The city of North Miami Beach has ordered that hundreds of residents living in a condominium building near the collapsed Surfside building must immediately evacuate their building after engineers discovered serious structural damage.
“All residents of the second building, Crestview Towers, were told to leave immediately after engineers found serious concrete and electrical problems,” Reuters reported. “The move was considered urgent due to the approach of Hurricane Isla, which is forecast to hit Florida as early as Monday.”
A press release from the city stated:
Following the tragic collapse of Champlain Towers South on June 24, North Miami Beach immediately launched a thorough review of all condo high-rise buildings to determine if they are in compliance with county and city 40-year recertification process and certified as safe for occupancy. Today, Crestview Towers submitted a recertification report dated Jan. 11, 2021, in which an engineer retained by the association board concluded that the 156-unit building was structurally and electrically unsafe.
“In an abundance of caution, the City ordered the building closed immediately and the residents evacuated for their protection, while a full structural assessment is conducted and next steps are determined,” North Miami Beach City Manager Arthur H. Sorey III said. “Nothing is more important than the safety and lives of our residents, and we will not rest until we ensure this building is 100% safe.”
Sorey said that it was “definitely not an easy decision,” but that it was “just the right thing to do during these times.”
The collapse of the Surfside condo building last week has resulted in at least 24 deaths with well over 100 still missing.
The AP reported:
The evacuation comes as municipal officials in South Florida, and statewide, are scrutinizing older high-rises in the wake of the Surfside collapse to ensure that substantial structural problems are not being ignored. Evacuating residents hauling suitcases packed items into cars Friday evening outside the Crestview, which was built in 1972.
North Miami Beach commissioner Fortuna Smukler rushed to the building Friday afternoon. She said authorities were working to help the evacuated residents find places to go. She said with the approaching storm it was an especially stressful time for the residents. Smukler knows two people who are still unaccounted for in the Surfside building collapse.
“I ran here right away because this is important to me. I needed to ensure that what happened in Surfside doesn’t happen here,” Smukler said. “It could have been our building instead of Surfside.”
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- New Video Shows Water Streaming Into Surfside Basement Just Before Collapse
- WATCH: Biden Energy Secretary Says ‘We Don’t Know Fully’ If ‘Climate Change’ Caused Florida Building Collapse
- IDF Assisting With Response To Miami Building Collapse, Turns Down Free Hotel Rooms To Sleep In Tents
This article has been expanded after publication to include additional information.