Miami Beach Building Collapsed Resulting In Fatalities (Video)

June 25. 2021

The Champlain Towers South building on Collins Avenue in Surfside suffered a terrible structural collapse yesterday at 1:30AM. Surfside is a town on Miami Beach, Florida. The incident resulted in fatalities. Thus far four have died and dozens are injured.

A search and rescue operation is underway, as the multi-story building pancaked, leaving people trapped under the rubble. It looked like an explosion blew out the side of the building. People fell stories downward and sustained serious injuries. My condolences to the victims' families.

Built in 1981, the Champlain Towers was due for its 40-year inspection. Reports indicate an inspector was at the building one day before it collapsed. Adjacent buildings were evacuated as a precaution. The building is one block away from the residence of Ivanka Trump, her husband Jared Kushner and their preteen children.

I've written about Florida and Miami Beach before on this site, regarding it being swamp land and emerging islands that were padded up with gravel and sand by Henry Flagler decades ago.

In the June 20, 2016 article "Video Surfaces Showing Disney Employee Fending Off Alligators As 2-Year-Old Victim Lane Graves Is Laid To Rest" I stated "Florida is mostly swamp and sand. Over the decades, construction sites have brought in rocks and use cement to lay foundations to facilitate building structures.

Miami Beach, Florida also had to be reinforced with rocks in order to build on it decades ago. Disney was built on alligator and snake infested swamp land that was purchased at rock bottom prices, due to the dangerous inhabitants. Where Disney went wrong was building an artificial pond, known as the Seven Seas Lagoon, around its rides and resort hotels."

I love architecture and design (ever since I was about 10-years-old). I love to sketch original building designs and interiors. I also love to sketch original designs for television/film/music video sets. For years I've watched a lot of documentaries and shows on historical homes and buildings. I love going on walking tours of architecturally significant buildings and homes, and taking pictures of them.

Several years ago I saw decades old historical footage on the construction of Miami Beach. The segment regarding the aforementioned dumping of sand and gravel on land that was basically underwater, to build on it, concerned me. Miami Beach is part natural and also manmade. They've literally built on sand (it's even Biblical not to do that).

Several years ago during a particularly noticeable king tide, I was over on Miami Beach and the ocean water was basically level with the street and the moon was exceptionally large. It concerned me. I kept thinking it was the biggest I'd ever seen the moon.

I also remember over a decade ago I was on Collins Avenue for a walk and it began to rain. I took refuge on the steps of a hotel with an awning in the front. Within half an hour, the rain water was up to the valets' knees, impeding their ability to park cars. I found that alarming as well. As stated on this site previously, all this costal building was a risk. The water is steadily rising and causing soil erosion in some cases.

STORY SOURCE

Here's What We Know About The Condition Of The Florida Building Before It Collapsed

June 25, 202111:31 AM ET - As search and rescue operations continue, questions abound as to why the Champlain Towers South complex near Miami, only 40 years old, partially collapsed on Thursday. Charles Burkett, the mayor of Surfside, told reporters the building had undergone various minor construction, including recent roof work.

"But there's roof work being done on buildings all the time, and it's hard to imagine that that could have been the impetus for such a catastrophic collapse - I'm sure that it probably wasn't," he said. Burkett added the building, which housed more than 136 units, "is not really an older building."...

https://www.npr.org