# Champlain Towers South in Miami has caved in {2021-06-24} **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Tags:** breaking-news\ **Created:** [June 24, 2021, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/champlain-towers-south-in-miami-has-caved-in-2021-06-24/944931 "2021-06-24T09:42:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 19
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2021, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/champlain-towers-south-in-miami-has-caved-in-2021-06-24/944931/362 "2021-07-03T23:30:47Z")
This will also include life insurance payments for the survivors. In many cases, the cause of a disaster is not so much climate change per se, as people living in places where they really shouldn’t, like sand dunes and areas extremely prone to forest fires, just because the scenery is pretty. Folks, there are reasons why the Native Americans didn’t even camp on some of those hills. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2021, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/champlain-towers-south-in-miami-has-caved-in-2021-06-24/944931/363 "2021-07-03T23:32:24Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > This has absolutely nothing to do with climate change. It was an improperly constructed parking garage deck. Glad you have gotten to the bottom of this. You’ve saved investigators a bunch of time and resources! Are you gonna let someone in Fla. know? ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2021, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/champlain-towers-south-in-miami-has-caved-in-2021-06-24/944931/364 "2021-07-03T23:40:52Z")
> [@Ann\_Hedonia](#): > > The policy I carried on the apartment I own covered water and fire damage to walls and floors as well as damage to my personal possessions. > > Now that I’m subletting that apartment, I have a cheaper policy that doesn’t include personal possession. So the building maintains a policy that covers the structure, I maintain a policy that covers damage to the inside of the apartment and my tenant maintains a policy on his personal possessions. > > YMMV, this is how it works for me, not sure if this is universally applicable - although I’m under the impression it’s fairly standard. There is a bit of a difference since you have no ownership stake in your apartment. In a condo the unit owners also own a share of the common areas (including the structure). In a total loss the insurance proceeds from the master policy would be distributed amongst all the owners in proportion to their share of the condominium, just like had the collapsed not happened their share of the repairs is proportional. The “owner” of the property is the collective owners of the individual units - not the condo board, not the management company. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2021, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/champlain-towers-south-in-miami-has-caved-in-2021-06-24/944931/365 "2021-07-03T23:57:32Z")
I own my apartment and sublet it to a tenant. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2021, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/champlain-towers-south-in-miami-has-caved-in-2021-06-24/944931/366 "2021-07-04T00:23:48Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > Glad you have gotten to the bottom of this. You’ve saved investigators a bunch of time and resources! Are you gonna let someone in Fla. know? Let them know what? It wasn’t climate change or meteorites or a host of other obvious non-events? ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2021, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/champlain-towers-south-in-miami-has-caved-in-2021-06-24/944931/367 "2021-07-04T00:27:01Z")
Oh, I was confused by “sublet” - I’ve only heard that term used for renting out a property that you are leasing from someone else. Your condo fees are paying for the master policy that covers the building structure and common areas. There seems to be some confusion in this thread about who actually owns the building and grounds outside the units - it is the unit owners collectively, not some outside party. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2021, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/champlain-towers-south-in-miami-has-caved-in-2021-06-24/944931/368 "2021-07-04T01:09:53Z")
No, your conclusion. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2021, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/champlain-towers-south-in-miami-has-caved-in-2021-06-24/944931/369 "2021-07-04T01:25:10Z")
Two companies are working together to demo the damaged tower Sunday. I’ve read about other demolition projects. It usually involves a lot of planning and prepping of the building. This Condo project only has a couple days to prepare. CDI is very experienced and I guess they have the confidence to take this project. It helps that these two companies have worked together on similar demos. [https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/miami-beach/article252556248.html](https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/miami-beach/article252556248.html) > [@](#): > > She said government engineers reviewed the proposal from The BG Group and CDI overnight and agreed it was feasible. “We all decided this would be a good step forward,” Levine Cava said. > > The mayor added: “This proposed demolition is a very narrow footprint. We’re not looking at major impacts of the area or additional evacuations.” > > Officials did not give specifics Saturday on how The BG Group’s proposal differed from others. They said it would involve explosive charges, not a wrecking ball, and would be aimed at bringing down the building with minimal impact to the huge rubble pile on the east side of the site — where survivors and victims’ bodies are. > > When BG and CDI brought down South Shore Hospital, they did so via the implosion method and had to appeal to the county to do it because Miami Beach doesn’t allow buildings to be brought down by implosion. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2021, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/champlain-towers-south-in-miami-has-caved-in-2021-06-24/944931/370 "2021-07-04T01:45:53Z")
