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What we have learned is that three years ago, an engineer warned of major structural damage at the complex. And now there are concerns about the condos Sister Building a block away. Surfsides mayor says residents there should evacuate out of an abundance of caution. Family members wait to hear word of loves ones as rescuers are bringing in dogs to sniff through the debris. Cnns wolf blitzer joins us from surfside. Wolf, the big news today, an engineer warned three years ago that there were major structural problems at this complex. Wolf, what do you see down there on your end of things . What you see when you get here, jim, is so much worse than you can even imagine with the pictures, because you see that rubble, it is so, so heartbreaking, just to wonder what happened and why it happened. Its heartbreaking all around. Very, very sad. And i suspect things are about to get even worse as we watch what happens in the coming hours. Experts are cautioning that it may take months, months to know what happened here. Back in 2018, managers were urged to make repairs. We understand that work was about to get under way. Well have much more on that coming up in a few moments. But first, lets get an update on the search efforts. A wall honoring the 159 people still missing has now been set up. Officials urge families to keep the faith, still hoping that there will be a miracle here. So many people are praying for that miracle. Cnns randi kaye is on the scene for us in surfside. Randi, is there any hope of finding survivors . I know youre speaking to the experts over there. What are researchers doing to try to locate survivors . Reporter theyre not losing hope, wolf, thats for sure. Even with all the obstacles in their way, including a deep, burning fire at the site, at that pile of rubble. That has been burning for some time now. There were fires yesterday. The building, when it shifts, it tends to create small fires. Now theyre dealing with a pretty deep one in that building, hampering the Search And Rescue efforts, unfortunately. Of course thats frustrating the families and rescue teams. Its spreading laterally, so theyre trying to isolate it. Theyre battling it with foam, water, and infrared technology. Theyve dug a trench to search for survivors while staying away from the fire. As you mentioned, the numbers have not changed, four dead, 159 unaccounted for. That other evacuation theyre now talking about at the Sister Building of this condo building that collapsed, that would be the north tower, it was built around the same time. It was built by the same developer, using the same materials. So the mayor here in surfside is very concerned. He thinks it should be evacuated so they can do a full structural investigation of that building and make sure its safe, wolf. They have to err on the side of caution right now. Randi, i know were learning more about this building, what was a 12story condo building, the history and the concerns that it wasnt structurally sound. Tell us about that. Reporter right, were talking about this threeyearold Structural Field survey report which was done back in 2018, certainly raising a lot of red flags, including structural damage. It cites sizable cracks in the Concrete Slab below the pool. It talks about crumbling in the Parking Garage, abundant cracking in the Parking Garage concrete beams and walls, and previous inspections as failing. Thats important, wolf, but nothing in this report indicates that this building was at risk for collapse or facing imminent collapse. The surfside mayor is saying its unclear what steps were taken to actually handle those cracks, wolf. But they have to err really on the side of caution, at least right now. Rand randi kaye, well get back to you. Officials are trying to determine the cause of the collapse. Reporter Structural Engineers and other experts now scrambling to find answers as to how this collapse could have occurred in an area with some of the strict over the Building Codes in the world. Its very unusual to see a Building Collapse in this way. It reminds me of buildings in countries where they have earthquakes and the construction is not in good condition. Reporter Professor Wdowinski Released A Study Last year that said the Champlain Tower South had been sinking, or subsiding, as he calls it, at a rate of two millimeters a year between 1993 and 1999. Its not clear if the land was moving or the building was moving into the land. But it was obviously the building itself moved, a very small portion, which is about over the measure the period of six years, about half an inch. Reporter he says that sinking didnt occur in other buildings right around that complex. He said the sinking alone likely would not have caused the building to collapse but experts say it could be associated with tension and possible cracks inside the structure. Local Officials Say there was roof work being done on the building. Their careful to say that may not be the cause of this disaster. But experts say it could have been a contributing factor. Potentially working on the roof, potentially the nonmaintenance of certain parts of the building, where the connections can come together and fail