series of them lining up and down the coast.”

The Florida building codes were strengthened after Hurricane Andrew in 1992.

Retired Miami-Dade County’s building chief Charlie Danger, who helped strengthen the codes, told The Times that the county began requiring structural engineers to recertify buildings at the 40-year mark after a federal building collapsed in Miami in 1974, killing at least six people.

He said that one of the concerns with buildings close to the ocean is that improperly protected rebar may rust and lead to concrete spalling.

“If it was a structural failure, what you want is for the inspection to turn up those issues in time to do the work,” Danger told the paper.

Architect Kobi Karp, whose company has worked on several prominent buildings in Surfside and Miami Beach, said the way the Champlain Towers building collapsed — and the fact it was only 40 years old — suggested a possible internal failure.

He said that may have resulted from deterioration where a horizontal slab of the structure meets a vertical support wall, which could lead one of the floors to suddenly collapse, bringing the rest of the tower with it.

Meanwhile, former President Trump weighed in on the disaster by citing his experience as a builder.

“It’s a very interesting thing because I built a lot of concrete frames and I looked at the frame — it’s a very light frame,” Trump told Newsmax.

“I don’t know if you guys recognize that. Did you see how thin those slabs are and how thin those columns are? And you look at it and our former great first lady said, ‘That looks like a very weak building.’

“Well it was a very weak building, but when you look at that tin floor plate, and you look at that, those things, those little columns. It was ended when it crumbled — it became almost dust. There was some bad work going on … that’s not a building people want to live in, especially in a place with hurricanes and other things,” he said.

The former president added: “That was a structurally deficient building, in my opinion.”

I think the level of compression has gone up, if anything, R383.

[quote] The owner, whom the network could not reach for comment

I wonder why....

[quote]Climate change is real folks!

In this case, I'd amend that to climatology is real folks. Geology and physics, also very real.

R382, Act of God.

"Any building that close to the ocean is going to eventually have problems, regardless of how carefully it was build. Concrete settles, just like any other building material...that lets the elements get into the cracks, and once moisture hits the rebar reinforcement, it starts the never-ending process of rusting...it spreads through the infrastructure like a cancer. Salt air just compounds the issues. I would imagine that similar things will be happening from now on...the age of the buildings is a problem."

But think of all the buildings built near the ocean in cities around the world. Environmental conditions notwithstanding, this isn't exactly common. Though I guess that could be due to regular inspection and decommission of a building if problems get that bad.

R387 I just noticed the error, good old auto correct.

But seriously this place has gone downhill, you commented before I received an oh dear.

Really NICE homes!

[quote]The level of compression has really gone down hill on DL

And yet we ALL wear spanx!

The link at r393 has a trojan.

LOL, the mayor claiming that these are "the best" search and rescue teams IN THE WORLD. They helped out in Haiti etc...

Every time there's a disaster, the local politicians always claim that. Every single time.

I imagine a lot of the people in there may have survived the initial collapse but were pinned down or being slowly crushed or asphyxiated. I would rather die instantly than to go through that.

Florida’s humidity is brutal, even the shade won’t help you. I can’t imagine what being trapped in those conditions would be like.

R303 and water shortages. energy shortages, traffic, smog, the homeless and among the highest taxes in the US.

I am horrified to read Trump's comments because I thought the same thing earlier, when I first saw pictures of the shorn facade and the pancaked layers. It's all VERY thin.

Also notice he calls Mel "our former great first lady", revealing his grip on sanity rather than the insanity that he is still president.

R400 Had the same thought. I don't know how to build fuck-all, and I was thinking...that can't be right.

A refresher:

A devastating building collapse would have been a good series finale for The Golden Palace.

Sorry, R383, I just could not resist. But you wanted a catty old cat :)

From R393's link:

[quote] Surfsides best kept secret at Champlain Towers South!

I guess it's not so secret anymore.

I'm curious about how much insurance the condo association carried. I can assume 5 million since that's the amount Drezner is suing for, correct?

Yeesh, can't believe I actually agree with Trump on something, R386.

The concrete frame in a 12 floor residential building is different that what is used in a 50 story building.

R393 MSNBC was reporting that the building faced a **$15 MILLION** special assessment to deal with its structural issues, so it's little wonder that the price per square foot was pretty low on those units.

For those lucky owners who survived it's a win-win-win: 1. Insurance will cover the value of the lost property and contents, 2. They won't be on the hook to pay a massive special assessment and, 3. They're still alive!

