Surfside, FL building collapse

[BackInTex]

This is just horrible. A thing of nightmares. 53 condo units, gone.

The entire back part of the building collapsed to the ground <-- click here to see street view from a few years back.

[triviawayne]

anyone care to speculate?

i'm going to guess a truck smacked into one of those pillars.

[Vandal]

Sinkhole.

[BackInTex]

anyone care to speculate?

i'm going to guess a truck smacked into one of those pillars.

There is video of the collapse from the security camera of the neighboring property. The collapse started in the middle, leaving a "stand alone" tower, which then collapsed shortly afterwards.

If what you speculate is true, they may be able to determine that because whomever would have done that will likely still be in the vehicle.

However, there are reports about know unstableness of the property and that it had been "known" to have been sinking since the '90s (it was built in 1981).

Wdowinski said his research is not meant to suggest certainty about what caused the collapse. The building was sinking at a rate of about 2 millimeters a year in the 1990s, and could have slowed or accelerated in the time since, he said.

In his experience, even the level of sinking observed in the 1990s typically results in impacts to buildings and their structures, Wdowinski said. He believes that very well could have been the case for the Champlain building in the 1990s, based on his findings.

[Estonut]

anyone care to speculate?

i'm going to guess a truck smacked into one of those pillars.

Sinkhole.

That's uncalled for!

[Estonut]

Notice in BiT's Google image that there is a very similar-looking building nearby.

[triviawayne]

anyone care to speculate?

i'm going to guess a truck smacked into one of those pillars.

There is video of the collapse from the security camera of the neighboring property. The collapse started in the middle, leaving a "stand alone" tower, which then collapsed shortly afterwards.

If what you speculate is true, they may be able to determine that because whomever would have done that will likely still be in the vehicle.

However, there are reports about know unstableness of the property and that it had been "known" to have been sinking since the '90s (it was built in 1981).

Wdowinski said his research is not meant to suggest certainty about what caused the collapse. The building was sinking at a rate of about 2 millimeters a year in the 1990s, and could have slowed or accelerated in the time since, he said.

In his experience, even the level of sinking observed in the 1990s typically results in impacts to buildings and their structures, Wdowinski said. He believes that very well could have been the case for the Champlain building in the 1990s, based on his findings.

I didn’t click on the link, the only thing I read was when it first happened and there was no information; silly of me to assume that was still the case.

I was thinking more of a truck hitting a pillar, but not an immediate collapse.

[Bob Juch]

My daughter, who does human trafficking rescue, says they found 15 women in the building. She handled three of them.

[BackInTex]

My daughter, who does human trafficking rescue, says they found 15 women in the building. She handled three of them.

Was this before or after the collapse?

[jarnon]

Latest news: 4 dead, 149 still unaccounted for. Many residents belong to the Lubavitcher Chassidim Orthodox Jewish sect.

[Bob Juch]

My daughter, who does human trafficking rescue, says they found 15 women in the building. She handled three of them.

Was this before or after the collapse?

After.

[BackInTex]

My daughter, who does human trafficking rescue, says they found 15 women in the building. She handled three of them.

Was this before or after the collapse?

After.

Wow. Were condos there being used as brothels or just stash housing?

[Bob Juch]

Was this before or after the collapse?

After.

Wow. Were condos there being used as brothels or just stash housing?

They were being housed there, all in one apartment. It was human trafficking but not prostitution.

[BackInTex]

After.

Wow. Were condos there being used as brothels or just stash housing?

They were being housed there, all in one apartment. It was human trafficking but not prostitution.

That's some expensive stash housing. Two units were for sale at $600K.

[Bob Juch]

Wow. Were condos there being used as brothels or just stash housing?

They were being housed there, all in one apartment. It was human trafficking but not prostitution.

That's some expensive stash housing. Two units were for sale at $600K.

I doubt that the story will be reported in the news. My daughter didn't talk to the three victims; she just made arrangements for them.

[silverscreenselect]

As delicately as I can put this, I would have thought that they would have found more bodies and/or survivors by now, at least under some of the debris. You would also think that of the 150 or so people unaccounted for, some of them who weren't home when it happened might have contacted authorities to let them know they were safe.

[Bob Juch]

As delicately as I can put this, I would have thought that they would have found more bodies and/or survivors by now, at least under some of the debris. You would also think that of the 150 or so people unaccounted for, some of them who weren't home when it happened might have contacted authorities to let them know they were safe.

Many of those condos were probably winter residences, but yes, there should have been lots of "I'm safe" calls. I was sent to Mexico City right after the 1985 earthquake, and they were rescuing hundreds of people trapped in the rubble. There were over 10,000 killed, IIRC.

[BackInTex]

As delicately as I can put this, I would have thought that they would have found more bodies and/or survivors by now, at least under some of the debris. You would also think that of the 150 or so people unaccounted for, some of them who weren't home when it happened might have contacted authorities to let them know they were safe.

Many of those condos were probably winter residences, but yes, there should have been lots of "I'm safe" calls. I was sent to Mexico City right after the 1985 earthquake, and they were rescuing hundreds of people trapped in the rubble. There were over 10,000 killed, IIRC.

It was about 60 condos. The building didn't allow short-term rentals (VBRO, ets.) so a lot of the units may have been empty, but even if half were occupied and averaged 4 per unit, that is 120 people.

They are still in "rescue" mode which means they can't just go in with heavy equipment to begin lifting large chunks of concrete for fear they may cause a shift in debris that may kill someone that is still alive.

[Bob Juch]

As delicately as I can put this, I would have thought that they would have found more bodies and/or survivors by now, at least under some of the debris. You would also think that of the 150 or so people unaccounted for, some of them who weren't home when it happened might have contacted authorities to let them know they were safe.

Many of those condos were probably winter residences, but yes, there should have been lots of "I'm safe" calls. I was sent to Mexico City right after the 1985 earthquake, and they were rescuing hundreds of people trapped in the rubble. There were over 10,000 killed, IIRC.

It was about 60 condos. The building didn't allow short-term rentals (VBRO, ets.) so a lot of the units may have been empty, but even if half were occupied and averaged 4 per unit, that is 120 people.

They are still in "rescue" mode which means they can't just go in with heavy equipment to begin lifting large chunks of concrete for fear they may cause a shift in debris that may kill someone that is still alive.

And the fire is still burning.

[silverscreenselect]

Condo owners in Surfside building were facing assessments for $15 million worth of repairs

Condo owners in the South Florida tower that collapsed last week were facing assessments for millions of dollars worth of repairs -- with payments set to begin a week after the building's deadly fall. The Champlain Towers South condo association approved a $15 million assessment in April to complete repairs required under the county's 40-year recertification process, according to documents obtained by CNN.

The documents show that more than two years had passed after association members received a report about "major structural damage" in the building before they started the assessment process to pay for necessary repairs. Owners would have to pay assessments ranging from $80,190 for one-bedroom units to $336,135 for the owner of the building's four-bedroom penthouse, a document sent to the building's residents said. The deadline to pay upfront or choose paying a monthly fee lasting 15 years was July 1.