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"Shaking All The Time": Surfside Condo Owners Complained About Luxury Tower Construction Next Door In Miami Beach
What will happen to the partially collapsed building in Miami?
This is what experts say
Another lawsuit filed against apartment association after Miami's deadly collapse
These are the challenges that rescuers face in the building that collapsed in Miami
A letter sent months before the deadly collapse in Miami warned that damage to the building was accelerating
The risks of the ground where Miami Beach was built, the area near the building that collapsed
Rising sea levels can cause a building to collapse.
And not only Miami is at risk
17 posts
1 hour ago
Here's what we know about Biden's trip to Miami
President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden traveled to Miami today.
Biden, whose empathy in the midst of loss is one of his main political traits, is ready to comfort families who are facing the excruciating search for their loved ones inside a seaside building that suddenly collapsed a week ago.
The devastating structural failure, which has so far resulted in 18 confirmed deaths with another 145 people still missing, could become the unintentional collapse of the deadliest building in American history.
The tragedy has raised new questions about the safety of skyscrapers that stretch for miles along the South Florida coastline, along with similar developments across the country.
The president is awaiting the findings of a team of six federal scientists and engineers gathering information on the ground.
He hopes to use the results of his research to determine how infrastructure, such as residential towers, can best be fortified against catastrophic failure, according to officials.
But before that, there are grieving families to comfort and exhausted rescue personnel to thank, a presidential responsibility Biden takes as seriously as any other.
"There is nothing worse than having to wait and wonder what happened," Biden said last week.
«This is a difficult, difficult time.
There are so many people waiting.
'They are alive?
Will they - what will happen? '
And that is why our heart goes out to them ».
The White House released details of the Bidens' schedule for the day.
This is what they have planned:
At 10:05 am ET, they will receive a briefing.
At 11 am, they will thank the lifeguards.
At 12:30 pm, they will hold a closed press meeting with family members.
Finally, at 3:50 pm, Biden will deliver a statement.
The president and the first lady will return to the White House later tonight.
25 mins ago
Surfside department association hires crisis communications company
By CNN's David Shortell
The Champlain Towers South Condominium Association hired a crisis communications company in the wake of the building's collapse last week, the company confirmed in a statement Wednesday.
The full statement from Maxwell Marcucci, Vice President of LEVICK, reads:
“The Champlain Towers South Condominium Association has hired LEVICK, a communications firm with extensive experience in these matters, to help them through this difficult time.
LEVICK has been handling the hundreds of media inquiries around the world interested in the latest breaking news on this unprecedented tragedy.
By taking on important communication responsibilities to keep the media constantly informed, a burden has been removed from the board members of the volunteer association, who in turn mourn the loss of their loved ones, friends and neighbors, so they can focus on the critical work of helping all forms of search and rescue involved in this tragedy.
40 minutes ago
President Biden will meet with families in Surfside this Thursday
By CNN's Kevin Liptak
President Biden, whose empathy in the midst of loss is his main political characteristic, will travel this Thursday to comfort families in Florida who are enduring the excruciating search for their loved ones inside a seaside condo that suddenly collapsed a week ago. .
The devastating structural failure, which has so far resulted in 18 confirmed deaths with another 145 people still missing, could become the unintentional collapse of the deadliest building in American history.
It has raised new questions about the safety of skyscrapers that stretch for miles along the South Florida coastline, along with similar developments across the country.
Biden, who will be joined by First Lady Jill Biden in Florida, is awaiting findings from a team of six federal scientists and engineers gathering information on the ground.
He hopes to use the results of his research to determine how infrastructure, such as residential towers, can best be fortified against catastrophic failure, according to officials.
But before that, there are grieving families to comfort and exhausted rescue personnel to thank, a presidential responsibility Biden takes as seriously as any other.
"There is nothing worse than having to wait and wonder what happened," Biden said last week.
«This is a difficult, difficult time.
There are so many people waiting.
'They are alive?
Will they be, what will happen? '
And that is why our heart is with them «.
The White House was still finalizing the details of Biden's visit Wednesday, but said it would meet with first responders and search and rescue teams to thank them, along with families awaiting news of their loved ones.
His agenda has more than three hours blocked to meet with the dozens of families affected by the tragedy.
He plans to comment from the St. Regis hotel later.
He will meet with Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a chief acolyte to former President Donald Trump who is considered a potential presidential candidate in 2024, during a noon briefing along with other officials in Surfside, near where the collapse occurred. .
9 hours ago
Condo association insurance company will offer full policy to residents who sued, lawyer says
By Dave Shortell
A lawyer for an insurance company for the Champlain Towers South Condominium Association said Tuesday that the company would make its entire $ 1 million policy available to those who filed a class action lawsuit against the condo association last week.
