"I don't think anyone in the civil engineering community saw this type of tragedy coming. I think we all get hit and say, 'Wow, there is definitely something to learn here,'" said Anne Cope. the chief engineer of the Insurance Institute for Economy and Home Security. "This is a moment like Katrina and Andrew where we are going to learn and make changes."

South Florida's building codes, experts said, are among the strongest in the country – designed to protect residents from hurricanes. The state put mandatory regulations in place after Hurricane Andrew ripped homes from their foundations in 1992, leaving 65 dead, and some counties introduced stricter requirements.

But many of the area's buildings were built before 1992, including Champlain Towers South, which was built in 1981 as part of a South Florida housing boom. These buildings are subject to regulations in force at the time of their construction and only need to be checked every 40 years – like the 2018 Survey of the Surfside, Florida condominium where an engineer hoisted red flags began to straighten the building but did not warn of one impending disaster.

At least 11 people have died after the building collapsed Thursday, and rescue workers are on the lookout for the 150 people still missing. The condo collapse has also raised the question of whether older buildings have received the necessary repairs – and if not, who will pay for them.

These questions also apply outside of South Florida.

Environmental threats have led to changes in building codes in the United States over the past few decades. California revised its requirements in hopes of protecting residents from earthquakes, and the federal government began taking an active role in building codes after the 1971 San Fernando Valley earthquake that razed several Veterans Administration hospital buildings to play. Louisiana introduced building codes after Hurricane Katrina. Elsewhere, tornadoes, rising sea levels, overflowing rivers, and other environmental threats have forced changes in building codes.

Other states have not adapted, leaving it to local governments to set building codes instead. Texas and Mississippi did not follow Louisiana's lead after Katrina and other hurricanes in recent years, and chose to allow the counties to set their own rules.

The Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety has rated the states along the so-called "hurricane coast" – Atlantic and Gulf Coast states in the United States. Florida, Virginia, and South Carolina topped the organization's list. Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, and Delaware fell to the ground. But regardless of the building codes, complete structural failures like the one at Surfside in the United States are extremely rare.

"Buildings just don't come to mind," says Norma Jean Mattei, professor at the University of New Orleans and former president of the American Society of Civil Engineers. "I cannot encircle my arms, which could have been the actual initial failure mechanism that caused the breakdown."

Mattei said that building codes in the United States have been modeled largely on the International Building Code model since 2000. The code contains references to additional model codes related to materials such as steel and concrete and to design loads.

The codes are updated after natural disasters, Mattei says, as well as when engineers detect changing conditions such as more frequent hurricanes or material erosion along coastal regions.

However, because the materials and constructions used in construction have changed over decades, it does not make sense to adapt the owners of buildings that were built before modern regulations were adapted to those regulations.

"So you have to figure out how to keep people safe and secure but not have standards that are so strict that their financial health is at risk," Mattei said.

Some buildings could require more immediate repairs – possibly at incredibly high prices for those who live there. This begs the question of whether governments are willing to partially pay the bill as part of the country's broader infrastructure commitments.

There are still no clear answers as to why the Surfside condominium tower fell to the ground, but early signs point to a failure in the lower part of the 13-story building, possibly in its foundation, pillars, or underground car park.

David Haber, the managing partner of Haber Law, a construction and real estate company in South Florida, said an immediate step homeowner associations should take is to charge high enough fees to have important items like roofs through the end of their property Life expectancy.

The condo community of owners should be banned from using the money raised for these purposes to instead use it on cosmetic upgrades like upgraded lobbies, he said. And they shouldn't be allowed to forego these fees in order to keep prices down to compete with nearby condos.

"They put boards in situations where they have to decide whether to make their lobby look nice for sales purposes or have a property that won't corrode," Haber said. "We have to level the playing field and get to where the board members do not have the opportunity to forego life security reserves."

"The problem is that people don't think beyond the immediate future. And they certainly don't think beyond their life expectancy," he said. "You will never get unit owners to pay more money. So you need to have less discretion at the board level of a volunteer board member. It has to be, 'Well, we don't have a choice.' "

Others said local governments should mandate more frequent inspections and force buildings to address the issues raised during those inspections.

"We try to encourage our local executives to ensure they have a comprehensive process that not only oversees the building and remodeling step for buildings, but also ensures that we are doing everything we can to have a comprehensive inspection program," said Clarence Anthony, the executive director of the National League of Cities and former Mayor of South Bay, Florida. "We're trying to help our community leaders find ways to keep this from happening again."

source https://seapointrealtors.com/2021/07/31/this-is-a-moment-like-katrina-and-like-andrew-surfside-condo-collapse-raises-questions-beyond-south-florida/

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