OF THE
TIMES
A fifth body was pulled from the rubble of the partially collapsed condo in Surfside, Florida, Saturday — as officials hold out hope that survivors can still be rescued from the debris nearly three days after the disaster.More from Yahoo! News:
Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava announced the new death toll during an evening news briefing, adding that rescue crews had also found other unspecified human remains during their day's search.
Authorities also identified the bodies of three of the victims using DNA testing, dropping the number of unaccounted for down to 156. Their identities are not being released to protect the privacy of their families, Levine Cava said.
Crews continued to work around the clock scouring for survivors, using canines and sonar tech to sweep the debris pile.
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Officials said the remains they find are being sent to the Miami-Dade medical examiner. Authorities are also collecting DNA samples from family members to help identify them.
The first victim of the collapse was identified on Friday as 54-year-old Stacie Fang, according to the Miami-Dade medical examiner.
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Although more than 48 hours had passed since the last survivor was pulled from the rubble, officials remained hopeful Saturday evening.
"We're going to continue searching, hopefully with a positive outcome," Miami-Dade Fire Chief Alan Cominsky said.
Owners of units in a Florida oceanfront condo building that collapsed with deadly consequences were just days away from a deadline to start making steep payments toward more than $9 million in major repairs that had been recommended nearly three years earlier.
That cost estimate, from the Morabito Consultants engineering firm in 2018, meant owners at Champlain Towers South were facing payments of anywhere from $80,000 for a one-bedroom unit to $330,000 or so for a penthouse, to be paid all at once or in installments. Their first deadline was July 1.
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An itemized bill sent by the condo board in April to owners of the building's 136 units showed that much of the planned work was in the pool area and the façade. Installing new pavers and waterproofing the pool deck and building entrance would cost $1.8 million, with another $1 million going to "structural repairs" and "planter landscaping," according to a condo board email obtained by The Associated Press. A line item of "miscellaneous repairs" that included work on the garage was estimated to cost $280,000.
Total costs assessed, including many items that appeared to be for aesthetic purpose: $15 million.
Engineers and construction experts say the Morabito documents that focused just on the structural work make clear there were several major repairs that needed to be done as soon as possible. Other than some roof repairs, that work had not begun, officials said.
The cost estimate emailed by Morabito Consultants to Surfside officials was among a series of documents released as rescue efforts continued at the site of the collapsed building, where more than 150 people remained unaccounted for. At least nine people were killed in the collapse, authorities said Sunday.
Another 2018 Morabito report submitted to the city said waterproofing under the pool deck had failed and had been improperly laid flat instead of sloped, preventing water from draining off.
"The failed waterproofing is causing major structural damage to the concrete structural slab below these areas. Failure to replace the waterproofing in the near future will cause the extent of the concrete deterioration to expand exponentially," the report said.
The firm recommended that the damaged slabs be replaced in what would be a major repair.
That came as news to Susana Alvarez, who lived on the 10th floor of the doomed tower and said a Surfside official assured residents in a 2018 meeting that there was no danger. It wasn't clear who that official was.
"The Town of Surfside told us the building was not in bad shape. That is what they said," Alvarez said on National Public Radio's Weekend Edition program. "No one ever told us that building was in such bad shape."
A daughter of Claudio Bonnefoy, a resident from Chile who is missing, said it appears that someone ignored key signals the building was in danger.
"This is starting to make me angry because reports from years ago reporting serious structural damage to the building are little by little being known," said the daughter, Pascale Bonnefoy. "It seems this was predictable because the technicians alerted (others about it) and nobody did anything."
The Morabito firm said in a statement that it was hired in June 2020 by Champlain Towers South to begin the 40-year recertification process required of all buildings in Miami-Dade County that reach that age. The Champlain building was constructed in 1981.
"At the time of the building collapse, roof repairs were under way, but concrete restoration had not yet begun," the statement said.
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A new batch of emails from building officials and condo board members that were made public Sunday has added to the mystery.
In one email, a Surfside official praised the building's board for plans to start the 40-year recertification process early after attending a November 2018 meeting.
"This particular building is not due to begin their forty year until 2021 but they have decided to start the process early which I wholeheartedly endorse and wish that this trend would catch on with other properties," said Surfside Building Official Ross Prieto.
A few months later, a board member wrote to Prieto that workers next door were digging "too close to our property, and we have concerns regarding the structure of our building."
Prieto wrote back to monitor a nearby fence, the building's pool and adjacent areas for damage.
Surfside has hired Allyn Kilsheimer of KCE Structural Engineers to consult on the Champlain Towers disaster. Surfside officials say Kilsheimer has worked on numerous such cases, including the World Trade Center after the 9/11 attacks and the collapse of a pedestrian bridge at Florida International University.
Stephanie Walkup, an engineering professor at Villanova University, said it will take time to pinpoint the cause — or series of causes — that brought down Champlain Towers South.
"The ultimate cause of the collapse may have been related to design error, construction error, deterioration or other event," Walkup said in an email.
"We all want answers and engineers will want to learn from this collapse as we have others, but we want to make sure we have the right ones," she added.
HVACTech & K & SOTTfolk: 'those who can, do'. 'those who can't teach' ''those who cannot do either one.. inspect'I've never heard that one. (I hate the standard, those who can't do teach, for I LOVE teachers, etc., and that expression to me was come up with by someone who was just a witty asshole, who all they could do was be witty assholes.
