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Letter received in April warns of damage to Miami building

2021-06-30T21:52:55.850Z


A letter from the chairwoman of the Champlain Towers South board obtained by CNN describes the deterioration in the building since 2018.


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(CNN) -

A letter from the chairwoman of the Champlain Towers South board of directors, part of which unexpectedly collapsed last week in Surfside, Florida, describes the deterioration in the building since 2018: “The observable damage, as in the garage has gotten significantly worse since the initial inspection. '

Board President Jean Wodnicki addressed the letter to neighbors on April 9.

“The deterioration of concrete is accelerating.

The roof situation has gotten much worse, so extensive repairs have had to be made to it, "says the letter, obtained by CNN's" Erin Burnett OutFront. "

Wodnicki further describes the problems the building faces by saying, "When you can observe the detachment (cracking) of the concrete, it means that the reinforcing bars that hold it together are rusting and deteriorating below the surface."

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The letter came to light as lawsuits were filed for damages in the deadly landslide.

Raysa Rodriguez, a ninth-floor resident who was sleeping when the building partially collapsed, and others, filed a third such lawsuit Monday.

The class action lawsuit contends that the "reckless and negligent conduct" of the condo association caused the disaster.

A 2018 study outlining the building's problems was a "major red flag," said attorney Adam Schwartzbaum, whose grandparents lived in the building and complained of garage leaks before moving in a decade ago.

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"Based on our research, there were a lot of warning signs over 10 years ago, maybe even longer," he told CNN.

CNN has reached out to representatives of the Champlain Towers South condo association for comment.

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A fatal mistake

A large part of the building collapsed on Thursday.

The death toll stands at 11, and there are dozens of people who still cannot be located.

When asked by CNN's John Berman if he had received the 2021 letter from Wodnicki, Erick de Moura, a resident of Champlain Towers South, said he had received the letter.

“Aesthetically, you look at the building and you look at the North Tower, they need money to fix a lot of things.

There were leaks in the garage.

There were cracks in the balconies.

So, yes, it takes the money to fix it, but unfortunately it was too late, "De Moura said in" New Day. "

The letter confirms what Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett has been saying all along, he said, "There was something very, very wrong with this building."

“Buildings in the United States don't fall like that.

This is a third world phenomenon, not the first… I think from the point of view of a community of owners, which is the same as an owner, but larger, they probably did not understand the intensity of the problem and thought it was a formal operation What we had to do.

Obviously, that was a fatal mistake.

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Board Approved Repairs

A 2018 structural field review by Morabito Consultants Inc found various improper items in the building, including significant structural damage below the pool cover, according to the report.

"Failed waterproofing is causing significant structural damage to the concrete structural slab below these areas," the report says.

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In a statement to CNN after the collapse, Morabito Consultants wrote that the report "detailed significant cracks and breaks in the concrete."

The report did not indicate whether the structure was at risk of collapse, but the group said it provided an estimate to the condo association to "make the necessary and comprehensive repairs."

The April letter tries to explain a special $ 15 million valuation to condo owners that would be discussed at an upcoming meeting.

The initial scope of the 2018 work estimates had been expanded, the letter says.

“Other projects that had been previously identified have been included in the main project.

New problems have been identified.

Also, the costs go up every year.

This is how we have gone from the estimated US $ 9,128,433.60 cited in the 2018 Morabito report, to the much higher figure we have today, "he says.

The board subsequently approved $ 15 million in repairs, according to a letter about the assessment obtained by CNN.

Engineers will "eventually" reach consensus

John Pistorino is a structural engineer hired by attorneys representing unidentified clients to investigate what happened, he said.

Although he declined to comment extensively on Champlain Towers South, he told CNN that "there could be explanations" for the deterioration of the concrete cited in the letter.

If the engineers felt there were urgent problems with the structure, the local building official should have been informed.

If that official was also concerned, he could have had an independent engineer assess the problem, he said.

Pistorino is one of several engineers, hired by various entities, who will investigate the collapse, he said.

"The idea is for the engineers to come together and compare notes and knowledge to reach a consensus on what exactly happened," he said.

- CNN's Tina Burnside, Curt Devine and Eliott C. McLaughlin contributed to this report.

Building collapse Miami

Source: cnnespanol

All news articles on 2021-06-30

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