Florida’s state run insurance has a cap of about $1mm in certain counties. Not sure how they handle water front condos.

I am not a fan of condos due to a bad experience a friend had years ago due to insurance fees. The insurance is not individual, it is based on the property and if there are issues and previous claims you can expect very high premiums.

I wonder if the people in the "intact" part of the condo are able to retrieve their belongings. What do you guys think? I realize they're lucky to have survived. But if everything I owned was in that apartment, I'd be wanting to get some of it moved out.

R47 have we heard yet if our favorite Miami muscleman is ok? Eliad are you still fine?

Anybody check on Surfside 6?

it's not even stable, you can't go in to get your shit.

Always have your important documents like passport, ss card, immunization card, birth cert, your important numbers (doctors etc), banking info etc in a zip locked bag (waterproof). so you can just grab it and go when there is an emergency.

I wonder how they are gonna get new IDs if everything is crushed to bits.

This video is from 2018, when another building on Miami Beach collapsed "unexpectedly."

Again - this is a DIFFERENT, but nearby building.

[quote] I wonder if the people in the "intact" part of the condo are able to retrieve their belongings. What do you guys think? I realize they're lucky to have survived. But if everything I owned was in that apartment, I'd be wanting to get some of it moved out.

I just need my iPhone. It’s got all of my hook ups info, videos I shot for my OnlyFans, and my Scruff, Grindr, bbrt, ass pig, and A4A profiles and contacts on it. And fuck’n me, I didn’t back that shot up. How’s a whore gonna survive.

That's some high level organization there r413 I don't know if I would want every bit of my ID all in one place. You lose that baggie, or a cleaner tosses it in the trash, you are just as fucked. I also know if I'm freaking out trying to escape a building before MY half collapses, I wouldn't remember my middle name, let alone to grab anything but my balls and a blankie.

When sinkholes occur, the adjacent properties are treated as potentially unstable and the authorities don’t allow you to go in without an engineers ok, and even then it’s limited to a few minutes with a first responder accompanying you for only the most important personal items you need. I recall the time limit for the last big hole as 15 minutes.

If the impacted property is your own you would need to wait for the ground to stabilize before they let you in for a few minutes max to get personal things like identification, they will not risk letting you back in to rescue things like electronics or furnishings.

R416, you should also make photo copies of your IDs and store it in a different place, like your mom/dad's house or your office drawer (locked).

R416, you are not gonna lose that important baggie because it will be stored in an important place and no one else should be allowed to go near it

Good luck!

I wonder if the valuables will still be there, you just know people are gonna go and steal shit. sometimes the thieves are in uniforms...

r418 Bless you, young one. Mom and dad have been dead for decades. I do have copies backed up to the cloud and on my phone. Anyway, you are sweet.

Moving on. Good point r419.

R419- That happened during the clean up at the World Trader Center.

R326 Some localities limit the liability of their employees (including building inspectors), which can lead to all sorts of questionable construction.

An episode of the Brit TV fave ENDEAVOUR ("Young Morse") was all about a high-rise block of council flats that collapsed because of wet sand in the the concrete accelerating corrosion of the rebar. It was set in the late 60s.

No one is going to be found alive at this point. The more images I see of the destruction, I'd be surprised if they even find intact bodies.

R319 Wood frames are not bad if done right. We have been building wooden houses here in Norway for centuries. They are of a high standard and are more eco-friendly than concrete or stone.

Agree, R424, sadly. The floors pancaked straight down. Suspect the only people found alive were on top floor. Everyone else buried under tons of concrete debris.

I read it was built on "reclaimed wetlands". That does NOT inspire confidence.

[quote] I wasn’t aware I’d have to live with neighbors on top of me.

Surprised us too

""Reclaimed wetlands" means swamps and should be a warning.

""Reclaimed wetlands" means swamps and should be a warning.

""Reclaimed wetlands" means swamps and should be a warning.

Holland's missing the point.

R419 & r420 if uniformed take things they deserve it and 100x more for the risk and recovery work. Bless those people!

Man, if only Mar-a-Lago would collapse just like this with Trump trapped under hundreds of tonnes of rubble.

Is our great former and future Vraist Lady and diploma'd arkitecky Mel Trump on site for technical and humanitarian assistance?

[quote]No one is going to be found alive at this point. The more images I see of the destruction, I'd be surprised if they even find intact bodies.

Yep. And to that end....officials at the reunification center began collecting DNA samples from family members of the missing yesterday, as they anticipate S&R will be finding mostly body parts.

