Search and rescue personnel work in the rubble of the 12-story condo tower that crumbled to the ground during a partially collapse of the building on June 24, 2021 in Surfside, Florida.
Nearly three years before a Florida condo tower collapsed, an engineer warned that the building’s failed waterproofing of its pool deck was causing “major structural damage,” according to filings.
Champlain Towers South, the 12-story condominium tower in Surfside, Florida, partially collapsed in the middle of the night on Thursday. The death toll has risen to four people, while 159 remain missing.
Officials said Saturday at a news conference that fire and smoke coming from deep inside the remains of the tower is slowing down the search. As rescue efforts continue, the city of Surfside has released a number of documents about the building.
Among the filings released by Surfside authorities late Friday is a 2018 field survey report from Morabito Consultants, which found that the concrete structural slab underneath the building’s pool needed repairs.
“Failure to replace the waterproofing in the near future will cause the extent of the concrete deterioration to expand exponentially,” the report said.
A view of the site during a rescue operation of a 12-storey Champlain Tower partially collapsed in Surfside, Florida, United States, on June 25, 2021.