Mr obnoxious NeedlerPretty much my take to date, it did seem over the last while that things were on an uptick but then maybe not . . .
" . . . but I've not yet given up faith."I don't need and will not tolerate his endless, pointless provocations. IF I see some change in his by now long running, counterproductive behaviours I will reconsider. Until then, he is DNR-d from this chair.
and though they keep referencing this as a “partial collapse,” two “full” sections fell.
I read about this yesterday as I have been taking a hiatus from my (logo-less) tin foil hatExcellent comment!
Eyes open. No fearI keep thinking about the absurdity of them still claiming 150 missing and STILL only five? dead. That sounds like the Great Wurlitzer at wurk to me.
Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett joins 'The News with Shepard Smith' to discuss the condo collapse in South Florida as the search for survivors continues. Burkett says the smoke is probably not safe for people to be around but acknowledges the necessity for the search to continue. For access to live and exclusive video from CNBC subscribe to CNBC PRO: and Nine people are confirmed dead and 152 are unaccounted for as search and rescue operations continued Sunday evening almost four full days after a 12-story condominium building collapsed in Florida, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said at a press conference. “We continue to sweep the mound with our canines, using all of the technology available to us and machinery to lift the debris,”
Levine Cava told reporters. Champlain Towers South partially collapsed suddenly early Thursday morning in Surfside, Florida, just north of Miami Beach. The families of the missing were allowed to privately visit the site for the first time Sunday, according to the Miami-Dade mayor. “We ask you to continue to pray for all of the families during this impossibly difficult time as they’re waiting for news and to continue to pray for our first responders who continue to toil to find loved ones,” Levine Cava said. Search and rescue teams created a 125-feet-long trench at the rescue site on Saturday which allowed authorities to recover additional bodies and human remains, Levine Cava said at press conference Sunday morning. Miami-Dade police on Saturday night identified four of the deceased as Stacie Dawn Fang, 54; Antonio Lozano, 83; Gladys Lozano, 79; and Manuel LaFont, 54. Levine Cava said Sunday evening that another four victims have now been identified.Et.al.I'm curious when they booked their airfare: WaPo interview. We are on site, etc. [Link]
Leon Roy Hausmann is a team leader at Cadena International, a group dedicated to connecting Jewish communities around the world for humanitarian aims. Hausmann talked to The Post on June 26 about challenges the group faced and tools they used as part of the search and rescue effort at the Surfside, Fla., condo collapse. Subscribe to The Washington Post on YouTube:[Link]
Turns out the video of the collapses has been cropped—at a minimum.That and the fact that we only get to see the "event" - they literally could not have cut any more frames from the start of the video
most of the dearly departed are South American, the BFM doesn’t give a shit. They were taken to the site by bus. I’m sure if my family members were pancaked under tons of concrete, that I’d be thrilled to be bussed to see the debacle.If this is indeed true, then realize the lockdowns and travel restrictions in many countries of South America will prevent many family members from even arriving there. For example, for the confirmed Chilean resident of the condo, each family member needs gov approval to leave the country and on return, will be subject to an out of pocket quarantine costing around US $700 per person...
The feeling in my gut is that people living around there are not as upset by the event as one might think. Weird vibe, which may not be accurate.I think its fairly accurate. Its becoming the general vibe of people everywhere in a post-Covid world.
CNN: The death toll from the Florida condo collapse reaches 11 as rescuers race to find 150 people still missingApparently, in Florida's heat, they believe someone can live for six days without water.
6/29/21 No survivors have been found since Thursday in Surfside, Florida, where 55 condo units of Champlain Towers South crashed to the ground.
Yupo Of course you would not tell something like this as it might make your profession look bad. Oh, fear not that my dear!
I'm curious as to the possibility of Mr McAffee's attorney or another associate living in that building. Maybe that was considered a safer site for storage.Yep. That's why I posted all the links to the (note! - only!) Florida corps and llc's, for names to check as each one on average will result in about three possible legal owners. Multiply that by fifty states, then add to that those extrajurisdictional entities which routinely fail to abide by state 'fictitious name' laws, and there you have the beginning of how private investigators earn their keep.
Israeli army forms 3D images of fallen Florida condo to find victims [Link]Hmm. 🤔 . . .
was given him by Keith Richards back in the days/The Faces era [Link]RC
And this [Link] just rocksDamnation that makes me miss my all-time best dance partner, we'd just kill that sh*t. Too bad she married that no account, ne'er do well Dobro Bob and hauled off and retired and moved to the godamn Gulf Islands.
[Link]I gotta find somebody (about 30 years younger) get back in proper shape and cut some muthafukkin' rug. I'm beginnin' to feel like the Tin Man, and that ain't one bit good . . .
I bet John Lennon is the piano player. He was Harry's prime mate.Great find, HA2!
Wayne G. I am considering starting a pool for when the first survivor will surface and the Isrealities will be hailed as heroes. Figure at least another week or so, to beat whatever the world record is.Yup. What we will read:
Survivor Herschel Liebowitz stated, "I only survived because I landed near my supply of gefilte fish and Manischewitz! Oy vey!"RC
Wayne G. & H: Took the entire bottle—needed to be sure—Gimme bourbon / whiskey, but Scotch? Tastes like what's drained out of greens, fermented and half ass distilled.
Now if the McAfee property happens to have been there, I'm going to be VERY skeptical of everything that government and BFM say abou this at all. Timing is beyond propitious . . . especially for Team FUKUSraHell.
R.C.