[quote] I don't know how many rescue workers are searching the rubble but maybe they should request more. The longer it takes, the less chance of finding survivors.

Someone let Deathsantis know. He’s declined federal help.

Reading this thread reinforces my inclination to rent forever.

They knew back in 2015 that the place had major problems..the homeowners sued the HOA for neglect ...

Same here r438. In a little house with no one above me or below me.

We are all just renting anyway.

the chance for the still missing 159 to survive is really low after 24 hours, I assume most of them were already dead, yesterday they said 99 people unaccounted for, but raised it to 159 missing this morning.

Also I find it quite strange this story is not the top news in the US, in the morning it was DOJ suing Georgia voting law, the afternoon it was the sentencing of Derek Chauvin. Shouldn't this ongoing rescue be the headline?

[quote]Someone let Deathsantis know. He’s declined federal help.

Does any one have a link for this?

I think it was the rhythm that finally got this building.

[Quote] Shouldn't this ongoing rescue be the headline?

There's no race angle to bait with.

[quote] In a little house with no one above me or below me.

Oh, I need someone below me.

R442, while he didn’t decline it per se, he was slow to declare it a disaster and a state of emergency, in spite of the mayor’s pleadings, which would’ve triggered federal help quicker.

Maybe it was just a fiery pit of Hell opening up?

Miami Herald said Desantis accepted federal help for this particular situation. I tried to post link 2X and my comment would not post.

[quote] Seventeen hours after the deadly partial collapse of the Champlain Towers condominium in Surfside, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for Miami-Dade County Thursday, enabling federal rescue, housing and financial assistance.

All I did was was tear out that bitch of a bearing wall!

Ipod--

Tom Petty-free falling

R.E.M. - Fall On Me.

The 1975 - falling for you.

Bob Dylan- when the night comes falling from the sky

Kiss-Tears are falling

La bamba fell out of it!

What about "Wrecking Ball" r450?

R374

Venice is sinking, and has been so for hundred years or more, just things have accelerated as of late.

Buildings in Venice rest upon pilings buried deep into sea bed. Between those pilings sinking and water level rising....

First fatality in Florida condo collapse identified as Stacie Fang

The first deceased victim of the Florida condo collapse was identified Friday as 54-year-old Stacie Fang — whose teenage son was saved from the rubble in a rescue captured on video, according to the Miami-Dade medical examiner.

Fang, the mother of 15-year-old Jonah Handler, died at Aventura Hospital after the Champlain Towers South Condo in Surfside came crashing down Thursday morning, NBC Miami reported.

“There are no words to describe the tragic loss of our beloved Stacie. The members of the Fang and Handler family would like to express our deepest appreciation for the outpouring of sympathy, compassion and support we have received,” the family reportedly said in a statement.

“The many heartfelt words of encouragement and love have served as a much needed source of strength during this devastating time. On behalf of Stacie’s son, Jonah, we ask you now to please respect our privacy to grieve and to try to help each other heal.”

Handler, a sophomore at Monsignor Edward Pace High School in Miami Gardens, was captured on camera being pulled from the building’s debris Thursday.

Other details about Fang were not immediately known Friday afternoon.

The tower on Collins Avenue, just north of Miami Beach, “pancaked” and collapsed — killing at least four people and sparking a massive search-and-rescue mission, officials have said.

Stacie Fang is previously from Staten Island.

So probably a trump voter...

[quote]Which floor were they on?

Before or after the collapse?

Interestingly it's not the wood pilings are giving way, they have lasted centuries and likely will continue doing so for many more. Rather again between weight of buildings and people, coupled with rising water tables is causing Venice, Italy to sink.

Death Sentence doesn't want the federal help because it can be used against him in the GQP presidential primary. Remember that hug between President Obama and fat fuck Chris Christie after Hurricane Katrina? That totally sunk Christie's presidential aspirations with the batshit crazy Republican base--they never forgave him for hugging the black man. It would be a similar situation with Death Sentence if he took federal help from Biden.

When the names and faces and stories of the people who perished are known the tragedy of all this will become more apparent.

Oh god that poor kid is going to need a fuckton of therapy. The trauma of the accident, the trauma of losing his mother at that age, and good old survivor guilt. I knew it sounded too good to be true that they both got out alive.

Venice (buildings in water) gives me the creeps.

R423, that episode of Endeavour was based on a true story.

Comments above are quite correct.

