DOI: 10.17603/ds2-337d-h485
title: Virtual Assessment Report: Surfside Building Collapse, Florida, USA, June 24, 2021
title: in SUMMEER – 24 June 2021 Surfside Building Collapse

description: The first product of SUMMER’s efforts to research the sustainable materials management of 24 June 2021 Surfside Building Collapse is this Virtual Assessment Report (VAR) which is intended to: (1) provide an overview of the local pre-disaster planning and guidelines for disaster debris, along with the level of preparedness, (2) report the characteristics of the generated debris, in terms of types, quantity, areal extent, and potential environmental and health hazards, (3) investigate Surfside Building Collapse debris management and operations and any issues encountered, and (4) provide recommendations for better incorporating and establishing sustainable debris management practices as a new paradigm following anthropogenic disaster events. As this product is based on virtual reconnaissance alone, the VAR does not include detailed field investigative research. The content of this VAR is based on available online data, actual testimony from affected groups, as well as feedback collected from contacts and representatives in the field, when available. The findings, conclusions, recommendations, and opinions stated in this report are those of the individual contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or institutions with which they affiliate.
description: On June 24, 2021, a large portion of the Champlain Towers South 12-story apartment building partially collapsed. The collapse resulted in a total of 98 fatalities and 11 injuries. The structure was part of a complex of three buildings. On July 4, 2021, the remaining section of the Champlain Towers was demolished, as it was dangerously unstable based on structural engineering assessments. The amount of the generated debris was estimated in this project using EPA’s Incident Waste Assessment and Tonnage Estimation (I-WASTE) tool. I-WASTE results indicated that a total of 11,000 tons of debris were generated – 6,000 tons from the collapsed section and 5,000 tons from the demolished section. Reinforced concrete and steel were estimated to constitute 43% of the generated debris, and non-structural building materials, such as drywall, carpet, and wood, made up approximately 36% of the debris. In terms of waste management facilities, eight C&D recyclers, six electronics recyclers, three metal recyclers, nine transfer stations, two operational municipal solid waste landfills, and one operational C&D waste landfill were identified in Miami-Dade County. Given the nature of this anthropogenic event (i.e., singular structural collapse) and its atypical governing conditions (i.e., ongoing investigation and litigation regarding the cause of the collapse), it provides unique opportunities for investigating the feasibility of sustainable management of disaster debris through reuse and recycling amid intricate management conditions (e.g., debris heterogeneity and potential contamination, associated human factors, and issues in debris clearance and subsequent processing). This project encompasses the products of SUMMEER's virtual response to this disaster event: Virtual Assessment Report (VAR).