In a letter filed with the Florida judge overseeing the lawsuit, Sina Bahadoran, the attorney, wrote that the James River Insurance Company "made the decision to voluntarily offer its entire limit on the attached policy to attempt to resolve all claims in this affair".
The insurance policy, a copy of which was included in the letter, has limits of US $ 1 million for each incident and an overall limit of US $ 2 million.
Justin Failoni, senior vice president of insurance firm Collinsworth, Alter, Fowler & French, which specializes in construction insurance, said the insurance company would likely interpret the collapse as a single event, triggering coverage of US $ 1 million.
First lawsuit for building collapse at Surfside 1:15
The letter was filed as part of the lawsuit filed last Thursday on behalf of Manuel Drezner, who lived in unit 1009 of the tower.
A hearing is scheduled for Thursday morning in the case, which was the first civil lawsuit filed after the collapse, according to Brad Sohn, a representative for Drezner.
9 hours ago
Teams from various states are activated to assist in the search
By Rebekah Riess
(Credit Michael Reaves / Getty Images)
Several states activated special teams to assist with search efforts in Surfside, Florida.
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf tweeted that 70 members of a state team will be out tonight to help at the site of the collapse.
It will be dangerous work.
But the ability to bring closure to the families and friends of the victims of this collapse is a tremendous blessing, ”Wolf said.
Earlier, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy also announced that a team from the state would be deployed to Miami tomorrow morning.
In addition, an Ohio team of approximately 80 members and several canine crews has been supporting the tasks since Wednesday night.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency also activated the Indiana task force to respond with a group of 80 members.
10 hours ago
2018 photo shows a crack in the concrete in the pool equipment room of the Champlain Towers South building
By David Shortell
A photo from 2018 shows a crack in the concrete in the pool equipment room of the Champlain Towers South building.
(Credit: Tom Henz)
A freshly obtained photo from 2018 shows the early stages of a crack in the concrete in the pool equipment room at the Surfside building that collapsed last week.
The image contrasts with another from the same room that was supposedly taken a few days before the collapse and that has been a key piece for experts working to determine the cause of the tragedy.
The 2018 photo shared with CNN by Tom Henz, a mechanical engineer whose firm did an electrical and mechanical inspection of the Champlain Towers South building that year as part of its 40-year recertification process, shows a crack around the edge of a beam that walk across the top of the room.
Engineers and experts consulted by CNN said the same crack appears to be seen in the 2021 photograph, which was published earlier this week by the
Miami Herald
, although the condition appears worse in the most recent photo.
The cause of the deterioration is unclear.
After inspecting the building in 2018, engineer Frank Morabito wrote in a report that "failed waterproofing" under the pool deck was "causing significant structural damage to the concrete structural slab below these areas" and cautioned that not replacing it in the near future would cause "the deterioration of the concrete to expand exponentially."
A 2021 letter addressed to the residents of the building from the condo association president confirmed that the exponential deterioration had indeed occurred in the years in between.
"The deterioration of concrete is accelerating," wrote Jean Wodnicki, president of the association.
"The observable damage, such as in the garage, has significantly worsened since the initial (2018) inspection."
Experts CNN spoke with said the progression seen in the fissure between the two images could be an indication of deterioration caused by the waterproofing problem described by Morabito.
Or, according to some, the concrete surrounding the crack could have been dislodged over the three-year interval and revealed the deepest crack seen in the 2021 photograph.
It could be below the surface.
Sometimes there is a fragment and it is enough with a little wind or someone hitting (the surface) to make it detach.
It's hanging by a hair, basically, ”said Greg Batista, Florida structural engineer and managing director of construction.
In the days since the building collapsed, which has left at least 18 people dead and 145 unaccounted for, it emerged that the base of the tower may be a possible point of failure.
In addition to Morabito's report, two witnesses have also claimed that they saw the beginning of the collapse by the pool deck.
On Tuesday, a resident of the tower who escaped just before its collapse told CNN that she saw the garage, which is partly under the pool, fall first, before the rest of the building.
The account was in line with that of another woman, Cassondra Stratton, who told her husband in a phone call from a tower condo that she saw a hole where the pool used to be, her husband told the Miami Herald.
Spalling, or cracking, can occur when steel reinforcements in concrete begin to rust and expand due to exposure to air and water.
The spread is often compared to cancer.
“Once this kind of deterioration starts, it's insidious, it just keeps going.
Unless something is done about it, everything is going to collapse, all the concrete is going to collapse, "said Matthys Levy, engineer and author of the book" Why Buildings Fall Down, "among others.
