Page 150 - Collapses News Today

Ive been on buildings -- ive been doing this for 30 years and ive done hundreds of 40-year certifications. ive been on hundreds or even thousands of inspections. and spalling can get to a point that if not repaired, it can lead to eventual collapse and ive been to places where there have been collapses of floors, of beams, of columns. obviously something not nearly as much as what we see here, but yes, it could be either the main factor or one of the factors, such as there may have been some, as...

40 year certifications, been on thousands of inspections. and spalling can get to a point that if not repaired, it can lead to eventual collapse. and ive been to places where they have been collapses of floor, beams, columns. obviously not nearly as much as we see here, but, yes, it could be either the main factor or one of the factors such as there may have been some as ive read in some articles that there was a study made that part of the building was maybe subsiding a little bit. so maybe tha...

Them down. so weve got these guys working around the clock now and there is no guarantee that the rest of that building doesnt come down. and they just keep going. that is the one silver lining in this whole thing, we have real heros out here doing an amazing job. >> and we wish and the rescue crews and everybody in your community the best of luck as you try to navigate through this horrible tragedy. mayor, thank you so much for joining us. >> thank you. >> greg batista is an engineer and says t...

Especially adjacent to saltwater, the ocean. as that happens, they will expand and they can actually push concrete and other building materials out as that happens and you will see cracks. thats a possibility. its not that unusual in a seaside building to have some degree of corrosion. but for it to collapse on itself, we need more perspective. we have a structural engineer who is familiar with this building. his name is greg batista and he joins me now. thank you for doing this on short notice....

Secure, which is resting on something else thats not so secure. so what are you doing to make sure that these teams are okay, and just how dangerous is it for these first responders? >> well, its certainly a dangerous situation. the rescuers, you know, assess the risk. they rely heavily on their training, their experience, and these structural engineers that are very experienced in these types of structural collapses. theyre the ones that are going to tell us, its a go, its a no go, or you need ...

Creaking, there was spalling and there were repairs needed for rust and corrosion, some roofing. is there anything that youve heard that raises concern? >> well, let me be clear about something. the concrete repair and the spalling problem does cause eventual collapses. ive been on buildings -- ive been doing this for 30 years and ive done hundreds of 40-year certifications. ive been on hundreds or even thousands of inspections. and spalling can get to a point that if not repaired, it can lead t...

Out week -- a week after a collapse? >> absolutely. i was the team leader in haiti. and we rescued, as you heard earlier, a -- a -- a small child eight days after the earthquake. so, thats why these rescuers continue to have hope. if void spaces can be detected, there is the possibility that people are still alive. were not outside the window of sur survivability in this type of collapse. a pancake collapse is -- is one of the worst types of collapses you could have. as you said, the lean to whe...

One-structural wall. so, with a pancake, less likely to find these voids, is what you are saying, but still possible? >> correct. i mean, that video that miami-dade put out last night shows some void spaces in that garage area. shows that there is some large-metal structures that present structure support and stability to a void. so there is a combination of all four type of collapses in that rubble pile. and each of those spaces provide opportunities for a survivable area. seven-to-ten days, it...

Theres always hope. you know, ive been in florida, in haiti, collapse in barbados and other collapses that weve been at, and theres always that hope and thats why were here. we fight 24/7, we dont stop. you know, when it gets to that point that its just incompatible with hope, well reach that point. but right now there is always hope and thats what were here to do, were here to rescue as many people as we still can. >> it is hard to reconcile some of the images that were seeing. the work that is...

These terms. they have to break certain areas, breach into certain areas, shore up areas. how -- how potentially dangerous is this for the rescue workers, themselves? >> absolutely, dangerous. the -- the -- the building is constantly shifting. the assault of that collapse changed that dynamic. the remaining building thats, still, standing is a concern and is being, constantly, monitored for any, secondary collapses. as the rubble pile, itself, is being assessed. and being moved. any push here, c...