It’s been one year since 98 lives were lost when a condominium building collapsed at 1:22 a.m. in Surfside, Florida. Family members, friends, loved ones and law enforcement officials are gathering in South Florida to remember the victims. On Thursday, a judge gave final approval to a $1 billion settlement for the victims. The decision came one day before the one-year mark of the Champlain Towers South disaster in the Miami suburb. The judge praised the dozens of lawyers involved for averting what could have been years of litigation with no sure outcome.“It will never be enough to compensate them for the tragic loss they have suffered,” the judge said. ”This settlement is the best we can do. It’s a remarkable result. It is extraordinary.”The bulk of the settlement will be awarded to people who lost family members in the collapse of the 12-story building. Six teams are investigating the cause of the collapse. The National Institute of Standards and Technology held a meeting in early June to determine what caused the tragedy and made recommendations to see that a disaster like this never happens again. “This investigation, as you’ve heard before, is very complex, because the structure was 40 years old and there are many factors that likely contributed to its failure,” said Lead Investigator Judith Mitrani-Reiser. The teams have been using drone and sensor data to narrow down signs of structural failure and to confirm if the soil, underground rock or vibrations from the construction of the tower next to the one that collapsed played a role.Since the collapse, which has been coined as one of the deadliest building failures in U.S. history, Florida will require statewide recertification of condominiums more than three stories tall under new legislation Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law last month in response to the disaster. The death toll in the Champlain Towers collapse ranks among the highest in U.S. history among similar disasters. The 1981 Hyatt Regency walkway collapse killed 114 people and a Massachusetts mill disaster in 1860 killed between 88 and 145 workers.Here’s a look at the timeline of events from the building collapse on June 24, 2021, to three weeks later.(Warning: The infographic below contains graphic images that you may find disturbing.) This article contains information from The Associated Press.
It’s been one year since 98 lives were lost when a condominium building collapsed at 1:22 a.m. in Surfside, Florida.
Family members, friends, loved ones and law enforcement officials are gathering in South Florida to remember the victims.
On Thursday, a judge gave final approval to a $1 billion settlement for the victims.
The decision came one day before the one-year mark of the Champlain Towers South disaster in the Miami suburb. The judge praised the dozens of lawyers involved for averting what could have been years of litigation with no sure outcome.
“It will never be enough to compensate them for the tragic loss they have suffered,” the judge said. ”This settlement is the best we can do. It’s a remarkable result. It is extraordinary.”
The bulk of the settlement will be awarded to people who lost family members in the collapse of the 12-story building.
Six teams are investigating the cause of the collapse. The National Institute of Standards and Technology held a meeting in early June to determine what caused the tragedy and made recommendations to see that a disaster like this never happens again.
“This investigation, as you’ve heard before, is very complex, because the structure was 40 years old and there are many factors that likely contributed to its failure,” said Lead Investigator Judith Mitrani-Reiser.
The teams have been using drone and sensor data to narrow down signs of structural failure and to confirm if the soil, underground rock or vibrations from the construction of the tower next to the one that collapsed played a role.
Since the collapse, which has been coined as one of the deadliest building failures in U.S. history, Florida will require statewide recertification of condominiums more than three stories tall under new legislation Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law last month in response to the disaster.
The death toll in the Champlain Towers collapse ranks among the highest in U.S. history among similar disasters. The 1981 Hyatt Regency walkway collapse killed 114 people and a Massachusetts mill disaster in 1860 killed between 88 and 145 workers.
Here’s a look at the timeline of events from the building collapse on June 24, 2021, to three weeks later.
(Warning: The infographic below contains graphic images that you may find disturbing.)
This article contains information from The Associated Press.