Engineers consulted by CNN disagreed that a failure in the pool equipment room area or around the pool deck could have caused the building to collapse, but many noted that the damage seen in the room was probably an indication of maintenance problems in the building.
“In general terms, it shows how bad the concrete was.
You can draw whatever conclusions you want, (for example) that maybe the rest of the concrete was just as bad, ”Levy said.
10 hours ago
Federal safety agency announces investigation into landslide
By Chris Boyette and Rebekah Riess
(Credit: Chandan Khanna / AFP via Getty Images)
A team has been set up to investigate the collapse of the Champlain Towers South condominium, James Olthoff, director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), announced at a news conference Wednesday.
Olthoff said it will be a technical investigation to determine the facts and not to find culprits, and that it will not interfere with any ongoing search and rescue operations.
“Based on the information we have collected, we can recommend a full technical investigation under the National Construction Safety Equipment Act.
We will now establish a team to begin the thorough process of gathering and analyzing all the information that can help us determine the technical cause of the failure, ”said Judith Mitrani-Reiser, who leads the NIST team on site.
11 hours ago
"He wasn't just my father, he was my best friend," says the son of a collapse victim
By Lauren M. Johnson and Alisha Ebrahimji
Nick Altman describes his 50-year-old father Michael as a selfless man who loved life, racquetball, and his family.
"He wasn't just my dad, he was my best friend, and I told him everything," says Nick.
"Every time he was successful at something, picked up the phone or drove to see him, in every worrying situation he spoke to him immediately."
Michael texted his son twice a day to see how he was doing, once in the morning and once at night.
After the collapse, the eerie silence of the phone told Nick that something was wrong.
"He was a happy, selfless person who always sees the light no matter how deep he is in the trench," Nick said.
Nick told CNN that his father had dual citizenship and came to the United States from Costa Rica at the age of four.
The apartment on the 11th floor of the building had been in his family since the 1980s, when it was built.
Michael was a racquetball champion in his youth, according to Nick, and he shared that gift with his two sons, who often let him show off his skills against them.
"Playing racquetball with my father is one of my favorite memories," says Altman.
"He taught me and my brother Jeffery to play racquetball and play games of 21 trying to beat him (...) we didn't beat him once."
Michael was also a great friend to his neighbors in the complex.
"He's a unique guy, no one can ever replace him or be like him in my life, I've never met someone as adorable as him," said Altman.
Michael is survived by his children, his parents Anita and Allen, and his sister Debbie.
11 hours ago
Identities of 4 other victims in Surfside landslide confirmed, including 2 girls
By Rosa Flores and Rebekah Riess
They confirm the death of two children in a building in Miami 0:30
Miami-Dade police identified four other victims of the Surfside building collapse last week.
The identified victims are Lucia Guara, 10, Emma Guara, 4, Anaely Rodriguez, 42, and Andreas Giannitsopoulos, 21.
Their bodies were recovered this Wednesday, June 30, according to the police.
"The Guara sisters were only 4 and 10 years old," Miami-Dade Police said in a tweet.
"Please keep your families and loved ones in your prayers."
12 hours ago
Owner shares video from 2018 showing water seeping from pipe in garage
In video provided to CNN by attorney Adam Moskowitz, water can be seen dripping from a pipe in the building's garage.
Moskowitz told CNN that his client has complained for years about various things she has seen in the building and that he sent a complaint to the condo association about the water leak in the garage in August 2018.
CNN does not know the conditions surrounding the leak or the filming of the video or if and how the building responded in that case.
It is also not known whether the issue raised in the video played a role in last week's collapse.
The video was not included as part of the lawsuit filed this week, but it is an example of complaints that had been made previously, a Moskowitz spokesperson told CNN.
Building codes could change after collapse 1:06
Al ser contactado en búsqueda de comentarios, un portavoz de la asociación del condominio dijo a CNN que no están respondiendo en este momento debido a un litigio pendiente.
«Ella se ha estado quejando durante meses, durante años, Raysa ha estado diciendo al edificio — en fotografías y video — ha estado diciendo que el edificio se está cayendo a pedazos. Tiene un video del garaje. Hay un goteo sobre su coche. Cada semana, ella y sus amigos se quejan y nadie la escuchó. Nadie. Y le dijeron: «Tu edificio está bien, tu edificio es seguro, no te preocupes». Esto es ridículo. Por eso presentamos una demanda colectiva, porque tiene que empezar ya. Estas personas necesitan hacer el duelo, pero tenemos que empezar a preservar las pruebas. Tenemos que empezar a involucrar a un receptor si hay reclamos de los propietarios. Tenemos que asegurarnos de que el dinero del seguro está congelado y nadie lo toma, porque esto es simplemente horrible. La conducta es tan atroz, nunca había visto esto», dijo a CNN.