If building is deemed unstable then residents are SOL; no one will be allowed to return to retrieve anything period.

Building will be demolished and rubble carted off to landfill.

What about if the building contained some priceless art, such as Rembrandt?

R464 No way.

Nobody would hang priceless art in such humid conditions.

[quote] I wonder how they are gonna get new IDs if everything is crushed to bits.

R413 I used to work for the Department of State and people would lose their passports all of the time in the worst circumstances. If you have ever had a passport, drivers license, id card, credit card, etc, you can probably recover your identity without too much problem... unless, you have a problem that cannot be handled without legal intervention.

[quote] Venice (buildings in water) gives me the creeps.

But those buildings are only 3-4 stories tall. The St Mark's bell tower, the tallest structure in Venice, fell in 1902, but the only casualty was a cat.

Rembrand schmembrandt! I got ten packages of Bounty in there I got on special at the Publix and I'm gettin' 'em back!

r466, I think R413 Paid A LOT for a new identity. Not going anywhere without that Ziploc bag.

I am afraid my building may collapse--please send Chris Cuomo to soothe and protect me.

Been reading “The Goldfinch”, R464?

getting new ID card is a nightmare...you ever been to the DMV?

Or they could simply create new identities!

[quote] That professor is being very careful to couch his words in media interviews. He is also saying that findings regarding sinking may or may not have contributed to this collapse, and so it goes.... My guess is he's going to clam up when his employer, family, legal representation or whoever tells him to stop stirring the pot unless he wants to be hauled into what surely will become a blitz of legal proceedings.

I'm shocked he's talking as much as he is. He needs to lawyer up and keep his mouth shut. I don't believe anything he found could have prevented this tragedy, but he's got nothing to gain from blabbing to the media.

R464

Things vary by local laws but generally if a structure is deemed unsafe and is condemned to be demolished no one may legally enter for any reason.

There are however various levels of condemnation. While likely not going to happen in this instance, but if whatever deficencies that prompted unsafe conditions can be rectified and local building inspectors certify the structure is safe, then that is a different matter.

That being said longer a building remains unoccupied unless sealed very tight or otherwise protected looting is bound to occur.

Scores of apartments in lower Manhattan were burgled, looted or whatever in weeks after 9/11/01 after area was cleared and many buildings deemed unsafe. In many instances however the structures themselves may not have been damaged, but it was debris, asbestos, and other things that needed cleaning or doing before people could return. By the time many did their places had been picked clean....

If his blabbing to the media raises awareness that other buildings in the area may be in danger, he's to be commended for speaking up.

He's fucking condo prices, I'll tell ya that.

People are already switching to the past tense. It is time.

Perhaps it WAS sinkhole related:

Early Thursday morning, Mike Stratton awoke to the sound of his cellphone ringing. It was his wife, Cassie Stratton, on the other end, speaking frantically about their condo building shaking. She told him she saw a sinkhole where the pool out her window used to be. Then the line went dead.

“It was 1:30 a.m., I’ll never, never forget that,” he said.

Monday was the last time Mike saw Cassie, when he departed Miami on a business trip to Washington, D.C. Now she is one of the 159 people unaccounted for, feared to be trapped under the rubble of the collapsed Champlain Towers South condo building at 8777 Collins Ave. as Miami-Dade search and rescue teams continue looking for those still alive.

R474

Again whenever you have these sort of tragedies normally at least one "expert" starts rabbiting on in media offering his views or whatever on what happened.

Cannot recall his name atm but there was some guy that always appeared in news media after almost every single airplane disaster giving his theories as to why thing went down.

Some people get off on attention and love being in the spotlight. This guy probably is looking forward to being an expert witness at court proceedings and or otherwise extending is fifteen minutes of fame.

[quote] I was just in Sarasota in April. Aside from coastal areas, Florida is flat and ugly and made even uglier by relentless urban sprawl.

That is quite a big "aside" given that the coast is the whole point of Florida! That's like saying "aside from Manhattan, there's not much in NYC".

R465

Sweety, have you not heard or air conditioning? It's what has made life bearable in the south for some time now, especially during warmer times of year.

So how much of Miami and Miami Beach are reclaimed land? More than 50%?

What is causing all these small fires/smoke inside all the rubble?

I'm also surprised they are not covering the rescue on all the networks. It seems like the authorities know there are no survivors. They are probably finding lots of bodies but won't announce the deaths until positive identifications/notifications are made. If there were cause for hope, it's hard to believe cable news whores wouldn't be broadcasting every minute of it.

