North Miami Beach building evacuated after being deemed unsafe

Crestview Towers Condominium viewed as ‘structurally and electrically unsafe’ in January report

A North Miami Beach condo complex has been evacuated after officials deemed it unsafe in the wake of the fatal Surfside building collapse.

Authorities say that the Crestview Towers Condominium, which was built in 1972, was viewed as “structurally and electrically unsafe” in its January recertification report.

The City of North Miami Beach says that the report was brought to the attention of its Beach Building and Zoning Department by the complex’s management on Friday.

Miami area officials are reviewing the structural integrity of all high-rise buildings above five storey’s following the Surfide collapse that has killed 22, with 126 people still unaccounted for.

City Manager Arthur Sorey III said in North Miami Beach’s statement that the evacuations were being carried out at the 156-unit complex “in an abundance of caution.”

“Nothing is more important than the safety and lives of our residents, and we will not rest until we ensure this building is 100 per cent safe,” said Mr Sorey.

He added that a more detailed assessment of the condo’s structural integrity will now be carried out.

North Miami Beach police say the department is helping with the evacuation.

“The police department is making every effort to ensure the residents in those buildings are evacuated safely efficiently,” said Captain Juan Pinillos.

Earlier the mayor of Miami-Dade County signed an emergency order to allow crews to demolish the remaining units of the Champlain Towers South building that collapsed last week.

Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said engineers are determining what the impact on the existing rubble would be and said that it may be weeks before that happens.

“The demolition of the building is going to proceed based on the recommendations of the engineers,” she said.

Work was halted for about 15 hours on Thursday as engineers assessed what is left of the residential building.

The region could face strong winds and heavy rainfall from Hurricane Elsa between Sunday night and Monday morning.

Around 55 of the oceanfront building’s 136 units collapsed to the ground on 24 June in the neighbourhood, which is just north of Miami Beach.