South Florida Urban Search and Rescue Team searches for survivors in the partially-collapsed 12-story Champlain Towers South condominium building in Surfside, Florida on June 26, 2021. Joe Raedle/Getty ImagesPool contractor snapped photos of the water damage below the Miami condo that had collapsed last week.After Champlain Towers South collapsed partially, eleven people have been confirmed dead. More than 150 are still missing.The area with the deepest standing water puddle was also where a 2018 inspection revealed a major design flaw.For more stories, visit Insider's homepage.According to the Miami Herald, Monday's deepest puddle of water beneath the pool of the Miami condo that was destroyed was located in the same spot as the "major error" in 2018 in the original design.After Champlain Towers South collapsed, eleven people have been confirmed dead. More than 150 are still missing.Although it is not yet clear what caused the collapse of the building, experts believe that a structural problem at the foundation could have been the cause.Two days prior to the collapse, a pool contractor visited the building and took photos showing the damage to the garage. He also saw cracks in concrete as well as wet floors in condominium's pool equipment room.The anonymous contractor said that he believed the Champlain Towers water supply was unusual. The contractor was told by a staff member that he thought it was waterproofing issues. The staff member also said that they pump water from the pool equipment room so frequently that pumps motors have to be replaced every two years according to The Herald.The contractor said, "I thought to myself, that's probably not normal", but added that the staff member didn't mention any structural damage to the building as a result of the water.The area with the most standing water was found around parking spot number 78, which was right under the condominium's pool deck. Sunday's Herald report stated that an inspection report from 2018 found a flaw with the original design of the building. The lack of drainage on the pool deck had led to "major structural damage."Continue the storyMohammad Ehsani is an engineer and concrete restoration specialist. He reviewed the photos and stated that this was the most severe damage to a building he'd seen.You can see the extensive corrosion of the steel rebars below the beam. Ehsani stated that this is "very serious" and said that beam condition is a "really big concern."Ehsani cautioned against jumping to conclusions that the corroded beams caused the collapse. However, the contractor's photos should have raised alarm.Ehsani explained to The Herald that buildings with asymmetrical shapes like this one have the possibility of one area collapsing and the building turning around. In this instance, it's possible for a failure in any part of this building to cause distortion to its frame and cause a collapse in any area, not just the one adjacent.Insider has the original article.
