Structural engineer explains what he saw in condo collapse footage

This is a new version of a previously uploaded video that contains additional editorial information.

It's an American past time to ignore warnings and then stand there scratching our heads.

Everyone in this building association board is responsible for this tragedy, they neglected all the signs. They must be held accountable for all lives lost.

I like as soon as the building collapsed, they right away put out a statement that it was NOT a structural problem....hello, the structure just collapsed...so THERE IS A STRUCTURAL PROBLEM!

The question Now is, how many other buildings in this area are in the same shape?

It really simple. Building a high rise building near water have it own issues but, the real cause is they are too CHEAP to pay the maintenance cost of living by the salt body of water. Which is way more higher than fresh water.

Corruption kills. If you elect corrupt politicians, the safety of the public is put in grave danger.

I can't even imagine what the families must be feeling listening to this 😔

It is hard to believe there would be any survivors of this horrific collapse.

I find it very compelling that the 2018 report highlights problems of water leaking from the pool slab to under the front of the building. Then, when we watch the video of the building falling down, the failure begins at the very place the report said was the most vulnerable area for damage. Right next to the pool is where the collapse begins and it propagates from there...

I was a director on my condominium’s board for over a decade and whenever an engineering firm recommended attention to a deficiency in the structural integrity of our building or its envelope, we acted on those recommendations. Failure to do so would nullify any insurance coverage that we carried as directors. Even if we had to assess the owners above and beyond what was in our reserve fund, we did it. I can sleep at nights knowing that we acted in a diligent and honest manner with the best interests of our condo corporation in mind but I have seen many other boards in similar buildings fail to take the same approach because they didn’t have the guts or honesty to raise monthly fees or levy special assessments for major refurbishment. It happens far too often.

Sadly, the smoke coming from depth does not bode well for trapped survivors.

Building withstood 5 major hurricanes and 40 years, the owners ignored the upcoming repairs, now they will have to pay the wrongful death claims.

So leakage from the cracked pool softened the substrate layer, there was soil/clay subsidence, a foundation slab footing failure, cascading yield point slippage with associated mass loads losing distributed support at structural fastenings/anchorings and so forth. Should have been acted upon when the engineers report came in.

Why wait 40years to inspect Why can’t it be every 5years, even minimal inspections. Then in the 10 years period you have a more major inspection and so on. You are on sand, silt and water. You have erosions from salt water. My god man. I pray and mourn for these families 🙏🏽❤️

Is the engineer's mic made out of a potato? You'd think they'd do a sound check before going on the air with him....

This is what results when no government oversight exists under the guise of “deregulation”

"The pool slab is continuous under the building, so if there was leakage that took place--and in all likelihood did take place--and caused structural damage to the building itself, that could have been the proximate cause of the collapse." --Structural engineer Matthys Levy demonstrates that he has experience as an expert witness in court, hence the phrase proximate cause

When the foundation goes, everything else goes with it......Kinda of like our Republic..........

Thank you for interviewing a Structural Engineer and not an Architect