[Deplorable American1776]

I just heard that a University of Connecticut baseball player and his family was in one of the condos (that is still standing.) His sister was about 5 feet from where the building collapsed.

[Kartographer]

By the time the investigations are over and the numerous lawsuits are settled how many of the owners will still be alive to care?

[jonrick46]

They can dig all the way to China. That doesn’t solve the problem with the water table that soaks into the concrete and causes the rebar to swell. When that rebar swells, it cracks out the concrete. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that.

Because of the problem with that ocean water table, the Champlain Towers has to be totally demolished and buildings of that size to never be built there again. All of the residences need to be refunded of the money they have paid for their condo.

[MinorityRepublican]

Not related to the topic but relevant.

“The construction of sky scrapers in New York City began in downtown, around Wall St. at the lower end of Manhattan Island, but soon spread north. Here’s where things begin to get a little more interesting. New skyscrapers were not being built close to downtown, but rather were mostly being constructed in midtown, 4 miles north.

This has to do in part with the depth of the bedrock underneath the city. Large buildings need to be anchored to bedrock in order to prevent potentially uneven settling. The bedrock is within a few feet of the ground surface in Midtown, and within 40 feet of the surface in Downtown. It is 4 to 5 times deeper in other parts of the city. Skyscraper developers generally shied away from building between these two main business districts in part because the deep bedrock would significantly increase building costs.”

[Albion Wilde]

This is a disaster, and the building should be condemned so the surviving owners won't be trapped in a distressed property they won't be able to sell. But don't hold your breath waiting for that to happen. The powers that be may try to make them stay on the promise of repairs or sell at a loss.

The building owners will take a great loss, but that's why insurance companies have another layer of insurance called reinsurance—a "Lloyd's of London" type of business where insurance companies pay for extra insurance in case of massive claims.

As for the condo owners or their heirs, their struggles with their individual policies will be epic, like in many natural disasters. Florida is probably accustomed to massive claims after hurricanes.

[Jim Noble]

Maybe some of you out there can contemplate what will happen with the remaining units in the months to come

They have zero value and owners will have to take their losses.