Resident of older waterfront high rises are uneasy..keeping go bag by the door

[Demovictory9]

SURFSIDE, Fla. — After the Champlain Towers South Condo collapsed a couple of miles away from his home, Miami Beach resident Dan Ribeiro began feverishly snapping photos of what he said were concerning conditions in the garage of his high-rise — a condo taller and older than the one that partially collapsed in Surfside.

He is so worried about the cracked concrete, rusted steel and water leaking inside the garage of the Maison Grande Condominium that he now has a "go-bag" by the front door with essential documents, a change of clothes for him and his wife and gift cards for hotel stays.

"It's just scary," Ribeiro, 39, said.

Second to the grief that South Floridians feel for those who died in the Surfside collapse and their families, a feeling of uneasiness has washed over some residents living in older, waterfront condo towers. They are now sounding the alarm about what they fear may be potentially perilous conditions in their buildings.

https://www.tampabay.com/news/2021/07/04/are-we-next-worried-high-rise-dwellers-take-photos-seek-answers-after-surfside/

[SheltieLover]

1. Poor peoe!

What a horrible way to live!

[Demovictory9]

9. Yeah..hopefully an inspection will put their minds at ease

[lapfog_1]

2. how many flights of stairs can they run down in about 30 seconds?

A pancake event is unlikely to give a lot more notice than that. And elevators would be a death trap.

The best "go bag" is a "gone bag" as in we are outa here.

Don't know what happens to your investment. But whatever happens is better than dying from it.

[RockRaven]

6. More like 3 seconds, or 0.3 seconds... So zero flights of stairs.

If they are unwilling or unable (and I'm not dismissing that as a real thing for some people) to move, then instead of a "go" bag maybe they ought to stash their valuables/irreplaceables/important documents and a few material essentials off-site, so IF they survive (including by not being present during a collapse) they still have their important stuff and some clothes/toiletries. And if they don't, they'll be dead and won't be able to care, but their surviving relatives will benefit from having the important documents etc.

[EndlessWire]

12. I agree.

It may be psychologically comforting to them, but this situation calls for them to move out to anywhere else. The go bag will only help to identify them in the rubble.

I am very sorry all this has happened to these people. Easy to say "move out" but at least we can offer our opinions. I'd move out. Go visit some understanding relative or friend. Let your instincts guide you.

[secondwind]

13. I'm with you, that was my first thought also.

[Scrivener7]

15. I saw an article on a realtor who listed an apartment from the sister building the day of the

collapse. The apartment listed for 1.3 million.

That mortgage obligation doesn't go away.

What a mess.

[Klaralven]

16. Is the use of jetpacks finally about to take off?

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-57652297

From the balcony!

[tanyev]

19. True, although there were stories of the building making creaking sounds the day before.

Sad the residents weren't alarmed enough to clear out then.

Man Says Mom Heard 'Creaking Noises' Coming From Surfside Condo One Day Before It Collapsed

The son of a woman who lived in the 12-story condo building that collapsed in Florida on Thursday morning said she reported noises coming from the structure just one day before the tragedy.

Miami resident Pablo Rodriguez told CNN that his mother and grandmother have not been located following the partial collapse of Champlain Towers South Condo in Surfside, Florida, at around 1:30 a.m. on Thursday. The two lived together in the upscale, 136-unit apartment complex, which contained condominiums priced from hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars, CNN reported.

Rodriguez told the outlet his mother called him one day before a wing of the building fell to tell him she heard noises loud enough to disturb her from her sleep.

"She just told me she had woken up around 3 [or] 4 in the morning and had heard like, some creaking noises," he told CNN. "They were loud enough to wake her."

https://people.com/human-interest/man-says-mother-heard-creaking-noises-coming-from-her-surfside-building-before-collapse/

[JI7]

3. I wonder how much they could get if they wanted to sell right now

[Demovictory9]

8. Serious market value drop since 2 week ago but opportunist

Might buy

[GulfCoast66]

4. Jesus. And I bet they will have a hard time selling now.

Would you buy an older condo on the beach in South Florida now!

[NH Ethylene]

5. Only a handful of people in Champlain Towers had enough time to get out.

With or without a go-bag.

I would be terrified to live in one of those older buildings right now, listening for every groan or creak and wondering if it was a sign of imminent collapse.

[PortTack]

7. Not only that but the chance they lose the equity they have in their home, possibly all their

Possessions. Insurance companies are already talking about new regulations to insure. And...who’s gonna buy into that now? They were already facing issues of rising sea waters, now this

[smirkymonkey]

10. How could you possibly get a good night's sleep?

I would be out of there so fast, but who is going to be buying now? I really feel sorry for those people. They are kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place.

[Renew Deal]

11. Millions in home values wiped away.

And although the beach always attracts certain people, it’s tough to feel safe “investing” money in a beachfront real estate right now.

[Scrivener7]

17. The survivors in this building would get insurance, I imagine. It is the people in the

sister building and similar buildings who are going to lose their shirts.

[Renew Deal]

18. I agree

[ecstatic]

20. They should compare the circumstances and make a quick decision.

With the South Champlain Tower, we're talking about a building that was already sinking into the Earth at unprecedented levels. Then when you add in the flawed pool deck design, poor maintenance, rain, and the major building construction next door that was literally causing the walls to vibrate, the collapse was almost inevitable. They were playing a game of Jenga and it was too late for them to do anything about it.

In my opinion, if there are any residents in nearby condos with similar problems and circumstances, they should leave now. A bag by the door isn't going to cut it if disaster strikes in the middle of the night while you're in a deep sleep.