I don't think they're finding any more survivors. The fire likely removed almost all of the oxygen under the wreckage. They're tiptoeing around that in the news conferences however all the rescue folk know it's the reality.
Some contractor who was putting in a bid to remodel the pool took a bunch of photos 2 days before the collapse. The photos are terrible. The concrete in the pool equipment was in really, really poor condition. He was also alarmed when he saw standing water in the parking ramp below the pool https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/miami-beach/article252421658.html
Well, they can't really come out and say "that's all she wrote". Even when there is no hope, they give false hope which is better for the families of the victims. I have a feeling they already know the outcome and the more pragmatic amongst them probably are making funeral plans. Sad really that greed was the primary cause of this calamity. Should have invested in upkeep instead of profit.
So the thing that is plain to see here is that you cannot rely on private interests to make really hard decisions. The condo board in 2018 was wrestling with an $80-300K+ assessment against the units in the building to pay for the needed repairs. Given the income levels in the building that just wasn't going to fly at any level as a voluntary action by the existing board at the time. The people who lived there had money but a lot of them were living on investment income and fixed income of other types. They weren't going to accept a large assessment on top of the already large condo fees without being certain that the assessment was necessary. Given the lack of regulatory action by the community there wasn't going to be that certainty in a timely fashion. The only way these repairs get addressed in a timely fashion is if somebody outside with authority steps in and forces the assessments and the repairs to happen in 2019 and 2020 before the catastrophe can be realized. The new condo board, elected in 2019, had the internal authority to make the assessments because they had been elected with the assessments as part of the election campaign. However even they had to wrestle with exactly how much the assessments were going to be and what the contracting structure was going to look like. This delayed events until they were overtaken by horrific other events. This entire situation is the Libertarian problem in a nutshell. At what point does community and self interest override an individual's right to control the circumstances in which they live? City Hall should have descended on this problem like a flock of avenging angels and made sure that the right outcome occurred in a timely manner.
With all due respect to you and others commenting on how bad it looks - how can you really tell? It just looks like the basement of an older building to me. I've seen all these articles saying how horrifying the pictures are but unless you're in structural construction I don't know how you'd know. Looks like every building in NYC to me lol.
You can tell because the people commenting on it and taking the pictures were professionals doing an evaluation of the structure to figure out what the bids they were going to put in would look like. They specifically say "it looks really bad."
Of course. I'm not saying it's not bad, I'm just saying - to someone not in any sort of industry to be able to detect such things it doesn't look that abnormal to me.
Are you kidding? I don't know, I'm just being fed pictures like the rest of us and made a comment. I'm an artist and I paint and draw pictures. If you ever wanna buy something, let me know.
I wasn't trying to make you feel stupid or question your judgement because newspapers and media outlets all over the country are telling us it looks bad so I'm sure it does. To my blind eyes it just looks like a cellar of an older building.
First related closure of another condo in the area: https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/02/us/north-miami-crestview-condo-building-ordered-closed/index.html I suspect we will have up to a half dozen of these up and down the coast over the next few weeks as the inspections play out. This means the system is working for a change.
Last I heard on the news death toll was 86. I think all hope is lost for sure at this point. What a shame. I don't see why anyone would build these huge places on such an unstable foundation in the first place . . . ? Not an engineer (obviously), but as a layperson it just seems like a huge collective greedy blunder full of shortcuts . . . which I guess is the crux of the problem.
Off the subject a bit, I saw this show once on the History Channel years ago about the Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse in 1940. That one wasn't about greed or shortcuts, the engineers just messed up by not taking the wind into account. Miraculously enough, I don't think there were any casualties. That thing was torquing and waving around before snapping apart, it was nuts. I used to detest the Tappanzee, which I had to use often back in the day. You could feel that thing sway like a son of a bitch, no joke. I guess all bridges have to have some flexibility, but sheese.
The Greed List for the Collapse of Champlain Towers South 1. State of Florida lax oversight and regulation during the 70's/80's building boom. The state badly wanted the development and they failed to adequately regulate the boom. 2. The primary developer for cutting corners and for making a faulty structure in the process. Faults including but not limited too substandard reinforced concrete, improperly constructed drainage chambers for the garage and pool areas. 3. The contractors who fulfilled the subcontracts with the substandard materials. 4. City Hall (#1) for essentially being out to lunch during the construction period because that's what City Hall does in a building boom in an area that has a small tax base. 5. City Hall (#2) for having lax inspection standards on structures under their jurisdiction. The state isn't supposed to be the controlling authority for local inspection procedures, that falls on City Hall. 6. The engineering firm (#1) that did the inspection in 2018 for not highlighting the extent of the damage and the potential consequences. They were trying to become the contractor in charge of the repair process and they soft-pedalled the situation to maintain good relations with the board. 7. City Hall (#3) and their chief inspector who soft-pedalled the entire process for reasons unknown. This was the crucial point in the process where the collapse became possible, as the board was not pushed to immediate action. Instead the chief inspector down-played the results "the building looks great!" 8. The existing condo board wasn't willing to impose big assessments on the owners. They hadn't built up any significant reserve fund over the years, with the current fund barely covering the insurance deductible each year. A majority of the board resigned in the in-fighting that occurred after the extent of the necessary repairs was revealed. 9. The new condo board was willing to impose the assessments but wanted confirmation of the amount needed. The reinspection by the engineering firm (#2) nearly doubled the amount from $9M to $16M. This was clearly a sales-oriented approach by that engineering firm with the costs downplayed in the initial inspection and then ramped up once the board indicated a willingness to do the repairs. The sticker shock of the new estimate paralyzed the board again (#2) as they worked through the process of selling the assessment to the owners. 10. City Hall (#4) kept twiddling it's thumbs as it quietly got rid of the chief inspector, passing the trash to another community. 11. The contract for roof repairs was handed out and heavy equipment and materials were moved up top. The building came crashing down days later. The final report may be a bit sanitized but it's going to include all the elements above.
