Florida condo collapse leads SC officials to act

Chilling. Horrific. Terribly sad.

There are plenty of ways to describe the security camera footage of Champlain Towers South Condo as it partially collapsed just after 1 a.m. on June 24 in Surfside, Florida.

The 12-story oceanfront condo became both a pile of rubble and a sacred place as loved ones clung to hope that their family and friends might have survived.

The disaster has left many wondering about the safety of the buildings where they live in coastal communities across the country.

That’s why State Rep. Wendell Gilliard (D-Charleston) plans to introduce a bill that would create a Coastal Structural Stability Study Committee with the goal of examining South Carolina’s measures for inspecting and evaluating the structural soundness of buildings more than six stories tall along the coast and Charleston peninsula

The bill notes, “the South Carolina General Assembly finds that in an effort to prevent the tragic collapse of one of such buildings in South Carolina, efforts must be undertaken to evaluate our current measures for evaluating the ongoing safety of such buildings and make recommendations for improving such measures so that they will be the most reliable in the nation.”

In a press release, Gilliard said the state “should re-examine current regulations and see if any changes need to be made. We cannot let a similar disaster happen here, especially when it is avoidable.”

We agree.

Government agencies with any role in the construction of similar structures should be doing all they can to prevent what once seemed an unimaginable collapse, and those efforts cannot be limited to buildings of a particular age.

A Miami Herald article noted that “As far as ages of buildings go, the 12-story oceanfront condo tower that partially collapsed Thursday morning in Surfside was a relative youngster.”

The Champlain Towers South Condo was built just 40 years ago.

On Thursday, a Miami-Dade County government press release offered details on the recovery effort so far, noting that more than 26 million pounds of debris and concrete has been removed.

“As of today, July 15, 92 victims have been identified and 92 families have been notified,” it reads.

The release adds, “Moving forward, out of respect for the families who are still waiting and to ensure we are reporting the most accurate possible numbers, we will only be reporting the number of victims who have been identified.”

The previous day’s press release listed 97 victims had been recovered and at that point only 90 had been identified.

It’s a painstaking and painful process for rescuers and the loved ones left behind.

We welcome any effort that ensures the safety of our residents and prevents others from experiencing a similar tragedy.