Half of Champlain Towers South falls in under 12 seconds; dozens are unaccounted for in Surfside

For years, a 2018 engineering report had flagged serious concrete deterioration beneath the pool deck of Champlain Towers South — and by April 2021, residents had been told the damage was accelerating. At 1:22 a.m. on June 24, 2021, at least half of the 136-unit, 12-story beachfront condominium in Surfside, Florida gave way in under 12 seconds. Ninety-eight people died, four were pulled from the rubble, and roughly 35 more were rescued from the portion that still stood. A $15 million remedial program had been approved before the collapse; the main structural work had not yet begun…