Residents of a Miami condominium had to evacuate their building due to safety concerns, leading city officials to assist them in locating temporary shelter, as stated by a city spokesperson on Tuesday.
The eight-story building, comprising 138 units, was evacuated on Monday. The city’s Human Services Department and the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust are actively aiding residents in securing alternative accommodations.
“We don’t know where we are going to go,” resident Dairon Deramico told CBS Miami. “The city is saying they are going to give us a place, maybe for a couple of weeks or a few days. I don’t know what’s going to happen.”
The city stated that it notified employees on July 7 about the building failing its 40-year re-certification, as reported by CBS Miami.
On August 9, the Building Department of the city discovered unauthorized construction work happening in the building and declared that the columns were structurally insufficient.
“My grandfather just comes in the house screaming, ‘We have to leave immediately,” resident Mya Castanedo stated the station. “It’s really chaotic because we’re not getting a final answer of what’s going on. Everyone’s just trying to pack their stuff and find somewhere to go.”
Another resident, Marialejandra Perez, mentioned that she quickly prepared belongings for her mother and grandmother before rounding up her dogs. “We’re just here, you know, waiting.”
The evacuation occurred six weeks following the Surfside condo building collapse, which claimed the lives of 97 people. Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava has urged inspections for all high-rise buildings aged 40 years and older.
In the previous month, a North Miami Beach condo underwent evacuation due to the discovery of hazardous structural conditions during an inspection.
