SURFSIDE, Fla. – The federal investigators who are looking into the cause of the 2021 Surfside building collapse released a preliminary report on Thursday.
The investigators with the National Institute of Standards and Technology found that a Champlain Towers South pool deck had “severe strength deficiency.”
Glenn R. Bell, an NCST investigator, reported the design of the structure failed to meet the codes and standards applicable at the time of original construction.
“In the most severe of these understrength areas, the strength provided by the design is only about half of what’s required by codes and standards,” Bell said during his presentation.
Martin Langesfeld, whose 26-year-old sister Nicole “Nicky” Langesfeld was among the 98 victims, had one question: “How was the building still standing with so many violations?
Champlain Towers South, which was built in 1981. The building collapsed on June 24, 2021, about seven minutes after the pool deck.
“So many buildings have violations, and you get a fine and pay it, and that’s it — until something like this happens again,” Martin Langesfeld said.
The investigators were also looking into corrosion in parts of the deck’s steel reinforcement. They plan to publish the final report on May 2025.
Meanwhile, Pablo Langesfeld, the father of Martin and Nicole Langesfeld, still visits the site of the collapse regularly.
“I come, I pray, I cry,” the grieving father said. “It’s very sad.”
He is hoping that investigators will be able to answer the questions that still haunt them: “Why did it happen? Who is at fault?”
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