Miami-Dade mayor: Fire at rescue site hampering search efforts
Miami-Dade mayor says the fire at rescue site is hampering search efforts
Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said that rescue crews are continuing to face “incredible difficulties” due to an ongoing fire under the rubble.
“It’s a very deep fire. It’s extremely difficult to locate the source of the fire. So, they’ve been working around the clock, these fire rescue teams, these brave men and women, under the rubble to fix this problem so they can get on, but it is hampering our search efforts,” Cava said during a news conference.
Cava detailed that the smoke from the fire “spread laterally throughout the pile” making it difficult to isolate the source and stop it.
The mayor also noted that rescue teams have created a trench to try and isolate the fire and continue to search for victims.
“We’re using everything possible to address this fire. We are using infrared technology. We’re using foam. We’re using water. All the tactics that we can to contain the fire and minimize the smoke spread,” Cava said.
Cava added: “Obviously, the smoke itself is the biggest barrier right now to proceeding in those areas. So, we created a trench using heavy equipment to try to isolate the fire and continue searching for victims in the part of the pile that we can access. No further victims have been found.”
No other victims have been found following the condo collapse, Miami-Dade mayor says
Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said no other victims have been found in the rubble following the partial building collapse in Surfside, she said this morning during a news conference.
“No further victims have been found, as you’ve heard. The numbers are the same as they were yesterday; 127 have been accounted for,” Cava said. “One hundred and fifty-nine unaccounted for. Four confirmed dead.”
Cava added: “To the community and the world, please be patient. Please stand with us. Please continue your prayers. We are not going to stop. We need your support.”
Roof repair permit issued for Champlain Towers day before partial collapse
From CNN’s Casey Tolan
The town of Surfside issued a permit for roof repairs on the Champlain Towers South condo building the day before the structure collapsed, documents released Friday night show.
On June 23, the town issued a permit to “install roof safety anchors and provide stucco repairs” to a South Florida concrete company. The work included removing “the existing roof down to concrete deck” and replacing it, the permit said.
The building fell the next day, in the early morning hours of June 24.
The company that was set to perform the work, Concrete Protection and Restoration LLC, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday.
The town issued two other permits for work at the building last month, for electrical repair and “roof repair.” It’s unclear whether work had begun on those permits before the collapse. Both contractors declined to comment to CNN.
Another document produced as part of the 2018 structural engineer’s report also noted that small portions of the building were “showing distress.” The report, conducted by engineer Frank Morabito for the building’s condo association, noted that about “2% of exterior columns have experienced concrete spalling” and about “5% of the balcony structural floor slabs showed hairline cracking at underside of the slab,” among other examples of cracking.
It’s unclear whether these issues contributed to the collapse.
The report says the “general alignment” of the structure, as well as the concrete framing, roof membrane, and several other parts of the building, were in good condition.
Surfside officials noted in the document that the report “was not formally submitted” to town officials by the condo association, but said Morabito provided it to the town after the building collapse.
SOON: Florida governor expected to speak at Surfside news conference
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is expected to speak at this news conference scheduled for 10:30 a.m. ET.
Surfside mayor on 2018 structural report: Unclear what steps were taken to “address those cracks”
From CNN’s Melissa Alonso
Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett told CNN that he has not seen the 2018 structural field survey report, which raised concerns about structural damage to the Champlain Towers’ South, but said it’s “unclear right now exactly what was going on in that building.”
“I can’t speak to that [report] because I haven’t seen that; I’m going to get a copy of that this morning and take a look at it so I can give out accurate information regarding that,” Burkett told CNN. “I understand from our building official, that it was in the form of the 2018 email that came from an engineer regarding those cracks.”
Burkett said it’s still “unclear what steps the building was taking to address those cracks” mentioned in the report.
According to the mayor, “the 40-year report had not been submitted yet.”
“We had indications that it was on the way because it needed to be submitted within this year,” said Burkett.
The report indicated that the engineer found no sign of immediate danger, CNN reported.
Watch the interview here:
Surfside mayor recommends residents of Champlain North Tower to evacuate
From CNN’s Melissa Alonso
Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett told CNN on Saturday that he has recommended residents of Champlain Towers’ North Tower to evacuate out of “an abundance of caution.”
The Champlain North tower is located a block away from the South Tower, which collapsed Thursday.
“I’ve recommended that that building be evacuated pending a thorough structural investigation,” Burkett said.
“Because I don’t think people need to live with the possibility, or the thought that their” building may collapse, Burkett added.
“It had the same developer, it probably had the same materials, they probably had the same plans, and people are asking me is the building safe, and I can’t tell them it is safe,” Burkett said.