So, the pool was swallowed up by a sinkhole first?

R483 Every mechanical system is exposed all at once to things that aren’t supposed to mix - water lines, electric lines, flint, maybe gas lines, AC condensate lines, sparks from stoves/ovens etc - it could be anything. It’s just terrible.

[quote] The St Mark's bell tower, the tallest structure in Venice, fell in 1902, but the only casualty was a cat.

Don't forget that awful Sheila E. song.

R484 I think you are right.

Also, it is Shabbat, so maybe the authorities are being respectful of that, and wait until it is over before they make anything official.

Well, FEMA is on hand to help the few folks left who might need something.

Only ignorant Florida rednecks would build on reclaimed land. New York sophisticates know better.

The best (and most continuous) coverage has been NBC's Miami affiliate. They've been showing lots of live aerial shots of the search & rescue efforts, all day.

If it was a sinkhole, wouldn't that have been pretty instantaneous? What would have caused shaking that went on long enough for that woman to call her husband and tell him about the sinkhole?

[quote] The best (and most continuous) coverage has been NBC's Miami affiliate.

I should've never left.

Nearly every documentary about the Cocaine Cowboys mentions that half of Miami's skyline was built with coke money. This fits the timeline construction wise. Fucking terrifying and tragic. Those poor people. I hope it was mercifully fast

Who is this woman on CNN now? She’s a relative of someone who’s missing, but she’s all smiles being on TV with Anderson Cooper! WTF.

Reclaimed land is like a gift the water gives us that at some point, without warning, it’s going to want back.

the air quality there is so terrible. I hope they are wearing masks!

I think they are gone too, unless they are trapped in a kitchen with water supply and food, forget it.

Glad to see that Duh Santis is focusing on the really important things

If I had to guess, r493, I'd say that the shaking was caused by the ground under the garage giving way. She probably woke up, ran to the window to see what happened with phone in hand in case she needed to call 911.

She saw the pool and called her husband.

Then the lower floors were already collapsing when her husband answered the phone. She probably had no idea WTF was happening. Who expects shit like that to happen?

If anyone was still alive under all that rubble, they’ve been asphyxiated by the smoke. What a nightmare.

Almost as bad as Chicago mayor Lori Psycho Lightfoot talking about sports when a horrific murder had just happened.

Made homeless overnight...and their homes- those that are still standing are probably worthless, they are gonna demolish this whole fucking thing.

Miami you’re cuter than an intrauterine…

[quote]I think they are gone too, unless they are trapped in a kitchen with water supply and food, forget it.

I just pictured some lucky fat bastard who landed under an upside down fridge and is currently eating some leftover lasagna and drinking perrier while awaiting rescue.

R500, I would think a sinkhole would be too quick. When I've seen videos of them happening, it seems really quick. If the ground literally fell away from the footings on the building, I would think the fall would just happen because there would no longer be any support at all. Seems like a sinkhole caused it but if the pool had already disappeared, I would have thought the building would just be gone without anyone having the time to look out the window, see the pool was gone, and then dial the phone and have a conversation.

surely there are more videos around? I've only seen 1 so far

If the apartment dwellers had home security camera running, who is left alive that to know the access codes.

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

'In terms of the roof, that was where the priority was outlined to this board to start with.

'It makes sense because we're in hurricane season, it's June. If the roof blows off and you have a report saying you need repairs and you haven't done it, you will not have a viable insurance claim.'

The roof work was the only work that was underway - the concreting job hadn't begun because it was still out for bid.

Berger added that it was not the board of volunteer residents should not be blamed for the collapse, saying they are grieving and displaced just like everyone else.

She said it was 'despicable' that Manuel Drezner, a resident in the building, has already filed a $5million lawsuit based on the fact the building was due for repairs.

'It's despicable. The fire chief hasn't decided what happened here. The mayor hasn't decided, FEMA hasn't, engineers haven't, but this individual and his attorney decided within 24 hours?

'It's shocking. Right now, the focus has to be on finding the 150 people who are still unaccounted for. And frankly, I think it's a profound lack of respect,' she said.

The board was not aware of research by a Florida State University researcher who detected that the ground was sinking beneath the building but seemingly didn't warn anyone about it last year.

'There's too much murkiness here.

'It's easy to take a hands off approach but I don't think putting those kind of burdens on volunteer board members who are just living in the building like everybody else.

'When you're talking about something as alarming as a building sinking... you'd think it would have been run up the flag pole.

