In an environment of uncertainty, the residents who live near Champlain Towers South, which collapsed in the past, have remained 24 June in Miami.
The building of 11 plants was one of three “sister” towers, the East, the North and the South . These last two were built with an identical design in the decade of 1980, on Collins Avenue in the city of Surfside, in the north of Miami-Dade County.
A part of the South tower was the one that collapsed.
With the information available so far, the authorities have It is estimated that the rest of the South tower that remains standing will probably be demolished when it is safe to do so, since its structural integrity has been compromised .
Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett reported that this Tuesday there will be an inspection by an expert that will determine the course to follow in the damaged South Tower. There will also be a second review of the North Tower, where a recommendation for voluntary evacuation has been issued.
“First things first, save lives, support families. Then get all the information and take care of the buildings we suspect, ”Burkett told local broadcaster WSVN.
South tower residents are not allowed has allowed re-entry to the apartments that are still standing.
The mayor of Miami-Dade, Daniella Levine Cava, indicated that the work is focused on the rescue of survivors and the recovery of victims’ bodies.
In her report on Monday afternoon, the mayor said that the bodies of 11 deceased, but there are dozens more missing.
Some residents don’t know if they are safe living in the area .
Robert Lisman, resident of the East tower built on 1994, assured that in his building there are also some visible flaws in the parking piles that support the building.
“ What I’d really like to see is these structural engineers here, to come into the building and see if it hasn’t gotten that far. “Lisman told ABC.
The authorities have not issued mandatory evacuation orders , but some residents have chosen to leave voluntarily.
Other neighbors that have been temporarily evicted are those of the tower Eighty Seven Park , which has nothing to do with the Champlain Towers complex but it is located right next to the collapsed building.
Some residents of Champlain Towers South had noticed considerable vibrations in their building while the neighboring tower was being built three years ago.
The sister towers
The with North and South domains of the Champlain complex were terminated one year apart at the beginning of the decade of 1994. The East tower, which complements the North, was built in 1994.
The building that partially collapsed is separated from her “sisters” for another condominium (Solara Surfside) and a street, but all three are part of the same real estate development.
The North and the South “were built practically at the same time , with the same design ”, explained last week the governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis.
But knowing what was the exact cause that brought down a third of the South tower will not be quick to determine. The authorities said this Monday that the priority these days is to find survivors.
“[Determinar la causa] it will not happen in a day or two, It’s going to take a long time , “said Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, representative of the district where Surfside is located, given the hypotheses that have arisen about what happened.
The experts will have to verify the possible risks pointed out in the past, such as that of a report from a consultancy that detected “significant cracks and breaks in the concrete that required repairs to guarantee the safety of residents and the public. ”
But for now the work in depth it is limited to the affected building, leaving in the background the residents of the North and East sister towers that were built with the same design.
The mayor of Surfside, Charles Burkett, assured in a press conference that a group of engineers found no major faults in their Saturday inspections of Champlain Towers North.
But he acknowledged that the analysis “was not a deep dive into the building itself” .
Later he told the CNN network: “I have recommended that that building be evacuated pending a thorough structural investigation. Because I don’t think people should live with the possibility or the idea that their building could collapse. ”
Burkett added that relocation expenses for those residents can be covered with the public and private donations that are being collected.
Until this Monday there was no mandatory evacuation order, only voluntary, for that complex.
The “impeccable” North Tower
The Champlain Towers South was in a recertification process since this year fulfills 40 years, a period after which the law requires there to be a structural inspection.
The North condominium will comply with the 40 years in 2022, but, according to the president of the association, Naum Lusky, your building is much better maintained than its twin tower.
“This building is impeccable,” said Lusky, according to the newspaper The New York Times . “There is no comparison with the sister condo.”
“They reviewed the whole structure at the bottom of the building, the garage, and everything was fine (….) They are returning [los residentes] now that they know that everything is safe ”, he said.
Other neighbors agreed that the condo is well cared for and that There was recent maintenance work .
Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, ordered an inspection of all buildings over 37 years built facing the sea that must be done within a month.
Impact of neighboring construction
Residents of Eighty Seven Park , the tower built in 2019 on the side of Champlain Towers South, they have also chosen to leave now that the area is highly reserved for rescue work.
According to an email released by the Surfside government on Sunday, there were residents of the collapsed building who voiced “concerns regarding the structure” of the building over the construction of the neighboring tower.
But determining whether it influenced the partial collapse of the neighboring building will be part of the investigations.
For now, the local government has recognized that the residents of that block of buildings will need help.
“We know that there are many people who have had to leave their buildings and are going to need long-term help,” said Janette Nuñez, Florida’s lieutenant governor, on Monday.
Remember to what you can receive notifications from BBC Mundo. Download our app and activate them so as not to miss our best content .