Hace 13 horas
Se espera que una agencia federal anuncie una investigación del colapso
Por Kristen Holmes y Kaitlan Collins
Se espera que una agencia federal de seguridad anuncie el miércoles por la noche que iniciará una investigación sobre el derrumbe del edificio en Surfside, según un funcionario de rango alto de la administración.
Tras una evaluación inicial, se espera que el Instituto Nacional de Estándares y Tecnología (NIST, por sus siglas en inglés), una agencia pequeña dentro del Departamento de Comercio, anuncie su decisión durante la conferencia de prensa de la noche junto con funcionarios estatales y locales. Esta sería la quinta vez en la que comienzan una investigación sobre un derrumbe estructural desde que les otorgaron esta facultad tras el 11S.
The ultimate goal of the investigation will be to determine the technical cause of the collapse and, if indicated, recommend changes to building codes, standards, and practices or other appropriate measures to improve the structural safety of buildings.
Several officials warn it could take years for a comprehensive NIST investigation to be completed.
Expectations for Joe Biden's visit to Surfside 1:23
The decision comes a day before President Joe Biden arrives in Florida.
Biden has called for an investigation into the collapse and an administration official confirmed that any investigation would be done through NIST.
The agency has been providing regular updates to the White House through the Commerce Department.
Un equipo de seis funcionarios federales, incluidos científicos, ingenieros estructurales y un ingeniero geotécnico, llegó a Florida la noche del domingo para evaluar el derrumbe y realizar una investigación preliminar de los materiales del edificio que colapsó, la historia y los códigos de construcción en el momento en que se edificó el condominio, el terreno que rodea el edificio y otros factores, dijo un funcionario de la agencia.
Hace 13 horas
Aumenta a 18 el número de muertos en el derrumbe, hallaron cuerpos de dos niños entre los escombros
El número de muertos tras el derrumbe del edificio en Surfside aumentó a 18, dijo en conferencia de prensa la alcaldesa de Miami-Dade, Daniella Levine Cava.
«Me duele decirles que encontramos dos cuerpos más entre los escombros, lo que eleva nuestro recuento total a 18 muertos. También es con gran pesar, con verdadero dolor, que tengo que compartir con ustedes que dos de ellos eran niños, de 4 y 10 años. Cualquier pérdida de vidas, especialmente dada la naturaleza inesperada y sin precedentes de este acontecimiento, es una tragedia, pero la pérdida de nuestros niños es demasiado grande para soportarla», dijo.
Levine Cava añadió: «Nuestra comunidad, nuestra nación y el mundo, todos estamos de luto con estas familias que han perdido a sus seres queridos y lloramos con ellos y los apoyamos como comunidad, y estamos muy agradecidos por el apoyo de todos ustedes en todas partes mientras seguimos avanzando entre los escombros».
Hace 13 horas
Víctima del colapso llevaba rosarios cuando la encontraron
Por Rosa Flores y John Couwels
La última víctima del derrumbe identificada, Hilda Noriega, de 92 años, llevaba rosarios cuando la encontraron, según el padre Juan Sosa, de la iglesia católica de San José.
«Tal vez estaba rezando el rosario cuando esto sucedió», dijo Sosa. «Está con Dios», agregó.
Sosa dice que Noriega era una mujer «luchadora» muy independiente. Iba caminando desde las Champlain Towers South hasta la iglesia para participar de la misa de las 12:30 p.m.
Sosa dijo que el último deseo de Noriega era ser enterrada con su difunto esposo.
«La vamos a extrañar», dijo Sosa.
Hace 15 horas
El gobierno de Surfside envió un aviso a la asociación del condominio sobre violaciones menores semanas antes del colapso, según muestran documentos
Por Curt Devine
Menos de un mes antes del colapso de Champlain Towers South, la división de cumplimiento de la ciudad de Surfside envió un aviso a la asociación del condominio que enumeraba una serie de infracciones menores que incluían setos sin recortar, una luz de salida faltante y una puerta que funcionaba mal, según nuevos documentos divulgados por la ciudad de Surfside el miércoles.
El aviso del 26 de mayo pidió al edificio que «cumpla con todas las violaciones antes mencionadas», pero no mencionó ninguno de los problemas descritos en un estudio de campo de un ingeniero en 2018. Ese informe describió «daños estructurales importantes» en una losa debajo de la plataforma de la piscina y Abundantes grietas en columnas en el estacionamiento, entre otros temas.
