Search for survivors of Surfside collapse is stopped
From David Volz
After 14 days of searching for survivors of the Champlain Towers South building collapse, fire rescue leaders have told the families of the victims that round-the-clock search and rescue efforts have ended. They believe there is no hope that there are any survivors of the collapse and now a recovery effort is underway.
Miami-Dade Chief or Fire Operations Ray Jadallah said during a video stream briefing the announcement was “some of the hardest news I’ve ever had to deliver in my professional career.”
The problem is that there were no voids, or spaces where there could be victims. Jadallah said that when a wall collapses, it could create a triangle-shaped pocket space. The collapse of a floor can create a W shape. In a pancake collapse, like the one at Champlain Towers it’s “a floor on top of a floor on top of a floor,” he said during a conference. In on section of the parking garage, six floors of the building were found stacked on top of each other.
At this point, at least 64 people have been confirmed dead and 76 other individuals remain unaccounted for at the Surfside collapse. This is as of the evening of July 8.
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No Fort Lauderdale buildings over 40 years old are in violation of inspections
From David Volz
At the request of City Manager Chris Lagerbloom, Fort Lauderdale Building Official John Travers addressed the status of buildings over 40 years old that are required to participate in the inspection program at the July 6 City Commission meeting.
Currently, no city buildings that are included in the program were found to be in violation of their 40-year or subsequent inspections. The city receives an annual list from the Broward County Board of Rules and Appeals (BORA) of buildings that are due for initial 40-year inspections or re-inspections.
The Building Safety Inspection Program, implemented by the BORA, began in 2006 and requires certain buildings over 3,500 square feet to undergo 40-year inspections and subsequent inspections every 10 years thereafter.
The BORA has scheduled a Structural Subcommittee meeting next week to discuss the program as it currently operates. Travers is a member of the subcommittee.