they don’t have much time to set it up. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2021, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/champlain-towers-south-in-miami-has-caved-in-2021-06-24/944931/371 "2021-07-04T01:48:31Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > I think the forewarning that the building was failing was misinterpreted by the tenants as vibrations caused by nearby construction. Sounds like a very plausible theory. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2021, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/champlain-towers-south-in-miami-has-caved-in-2021-06-24/944931/372 "2021-07-04T02:01:26Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > they don’t have much time to set it up CDI (Controlled Demolition, Inc.) is risking their reputation in the industry. But they’ll get a lot of recognition if it’s a success. It’s the 4th of July. Is there a better time for a controlled implosion of a damaged building? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2021, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/champlain-towers-south-in-miami-has-caved-in-2021-06-24/944931/373 "2021-07-04T02:14:55Z")
If it didn’t involve a tragedy it would beg to be timed to the 1812 overture. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2021, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/champlain-towers-south-in-miami-has-caved-in-2021-06-24/944931/374 "2021-07-04T03:14:03Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > . . . and also no construction vibrations would be close to the events bringing down the building. Those vibrations would travel through the concrete garage structure and building pillars. any outside vibrations have to travel through soil substrate and would be virtually non-existent to the people in the building. Exactly, I think you may have missed my point. But there is one possible exception to your assertion, which is if they were demoing in the bedrock to sink pylons. Bedrock is notorious for carrying vibrations a long way, which is why small earthquakes on the East coast are felt by every-dang-body. But my original point was that they were actually feeling the beginning of the building failure. But being lay people, and humans, and probably bothered by construction noise, they blamed the sensation on the nearby construction, and missed the warning that might have saved their lives. 😢 ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2021, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/champlain-towers-south-in-miami-has-caved-in-2021-06-24/944931/375 "2021-07-04T03:17:49Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > CDI (Controlled Demolition, Inc.) is risking their reputation in the industry. But they’ll get a lot of recognition if it’s a success. Both companies are very experienced. I’m betting they recognized the impending need and pulled the blueprints with 48 hours to begin their assessment. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2021, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/champlain-towers-south-in-miami-has-caved-in-2021-06-24/944931/376 "2021-07-04T03:27:22Z")
They must be confident they can do it. I’ve only seen industrial buildings imploded. Probably a lot more robust and time consuming than this building. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2021, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/champlain-towers-south-in-miami-has-caved-in-2021-06-24/944931/377 "2021-07-04T04:50:30Z")
I think they have the confidence; otherwise, I don’t think they would take the job on. Undoubtedly, industrial buildings are more robust and time consuming; but there have been many implosions of Las Vegas (and other locations’) hotels, which I imagine are not much different from condo towers. If you’ve got the experience, the engineers, the blueprints, and the expertise, I’d imagine you could put together a plan to bring this structure down in a fairly short time. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2021, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/champlain-towers-south-in-miami-has-caved-in-2021-06-24/944931/378 "2021-07-04T07:20:26Z")
They’ve imploded a lot of large old buildings in downtown Honolulu. Looked spectacular on the news. Very skillfully done. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2021, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/champlain-towers-south-in-miami-has-caved-in-2021-06-24/944931/379 "2021-07-04T08:07:06Z")
Here’s hoping the demolition goes down without a problem. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2021, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/champlain-towers-south-in-miami-has-caved-in-2021-06-24/944931/380 "2021-07-04T08:11:07Z")
I know this is trivial in the grand scheme of things, but it must be incredibly frustrating to be one of those residents in the remaining tower unable to recover any of your valuables or keepsakes. All you can do is sit and watch as they get blown to kingdom come. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2021, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/champlain-towers-south-in-miami-has-caved-in-2021-06-24/944931/381 "2021-07-04T08:12:43Z")
I imagine there is some pain and grief over that, but for people who fled the falling building - read some of the accounts, they’re pretty dramatic - there’s probably also a gut-level comprehension of why that would be a very bad thing to attempt. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/champlain-towers-south-in-miami-has-caved-in-2021-06-24/944931.md?page=18) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/champlain-towers-south-in-miami-has-caved-in-2021-06-24/944931.md?page=20)