and create the Pancake Effect that happened. Reporter the location and climate of that area, experts say, also have to be considered. Potentially the corrosion of the steel, you know. As you notice, its right next to the ocean. Corrosion of the reinforcement will compromise the capacity of a column. If the column fails, everything fails, essentially. Reporter an attorney for the condo Residents Association says over the past several months the building had undergone what he called thorough inspections in preparation for its 40year certification. Nothing appeared either to the engineers or to any of the residents that would suggest anything like this was imminent. Nothing. Reporter experts say it may take several months before we know the real causes. And as for the possibility of one smoking gun usually a collapse like this doesnt happen just because of one factor. Usually its several factors combined. Its like a perfect storm. Reporter weve learned a Class Action Lawsuit has been filed against the champlain towers south condominium association, accusing that group of, quote, failures to secure and safeguard the lives and property of condo unit owners. The suit seeks in excess of 5 million in damages and cites a statement from the associations director who says repair needs had been identified but not completed. In response to the lawsuit, the director says he doesnt know and engineers dont know with certainty what caused the building to come down, so, quote, how is it that this lawyer knows with certainty what caused the building to fall down . Brian todd, cnn, washington. Brian, thank you very much. For the families of the missing, this is truly an agonizing time. Right now theres nothing they can do but wait. They can hope, they can pray, as the search teams comb through this horrible rubble. Joining us is josh spiegel. His mother, 65yearold judy, is among the 159 people still unconcluded for. Josh, thank you so much for joining us. Thank you for being with us during this very, very difficult time. How are you and your family doing right now . Thank you for having me. Its been a very big struggle. Were all heartbroken, and were praying, praying that we get to see my mom again. Its been devastating. And we just are trying to stay as positive as possible. I know your dad was out of town when this collapse occurred. He of course rushed immediately back. He told cnn your mom was the glue that kept the family together. What do you want people to know about your mother . I mean, absolutely, she was. She was the type of person that literally called Me And My Brother and my sister multiple times every day, would drop everything to talk to us, do literally anything for us. She was sorry, she is the absolute best person in the world. She was philanthropic, across the country and all the places weve lived. She loved music. She was a very big Barbra Streisand fan and beatles fan. She loved music. I would go with her to concerts all the time. We shared that love. And i just want everyone to know and everyone that knows her, knows everything im saying is just barely an inch of the miles and miles of love that she shares with everybody. Ive heard you, your dad, your brothers, your sister, talk about your mother and she obviously is such a wonderful, wonderful mother and also a wonderful grandmother too, right . Oh, absolutely. I have three nieces, and theyre absolutely beautiful. My mom, their grandma, love them so much, and continue to. Looking at some of the pictures of my mom with the kids is you could just see how happy she is every single minute of every day. Before the collapse, did your parents have any concerns about this building where i am . Because were hearing about this report that there was some cracking, crumbling of the columns, the beams, the walls, on the Parking Garage under the building. Where there any concerns expressed by your mom or your dad for that matter . I dont think that the gravity of whats coming out of those reports now was ever really given to the tenants. Little things that you look back on now, that even i noticed when i would visit, is like a little bit of water in the garage. But i dont think anyone really understood or knew about how severe these reports are. Last night, the mayor here in surfside expressed hope that survivors would still be found, that these Search And Rescue teams have seen people pulled out of the rubble after more than a week goes by. I assume that gives you at least some hope. My whole family is full of fighters and my mom was the strongest of us all. Were not going to stop until we get her back with us. And while i understand the gravity of the situation and how literally every second, the clock is ticking like, im a doctor, im a surgeon, and ive done a lot of trauma and burn surgery in my residency, and i understand that every second is precious. And were trying to do Everything Possible to spread the word to help my mom, tell everyone who she is, and if anyone can add additional help for us to find her, thats all i ask. Were praying together with you, josh, and your wonderful family. I wish we were meeting under different circumstances, josh. Thank you very, very much. Well continue this conversation with you and your family. Our hearts go out to you. Thank you so much for joining us. Thank you, wolf. To our viewers, for more information on how you can help the victims of the surfside Building Collapse, go to cnn. Com impact. Up next, well speak to a man who was staying at the hotel right next door when this condo building came crashing down. Much more of our special coverage. Were live here in surfside, florida. Well be back. 1 2 3 4 and i never turn it down aw aw no and i never turn it down oh no and i never turn it down pushing it down making it out taking it now oh love and i never turn it down pushing it down making it out taking it now making it out oh love people everywhere living with Type 2 Diabetes are waking up to whats possible with rybelsus®. You are my sunshine my only sunshine. 