Five Years Later: New Report Explains Why Champlain Towers Fell

Five years ago, on June 24, 2021, a 12-story condo building called Champlain Towers South collapsed in Surfside, Florida. The disaster killed 98 people and shocked the entire country. Now, federal investigators have released a new report explaining what caused the building to fall. The findings are giving some answers to the families who lost loved ones that terrible morning.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology, known as NIST, studied the collapse for years before releasing its findings this week. Investigators found that the building had serious problems in its original design and construction. They specifically looked at support columns in the underground parking garage that held up the pool deck above. Two of those columns had started to weaken about three weeks before the building came down.

Investigator Judith Mitrani-Reiser explained what happened when those columns failed. She said that once the first connection broke, the rest of the pool deck had to carry more weight than it could handle. The structure was not strong enough because of flaws that went back to when the building was first designed and built. Those hidden problems eventually led to the deadly collapse.

Surfside Mayor Shlomo Danzinger spoke about the findings and what they mean for the town. He said that buildings need to be properly taken care of over the years so that small problems do not grow into bigger, dangerous ones. He believes that if the issues at Champlain Towers had been caught and fixed earlier, the tragedy might have been avoided. His words reflect what many in the community are still feeling five years later.

For families of the victims, the new report brings both pain and hope. Judy Spiegel was one of the 98 people who died in the collapse. Her daughter, Rachel Spiegel, said the report cannot bring her mother back, but she hopes it will help stop something like this from ever happening again. Rachel said, 'I hope the report is a wake-up call ultimately to others to prevent this in the future.'

Rachel Spiegel plans to speak at a remembrance event on Wednesday to mark the five-year anniversary. She said she will never stop talking about her mother or fighting to keep her memory alive. 'I really want people to remember my mom and how incredible she really was,' Rachel said. Her words show how deeply the loss is still felt by those who survived their loved ones.

The community of Surfside is also looking ahead as it plans a permanent memorial for the victims. Mayor Danzinger said he expects construction on the memorial to begin by the end of the summer on 88th Street. He described it as a sign of hope and healing for the town moving forward. The memorial will give families and residents a place to remember and honor the 98 lives that were lost.