Florida Condo Had “Significant Structural Damage”: Live Updates: Miami Condo Collapse: NPR

In a structural engineering report from 2018, several problem areas of the now 40-year-old building were listed. This included the edges of concrete slabs where “concrete spalling or cracks” occurred. Morabito Consultants report hide caption

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Report from Morabito Consultants

In a structural engineering report from 2018, several problem areas of the now 40-year-old building were listed. This included the edges of concrete slabs where “concrete spalling or cracks” occurred.

Report from Morabito Consultants

A civil engineering report submitted to the Champlain Towers housing association in 2018 identified widespread problems that required major repairs “in the near future”.

Parts of the 12-story residential complex in Surfside, Florida collapsed early Thursday morning. Four people are confirmed dead and 159 others are missing. Rescue workers continue to comb through the rubble looking for survivors.

The October 8, 2018 report includes images showing cracks in concrete pillars. It found “significant structural damage” to the concrete construction slab under the pool deck. It warned that “failure to replace the waterproofing in the near future will cause the extent of concrete deterioration to expand exponentially”.

In this photo by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, search and rescue workers search for survivors through the rubble of the Champlain Towers South Condo in Surfside, Florida on Friday. Hide AP caption

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In this photo by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, search and rescue workers search for survivors through the rubble of the Champlain Towers South Condo in Surfside, Florida on Friday.

AP

The nine-page report, written by Morabito Consultants, listed several problem areas of the now 40-year-old building, including problems with waterproofing on flat surfaces and a “major flaw” that does not allow water to drain away and instead relies on evaporation effects on the structural Integrity of the concrete near the ground.

Gregg Schlesinger, a Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Building contractor and attorney handling structural failure cases, told NPR the report did not reveal why the building collapsed, but warned of serious dangers.

“You warned. You have a problem. What exactly is the problem? How bad is it? Why didn’t you find out more?” said Schlesinger.

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