Una mirada al Champlain Towers South, el edificio de apartamentos en Florida que colapsó parcialmente

George Petras, Stephen J. Beard, Jennifer Borresen, Ryan Miller and Jim Sergent, USA TODAY
·4 min read

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Investigadores seguían trabajando el jueves para determinar qué pudo haber provocado el colapso de un edificio de 40 años a orillas de la playa en el sur de la Florida en un incidente que dejó al menos un muerto y 10 heridos.

Rescatistas continuando buscando sobrevivientes luego de que parte de Champlain Towers South, una estructura de 12 pisos en la localidad de Surfside, Florida, quedara "aplanada" poco antes de las 2 de la mañana del jueves, dijo el Alcalde Charles Burkett.

Alrededor de la mitad de las 130 unidades de vivienda del edificio fueron afectadas, dijo la Alcaldesa del Condado de Miami-dade Daniella Levine Cava, y las autoridades temen que muchos más estén atrapados o muertos entre los escombros.

No se sabe todavía por qué el edificio colapsó. Burkett dijo que se habían estado haciendo trabajos en el techo recientemente pero que él no pensaba que eso podría causar que se cayera el edificio.

El colapso dejo una montaña de escombros alrededor del edificio y cubrió de polvo carros y viviendas a dos cuadras a la redonda.

Esto es lo que sabemos del edificio:

El Champlain Towers South fue construido 1981

El edificio Champlain Towers South tiene forma de L y está ubicado en la esquina sureste de Surfside y Burkett dijo que no se considera viejo en comparación con otros edificios estilo art deco construídos en Miami Beach en la década de 1920.

"No hay razón para que este edificio se desplomara así a menos que alguien literalmente le hubiera arrancado los soportes debajo o se hubieran barrido o hay un sinkhole (cenote)," dijodijo Burket. "Es que simplemente se desplomó."

Más: Tristes imágenes del colapso del edificio de Surfside y los esfuerzos por rescatar a sobrevivientes

La municipalidad de Surfside require que los edificio comerciales y multifamiliares sean re-certificados cada 40 años, lo que implica inspecciones eléctricas y estructurales que luego se presentan en un informe ante las autoridades locales. El edificio estaba pasando por ese proceso si bien este no se había completado, dijeron autoridades municipales el jueves.

"En resumidas cuentas, este no es un edificio viejo y, con inspección de 40 años o no, este tipo de cosas no deberían estar pasando," dijo Burkett.

Investigadores encontraron que el edificio se había estado hundiendo a un ritmo alarmante

Un investigador de la Florida International University dijo que el edificio fue construído en un antiguo pantano y que fue calificado como inestable hace un año.

El edificio se estaba hundiendo a un ritmo de unos 2 milímetros por año en la década de los 1990, y el proceso de hundimiento pudo haber disminuído o acelerado desde entonces, de acuerdo a un estudio realizado en el 2020 por Shimon Wdowinski, un profesor del departamento de Ciencias de la Tierra y Medio Ambiente en la Florida International University.

“Yo ví lo que pasó esta mañana y dije, 'Por Dios.'Nosotros detectamos eso," dijo Wdowinski acerca de los sucedido en la Champlain Towers South.

Investigación: Edificio de apartamentos que colapsó se había estado hundiendo a un ritmo alarmante desde la década de 1990, dicen investigadores

El nivel de hundimiento observado en los 90 puede tener efectos en el edificio y las estructuras, como grietas en las paredes o cimientos que se mueven, dijo el académico.

El techo estaba siendo reparado recientemente

Burkett dijo que estaban haciendo trabajos en el techo del edificio recientemente. Una grúa había estado en ele edificio y él dijo que estos trabajo probablemente requirieron de una inspección y permisos.

Burkett no sabía cuán pesado fue el equipo utilizado para trabajar en el techo, pero dijo que no creía que su peso podría haber causado el colapso. "Es difífico imaginar que eso puede ser la causa de este colapso catastrófico," agregó.

El edificio tenía más de 130 unidades

Registros en línea muestran que ele edificio tenía más de 130 unidades. Algunas eran propiedad de individuos y otras de LLCs o compañías de responsabilidad limitada.

Algunos apartamentos de dos habitaciones en el complejo están listado a la venta por precios entre $600,000 y $700,000, según una búsqueda de internet.

El sitio web del edificio promueve "vistas increíbles del mar o espectaculares vistas de la vía intercostera con la Ciudad al fondo."

Agrega que la brisa marina que sopla todo el año ayuda a mantener las temperaturas moderadas en verano e invierno y que los apartamentos está "ubicados cerca de algunas de las mejores tiendas de Miami, así como lo mejor de la vida nocturna de Miami."

Contribuyeron: Gina Barton, Kyle Bagenstose, Pat Beall, Aleszu Bajak, Elizabeth Weise, Becky Kellogg, Andy Scott, Rachel Aretakis, Teresa Frontado y Shawn Sullivan.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Champlain Towers: edificio de apartamentos en Florida que colapsó

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