'Did he ever present that research to the county, city, fire chief? Where else did he present it? My starting point would be giving it to the local officials and saying hey, this is alarming,' she said.

Berger said every engineer she has spoken to suggests that the issue had to have been subsurface.

'I think the coming weeks will bear out that this was a subsurface issue.

'We know what didn't bring it down - it wasn't a hurricane, the building didn't burn down, we have a pretty good idea it was not intentional... that leaves a structural issue.

'These buildings are built on something but in barrier islands we have so many high end condominiums throughout this country that are built along the coast because it's a beautiful place to life but building on a barrier island presents certain challenges.

'Everything is going to depend on what you lay down first,' she said.

The six surviving board members are now all holed up in a friend's home. One of them is missing.

'They are devastated. The tears have not stopped. There's shock, disbelief, grief... this was a close-knit community,' she said.

Search and rescue teams are still combing through the rubble to try to find survivors.

[quote] The level of compression has really gone down hill on DL

Oh, dear

Whenever I've driven along A1A and seen all those huge expensive condo buildings going up over the years it has always given me the creeps. They are very beautiful and scary. The same way those incredibly skinny incredibly tall skyscrapers going up in Manhattan give me the creeps.

oh look it's chris cuomo on cnn.

gee, do you think the place will be haunted? I doubt they will build anything there again...who the fuck would buy?!

M I A, another M I, M I A M I, spells Miami Beach. It stirs emotion. It's by the ocean. So, bring your suntan lotion...

R124 I wonder what shape the sewers are in considering Miami residents living where it floods are often walking around knee deep in sewage during storms.

Why exactly does CNN have Cooper and Cuomo on scene?

R516 Ratings

Stories like R478 are so terrible because even though unlikely, her husband will probably always wonder if she could have escaped if she’d just ran out instead of calling.

R439 When a condo owner sues their condo association, it means the condo board had not been sufficiently responsive to the owner’s complaint, in this case, a crack in an exterior wall that permitted water penetration into an apartment. My guess is there are many such complaints that were ignored at that condo. A lawsuit against the condo association has already been filed since the collapse occurred.

Some condo boards (many?) try to keep condo fees lower by taking the risk of neglecting repairs. The owners are usually happy about the lower fees (sometimes they are the ones that demanded it of the board in the first place) until something serious goes wrong. A primary responsibility of board members is the safety of the owners, not their wallets. It takes a lot of facts and diplomacy to convince owners that they’re taking on a great deal of risk that could ruin them financially for life in exchange for a lower condo fee next year.

And yes, I’ve been a condo board member for 18 years. It’s the worst volunteer job on the planet.

NBC has Roy Ramos reporting from the site. He looks like he's being pulled away from Chest and Arm Day to give this report.

R519 but the POWER is intoxicating 🤪

Looks like CNN has found their new "missing plane".

If anyone finds a vagina DM me I’m interested.

Chris got dressed in the dark.

R508 Wow, a condo board that let the roof get so bad that it wouldn't have been covered by insurance in case of damage in a hurricane. Good luck to the condo's attorney.

R509 "Berger added that it was not the board of volunteer residents should not be blamed for the collapse, saying they are grieving and displaced just like everyone else." Wow, an attorney who doesn't know condo law is representing a condo.

I don’t believe it. It’s fake news and fake photos. This is America. There are no such things happening in this country. I’d ONLY believe it when it happened in another developing country or in China. FAKE NEWS

R509 It seems that nearly all of the condo's attorney's arguments play to emotions, not the law. I think that's a sign of a weak case. Maybe she's teeing things up for the trial defense attorneys who will have to play to juries' emotions.

Despite what the poor panicked woman said to her husband on the phone, the swimming pool itself did NOT collapse, cave-in or disappear into a sink hole (although it does look like it sank a couple feet in the photo below). A massive section of the pool area/pool deck, between the shallow end of the pool and building, had collapsed down into the garage. (I suspect she may have said "the pool" as short-hand?)

The pool was still full (or mostly full) of water yesterday morning during the first daylight aerial shots. Firefighters drained it with a pump.

Anderson looking buff all in black on scene on CNN. Looks like his hair is thinning badly in the back though.

Are you one one those condo board members who complains about people's shrubs and which flag they hang outside their home?

R530 Glad Anderson made sure to hit up the other tragedy known as Madonna's club appearance last night before heading down to Florida to fulfill his grief vulture....I mean "reporting" duties.