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I am Navindu Katugampola and we are morgan stanley. Do we really need a sign to live, laugh, and love . Yes. The answer is no. I can help new homeowners not become their parents. Keeonoh. Nope. Coeenoah. No. Joaquin. No. It just takes practice. Give it a shot. [ grunts, exhales deeply ] did you hear that . Yeah. Its a constant battle. Were gonna open a pdf. Whos next . Progressive cant save you from becoming your parents, but we can save you money when you bundle home and auto with us. No fussin, no cussin, and no back now to our Breaking News in surfside, florida. Youre looking at fresh chopper video coming into cnn from our affiliate, wplg, of the Building Collapse. Search and rescue teams are working around the clock to find any sign of life. One man staying at a hotel right across the street describes the absolute horror that he witnessed. Lets listen. This is our hotel. I hope these people i mean, theres no way. Look at this. Why are these people still in our hotel . Oh, my gosh, what a mess in here now. The scariest thing. I thought a tornado literally hit. They just said, no, the building is gone. Oh, my word. Oh, my word. Oh, my word. And the man who shot that video, whose voice you just heard, is on the phone with me now. Daniel groves, thank you so much for speaking with us. You were in florida on a Family Vacation to celebrate your sons birthday, and then you captured that stunning footage. Lets start from the beginning. What was going there your mind at the moment you realized what was happening . Honestly, i was just i mean, we that video is probably six minutes after the building maybe a couple of minutes after the Building Collapsed. My thing was, i was showing my family what was going on, in case we lost cell service. I was recording video for my family to let them know what was going on at that moment. I shot everything all at once. Could you hear it collapse . Oh, absolutely. So i was on the second floor, right by the pool. In the middle of this solaris hotel, right beside it. I was dead asleep on the second floor, 1 20 in the morning, my wife and i were sleeping. It sounded like a bomb going off, the loudest thing i had ever heard in my life, from a dead sleep. The whole building shook. I felt like we were in the worst earthquake in my life. I immediately ran to the window, pulled the blinds aside. I couldnt see but four or five feet in front of me, i said, were in a tornado, get up. Right as i said that, the alarms go off and we run right into the next room, grab our kids and take off outside, leaving everything in the room. And we understand your friends are missing right now. Were they staying inside the condo building when it collapsed . Have you gotten any updates on that . Honestly, its friends we met on the beach. That was our fifth or sixth day. We had met. This was a family and a couple of guys we had met on the beach. No, no word. Theyre still part of the missing. We didnt see them at the Community Center where they put us. Right now theyre still missing, to my knowledge. I cant imagine being on vacation and having something happen like this right next door to where you were staying. This had to be traumatic for you and your family. How is Everybody Holding up . Its not real good. My kids are really shook. My 6yearold turns 7 today. Were actually in disney right now. Its amazing how it worked, the resort kind of got us a rental car and sent us over, told us to come to disney. We woke up and came here today, just trying to get a little joy out of the last 48, 72 hours, if any. Toilet flushes, my kids are screaming. A doorbell, a bell on the elevator dings, my kids hold their ears. I dont know. I mean, i dont know what the long term effects are going to be. Not real well. Were here, were alive. Theres other serious issues here. Absolutely. And you were saying that youre at disney now but when you were at your hotel or where you were staying earlier in surfside, did you feel safe in that building . Well, honestly, it took very violently. When i went over to look out the window, there was a big crack in the glass where debris flew over and hit it. Right out the window theres dust, debris, concrete, everything. So, not really. Im not a structural engineer. I would imagine i dont know. I dont know how to answer that. Not really. We just went out and got down the street three or four blocks to the Community Center. Daniel, thank you s