Residents of a collapsed Florida apartment building got a letter in April warning of worsening damage.
Weeks before the tragedy, the president of its board wrote that structural problems identified in a 2018 inspection had “gotten significantly worse” and owners needed to pay a hefty price to get them fixed.
At least 11 people were confirmed dead on Monday with more than 150 still missing after the 12-floor Champlain Towers South partially collapsed on Thursday.
People were seen adding flowers to a memorial, with pictures of some of the missing, as the search-and-rescue-effort continued.
Board president Jean Wodnicki sent the letter, addressed “Dear Neighbors”, on April 9.
It hinted at an ongoing debate over the repairs and a reluctance by some condo owners to pay for major work that would cost at least $15.5 million.
“A lot of this work could have been done or planned for in years gone by. But this is where we are now,” she wrote in the letter.
Ms Wodnicki noted costs had gone up since an October 2018 report by engineering firm Morabito Consultants first identified key issues with weakening concrete.
She predicted they would only grow more if put off any longer.
“Indeed the observable damage such as in the garage has gotten significantly worse since the initial inspection,” Ms Wodnicki wrote. “The concrete deterioration is accelerating. It is impossible to know the extent of the damage to the underlying rebar until the concrete is opened up.
“Oftentimes the damage is more extensive than can be determined by inspection of the surface.”
She also acknowledged it would be a huge project and a very large assessment but “the longer we wait, the higher the bids will be”.
President Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden are set to travel to Surfside, Florida to visit victims’ families.
Ms Wodnicki did not immediately respond to phone, email and text messages seeking comment about the letter, which was first reported by USA Today and The Wall Street Journal.
Just over two months later and with bids for the work still pending, the Champlain Towers South building in Surfside came tumbling down.
While the structural problems from the 2018 inspection have come under intense scrutiny, no definitive cause has been identified for the collapse.
The Morabito report focused attention on the pool deck, which was found to have waterproofing underneath that had failed and had been laid flat instead of sloping to drain off water.
This threatened not only the concrete slab under the pool but also other concrete structural areas.
The inspection was an early part of a process mandated by Miami-Dade County that all buildings undergo recertification — which would include any necessary repairs — once they reach 40 years of age.