President Biden set to receive updates on collapsed building while at Camp David
From CNN’s Kevin Liptak
President Biden is set to receive updates from his homeland security team this weekend on the collapsed condo building near Miami Beach, according to White House officials.
Biden is spending Saturday and Sunday with family at Camp David, but officials say he’ll receive briefings each day over the phone and from a traveling national security adviser, Yohannes Abraham.
Biden has been following developments closely and has told aides to provide whatever assistance the state needs, including mortuary facilities if bodies begin emerging from the rubble.
“There’s nothing worse than having to wait and wonder what happened,” Biden said Friday. “It’s a tough, tough time. There’s so many people waiting. ‘Are they alive? Will they be — what will happen?’ And so, our heart goes out to them.”
White House officials believe a potential trip to Florida for Biden to visit families and the site is still a way off, as the same resources being used in the recovery efforts (fire and police departments) would be needed for a presidential visit.
Earlier: Biden spoke Friday with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis after signing a federal emergency declaration for Miami-Dade County, which freed up money and resources to assist in recovery efforts. A White House official said Biden signed the order very soon after receiving it late Thursday.
The phone call was professional and focused on providing Florida the help it needs, the official said.
The emergency declaration authorizes FEMA to coordinate relief efforts and provide equipment to assist with debris removal. The agency has deployed an Incident Management Assistance Team to Florida and two FEMA search and rescue teams are on site. They have also provided building science experts, according to the White House.
A team of White House officials, led by homeland security adviser Liz Sherwood Randall, has been keeping tabs on the incident from Washington.
Miami-Dade mayor on the 2018 report: “We are going to get to the bottom of what happened”
From CNN’s Rebekah Riess
When asked about the reporting that in 2018 there was an inspection done of the Surfside building that collapsed showing there were cracks in the structure that required fixing, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said “we are going to get to the bottom of what happened at this particular building.”
“Clearly, our buildings need to be structurally sound. We need to have regular reviews, and to the extent that we need to change laws, we will change laws, and we will make sure these things do not happen in the future,” Cava told CNN. “For now, we’re focused on the families waiting for their loved ones and the search for survivors.”
Cava said search and rescue teams continue “working feverishly,” and are “leaving no stone unturned.”
“They are telling us that they are pushing forward because they do believe they could still find people in the rubble, alive. So we are on the search phase and that is our sole focus,” Cava added.
Engineer raised concerns about structural damage at Surfside condominium in 2018 report
From CNN’s Chuck Johnston
A structural field survey report completed nearly three years before the collapse of the Champlain Towers south condominium complex in Surfside raised concerns about structural damage to the concrete slab below the pool deck and “cracking and spalling” located in the parking garage.
The report from October 2018 was included in a series of public records documents that were published overnight on the Surfside, Florida town website. The New York Times was the first media outlet to publish a story about the field survey report.
Page seven of the report, the goal of which was to “understand and document the extent of structural issues that require(d) repair and/or remediation in the immediate and near future,” detailed signs of “distress/fatigue” in the parking garage:
“Abundant cracking and spalling of various degrees was observed in the concrete columns, beams and walls. Several sizeable spalls were noted in both the topside of the entrance drive ramp and underside of the pool/ entrance drive/ planter slabs, which included instances with exposed, deteriorating rebar. Though some of this damage is minor, most of the concrete deterioration needs to be repaired in a timely fashion.”
Spalling is a term used to describe areas of concrete that have cracked or crumbled.
The 2018 report also noted that “many of the previous garage concrete repairs” were “failing.”
The report also said the waterproofing below the pool deck was failing and causing “major structural damage.”
“…the waterproofing below the pool deck and Entrance Drive as well as all of the planter waterproofing is beyond its useful life and therefore must all be completely removed and replaced. 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 read.
It further noted that “the replacement of the existing deck waterproofing will be extremely expensive…be disruptive and create a major disturbance to the occupants of this condominium building.”
The report, which didn’t give any indication that the structure was at risk of collapse, was completed by Frank Morabito with Morabito Consultants. CNN reached out to Morabito Consultants on Friday who offered no comment.
An attorney for the building’s condominium association, Kenneth Direktor, warned against early speculation. The building, he told CNN on Friday, had been subject to a series of inspections “over the last several months” as part of its milestone 40-year safety certification process.
“Nothing like this was foreseeable,” Direktor said. “At least it wasn’t seen by the engineers who were looking at the building from a structural perspective.”
CNN reached out to Kenneth Direktor on Saturday for comment.
Source: http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/cnn_topstories/~3/7A34yAvcod8/h_3219fee2dc1f535221d08b06cae7b3b6
