First responders are continuing to search for possible survivors among the wreckage of the 12-story condominium building that collapsed in a south Florida beach town more than three days ago, as details of the building’s preexisting structural damage continue to emerge.
First responders are continuing to search for possible survivors among the debris of the 12-story condominium building that collapsed in a south Florida beach town on Thursday. The death toll rose to at least nine on Sunday, with Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava saying four more bodies were pulled from the rubble on Saturday.
The number of dead includes one person who died in the hospital. The mayor said workers have dug a long, deep trench into the pile of rubble to continue rescue efforts.
As details of the building’s possible preexisting conditions emerged Sunday, a lawyer confirmed to CBS News that a Surfside official had told the building’s residents in 2018 that “it appears the building is in very good shape.”
On Saturday, the city of Surfside released an engineering report from 2018 that warned that the building had major structural worries. It is unclear if any of the issues in the report — from Morabito Consultants — caused the collapse, and it didn’t warn of imminent danger, although it said repairs were needed.
Waterproofing failed under the pool deck and wasn’t properly laid, so water didn’t drain, the report said. “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,” it said.
It also said there was “abundant cracking” in concrete columns, beams and walls in the parking garage. The consultant estimated that the repairs needed to address the building’s structural issues would have cost more than $9 million.
Meanwhile, the neighboring city of Miami Beach declared a state of emergency on Sunday, following a federal emergency declaration declared by President Biden and similar emergency declarations by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Levine Cava.
Levine Cava told CBS News’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday that workers remain in search-and-rescue mode at the site of the collapse. Teams from Israel and Mexico have also arrived to help.
“Everybody that is needed is on the site and doing the work, and we’re continuing our efforts to find people alive,” Levine Cava said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