Un miembro de la junta del condominio en 2018 compartió ese informe con el funcionario de construcción de la ciudad en ese momento, Ross Prieto, quien aseguró a los residentes en la reunión de la asociación de condominios ese mismo año que el edificio estaba en «buenas condiciones», según muestran los documentos.
En mayo, la ciudad envió una serie de otros avisos de cumplimiento a los propietarios de unidades individuales en el condominio que describían violaciones a las regulaciones de iluminación destinadas a proteger a las crías de tortugas marinas.
Un portavoz de Surfside no respondió de inmediato a una solicitud de comentarios sobre por qué se abordaron violaciones menores pero no preocupaciones estructurales en los avisos de mayo. Los funcionarios han enfatizado que la causa del colapso sigue bajo investigación.
Un aviso enviado por la ciudad a la asociación de condominios en 2018 describió “un exceso de agua acumulada en el pavimento del garaje, posiblemente debido a un rociador con fugas” y señaló agujeros en la pared de la escalera del piso 12.
Hace 16 horas
Lo que sabemos hasta ahora
Se ha confirmado la muerte de 16 personas y que 147 personas están desaparecidas después de que un edificio residencial se derrumbó parcialmente en Surfside, Florida, el jueves pasado.
Los equipos de búsqueda y rescate continúan trabajando para localizar a las personas. Los funcionarios de emergencia también están pidiendo a las personas que llamen al 305-614-1819 si tienen familiares cuyo paradero se desconoce.
La causa del colapso aún se desconoce, pero una carta enviada meses antes del colapso mortal advirtió que el daño al edificio se estaba acelerando después de que un informe de 2018 planteara preocupaciones sobre daños estructurales.
- ¿Qué pasará con el edificio colapsado parcialmente en Miami? Esto opinan expertos
- Presentan otra demanda contra la asociación de apartamentos tras el colapso mortal en Miami
- Estos son los desafíos que enfrentan los rescatistas en el edificio que colapsó en Miami
- Una carta enviada meses antes del mortal colapso en Miami advertía que los daños en el edificio se estaban acelerando
- Los riesgos del suelo donde fue construido Miami Beach, la zona cercana al edificio que colapsó
- El aumento del nivel del mar puede hacer que un edificio se derrumbe. Y no solo Miami está en riesgo
Hace 16 horas
El buzón de voz de un sobreviviente detalla los momentos en que se derrumbó el condominio
Por Alyssa Kraus
CNN recibió un mensaje de voz de Raysa Rodríguez, una sobreviviente del colapso de Champlain Towers South, que le dejó a su hermano después de que los sonidos del edificio comenzaran a derrumbarse a su alrededor la despertaron.
El correo de voz contiene el sonido del edificio colapsando; también se pueden escuchar gritos y alarmas, según el abogado de la sobreviviente.
«Escuché voces. Tengo que controlar a estos muchachos», dijo Rodríguez. «¡Oh, Dios mío! ¿Qué demonios? ¡Oh, Dios mío! … Todo el edificio se ha ido.»
Rodríguez es un demandante en la primera demanda colectiva contra la asociación de condominios Champlain Towers South. Rodríguez ha acusado al grupo de imprudencia y conducta negligente.
Hace 17 horas
Abogado de residentes pide que se asuman responsabilidades por el "infierno absoluto" causado por el colapso
Adam Moskowitz, un abogado de los residentes que demandaron a la Junta de Condominios de Champlain Towers South, se pidió que se rindan cuentas por cualquier persona responsable del «infierno absoluto» causado por el derrumbe del edificio.
«Vamos a llegar al fondo de quién es el responsable», dijo Moskowitz a Alisyn Camerota de CNN. «Podría haber sido un desfile de horribles (culpables). Podría haber sido la antena, la empresa de techado, podría haber sido la piscina, podría haber sido mucho».
«Vamos a congelar la evidencia y asegurarnos de que quien haya causado este horrible infierno sea responsable de ello», agregó. «Los edificios no se caen».
Moskowitz dijo que era crucial entablar rápidamente una demanda colectiva, incluso cuando los sobrevivientes, exresidentes y amigos y familiares lloran para garantizar la justicia.
«Presentamos una demanda colectiva porque debe comenzar ahora», dijo. «Esta gente necesita llorar, pero tenemos que empezar a preservar la evidencia… Necesitamos asegurarnos de que el dinero del seguro esté congelado y que nadie lo acepte, porque esto es simplemente horrible».
«La conducta es tan atroz, nunca había visto esto», agregó.
Colapso de edificioMiami