R530 or anyone, can you dig up a photo or video that shows Anderson's hair thinning situation? I want to see it. I've been waiting for a hair failure on him for years. Surprised it took so long.

[quote][R508] Wow, a condo board that let the roof get so bad that it wouldn't have been covered by insurance in case of damage in a hurricane.

r525 that's probably true of 90% of the condos in Florida. The residents do not want to pay special assessments for a big job like that until the roof is practically falling in. A lot of the residents are transients from New England or South America which doesn't help matters, you care less if you don't live there all year.

I like it when the reporters are reporting on scene and not in perfect studio lighting.

What does David Muir have to say?

[quote]I like it when the reporters are reporting on scene and not in perfect studio lighting.

Bitch please

Are all the gay journalists converging there? Is it in their contracts that if it’s a Miami story they get to go?

R531 If you're referring to me R519 the answer is "No." I deal with safety (including building integrity, security, and potential legal liabilities) and don't focus on esthetics, because none of the board members or other owners that attend annual meetings have expressed any concerns about esthetics. They care about their safety, as well as not having the building leak water into their apartments or collapse under them.

R534 Another reason to not own a condo in Florida.

R538 It is a part of their contract. Plus the building is an insatiable bottom.

So they're suing their own condo association? The condo owners have to pay any judgement, so isn't that kind of like suing yourself?

[quote]Are all the gay journalists converging there? Is it in their contracts that if it’s a Miami story they get to go?

I better see Boris Sanchez and Gio Benitez out there tomorrow in minimal clothing, its their home town after all

That sheared building makes me think of this scene from Earthquake, especially the great office chair rescue that comes after this part.

I'm starting to fell neglected by all of this coverage.

You should have kept your mouth shut, R545.

R546 LOL!

The elevator scene is the most satisfying scene from Earthquake. Karma!

[quote] gee, do you think the place will be haunted? I doubt they will build anything there again...who the fuck would buy?!

R513 They could turn it into a monument like Pulse in Orlando. Or, since it oceanfront property, they might put up a plaque for hystory..

We can't wait to get to the bottom of the cause of this collapse. It's too soon to draw meaningful conclusions until we do our investigation, but we KNOW it's NOT due to global climate change.

R542 Indeed they are, and the owners likely will have to pay for the legal defense of the board members and any non-criminal fines if the condo loses. Each plaintiff-owner will only pay a small fraction of that cost as it was a large building with many owners, but the first plaintiff, for example, would get the multimillion dollar settlement for themselves. The first plaintiff’s lawyer thinks like a Trump.

r319, you don't know shit about construction and building codes. It's standard procedure for buildings up to five stories tall to be wood framed. Once it goes over five stories, steel is used. It's one of the reason why suburban apartment complexes tend to be five stories or shorter, since under the code they can be wood framed, which means less expense to construct.

But less expensive doesn't mean shoddier. Talk to a firefighter and he'll explain to you how wood-framed buildings are actually structurally safer in a fire than steel framed buildings. Wood retains its strength better under high heat; steel softens and collapses, as we saw with the World Trade Center.

No, we didn't see that, r552!

R532 omg you’re right, he was at that disaster last night with his bff Andy. Here they are, posing at the big ‘event.’

I had no idea that aesthetic in the plural drops the a. How embarrassing. You see you can always learn something from any situation.

Did gay role-model Anderson get back on stage with Madonna for another spanking?

Anderson wanted to suck on her wrinkled titties.

R519 If you mean the power to keep the condo from going bankrupt, then it's intoxicating because I'm protecting my own financial situation. But it's a major responsibility, as the board members of the collapsed Florida condo are about to learn the hard way.

R554 Yes! Total cringe! Ugh. I used to like him way back in the day and now...I guess the scales have fallen from my eyes.

^^ R521

[R521] If you mean the power to keep the condo from going bankrupt, then it's intoxicating because I'm protecting my own financial situation. But it's a major responsibility, as the board members of the collapsed Florida condo are about to learn the hard way.

[The DL interface makes me feel like it's 1995 and I'm young(er) again]

I put up a Part 2 for this sad mess of a story

R533 Watch him on CNN’s coverage (if he’s still there tomorrow.) It’s painfully evident in profile or when he turns his back to the camera. It looks like he’s balding like Prince Harry, a big ol’ bald spot in the back while the front still looks normal.

R554 All that money and celebrity, and they look like a pair of schlemiels.

r563 That big? Oh how delightful. That is so satisfying to petty little me. It really did take a while.

