Of all the personal belongings found in the rubble of what was once a 12-story beachfront condominium building in Florida, it’s the photos that stick with James McGuire the most.
Despite so much destruction, rescue workers found items in remarkably decent shape, said McGuire, who spent 17 days at the Chamberlain South Tower site as part of a special Pennsylvania search-and-rescue team deployed to assist during national disasters.
“The pictures are definitely the biggest thing I remember,” he said. “The whole experience, I can’t say one piece was more memorable than another with the exception of the pictures. That is something that will be in the forefront of my mind for a long time.”
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All of this comes as Palm Beach County commissioners discuss how buildings should be inspected at its meeting on Tuesday, providing a first glimpse at local leaders appetite for increased oversight.
There are nearly 100 coastline condominium complexes that fit the profile in age and height in Palm Beach County: all 10 stories and higher and built before 1990.
“The group is trying to look at what is important and what went wrong and what we need to look at,” he said. “We want to get the smartest people together to identify all the red flags.”
But Radcliffe said identifying potential problems whether it be erosion undermining the foundation or corrosion of support from the elements is not an answer in itself. It will be up to the individual boards of the condominium complexes to act.
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