R564 PERFECT description. PERFECT.

I feel terrible for everyone involved. May God bless all who are trying to help.

This sure took the attention away from Kammie at the border.

It's all too say....

As a New Yorker who lived through 9/11/01 it's all too eerily familiar. Not just a tall building suddenly gone, but the "empty chairs at empty tables" thing. People just suddenly not where they should be.....

If local or state authorities mandate all buildings undergo at least a cursory inspection (if they haven't had one in say ten years or so, well short of the 40 year period), it's likely more things may come up.

That's what happened here in NYC after a huge gas explosion leveled half a city block in East Village. When authorities began inspecting gas mains in other buildings it didn't take long to turn up issues.

Uh-oh. A field report survey in 2018 noted major structural damage and cracking in the parking garage & under the pool deck.

The sky is falling!

[quote]What does David Muir have to say?

I am *not* a homosexual.

R337 US Fire ladders go up to the 13th floor.

FIU? Weren't those the same people who fucked up the bridge?

R571, DTM was sporting a sexy humidity glow while reporting the news Friday evening from Surfside.

The surviving board members are going to be in litigation for the rest og their lives.

Who would have thought that Chicken Little got the last laugh, r570?

I live in co-op housing here in Norway. It's a townhouse. I pay a monthly fee of about 6000 kr or 600 US$. Ir covers the co-ops loan, taxes, house insurance, internet and cable tv package, snow removal in winter and mowing of the lawn in summer. I own the inside of the townhouse while the co-op owns the outside. A co-op has advantages and disadvantages. I live in a small town and could actually afford a house, but I'm single and alone. I want to live near people, a community. Makes me feel less alone. I also prefer not to think of roof leaks or having to change windows etc. I can just go to the board if there's an issue with the building, it's nice not having to think about that and worry.

Wow, that 2018 report at r569 is a smoking gun, with the original architects and consulting engineers as well as the condo board that did nothing all on the hook.

"a major error in the development of the original contract documents prepared by (the architects and engineers) ... a systemic issue for this building structure" -- if they're not all dead, they're getting their asses handed to them soon.

R569 & R578 Please see my replies #10 and #11 in the Part 2 thread in which I report on the 15-year special assessment that the condo board had put in place shortly before the building collapsed.

I did see those posts of yours, r579, but IMO "recently" (this year?) announcing a special assessment to cover MAJOR structural damage flagged in 2018 (i.e., three years ago) is unlikely to be timely enough to save anyone's ass once the lawsuits start flying.

R578 Agreed, and my posts were not meant to exculpate the board. The board was likely aware of the problems years ago and failed to act in a timely manner.

[quote]can you dig up a photo or video that shows Anderson's hair thinning situation? I want to see it. I've been waiting for a hair failure on him for years.

You seem nice.

I own my pettiness r582 especially when it comes to Anderson

[quote]I own my pettiness

Which is a good thing as I am sure no one wants to buy it.

Is this what Americans call “American exceptionalism”?

Asking for a friend

[quote] if they're not all dead, they're getting their asses handed to them soon.

R578, I was curious about whether Treasurer Maggie Manrana -- to whom the report was addressed -- still lived in the building,. Her condo, #608, sold April 1, 2021.

....

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

Some woman on the Board or some such authority was interviewed yesterday on MSNBC. She kept insisting that the building was "structurally sound," inspections, yada yada.

So I yelled at her from my car, "IT WASN'T STRUCTUALLY SOUND! IT COLLAPSED!!"

R588 Maybe they were just doing the Fosse snap, practicing for the Condo’s big production of Sweet Charity?

R590 Marry me, you divine creature!

We have almost closed this one down.

Reminder:

Link to Part Two

I wish I hadn't read about the tapping noises. Fuck this is horrible.

I mean not even a cat made it through? One of those tiny yapping dogs? A hamster?

Everything flat as a pancake, in seconds. They didn't suffer.

[quote] One of those tiny yapping dogs?

Good!

Is it wrong that I'm now hungry for pancakes?

Pancakes Barbara for everyone!

I heard that the gays are the first ones to flee.

Good number of people were likely in their beds asleep or near, thus they may have gone to le grand sommeil totally unaware. Or worse, people did awake or weren't yet asleep but were in bed and are trapped.

Puts on in mind of those poor souls in hospitals and nursing homes in New Orleans who weren't evacuated before that hurricane struck, and were left in their beds as water slowly rose around them eventually taking them under.

One...

Two...

Three.