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Hundreds Forced To Leave Miami Condo After Officials Deem It Unsafe

Kevin Harness Contributor
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Hundreds of people were forced to leave a Miami condo after officials considered it to be unsafe, The Associated Press reported Tuesday.

Residents left their homes Monday night after an evacuation order was set in place due to suspicions that the building was structurally flawed, according to The Associated Press. (RELATED: Victims Of Surfside Condo Collapse To Receive $150 Million Initial Compensation, Judge Says)

The building was already on the unsafe structure list about three months prior to the evacuation notice because images had surfaced indicating property damage. The building also failed to meet the requirements needed for a recertification process, NBC News reported.

Miami building director Asael “Ace” Marrero — along with other city officials — met with residents to discuss concerns over the current state of the building, the Miami Herald reported. The building was inspected the following day and it was confirmed that the garage had to be closed off due to the possibility of there being structural flaws.

A couple of days later, an engineer signed off on a follow-up letter stating that the building was now safe for people to move back in while the repairs were being made, according to officials.

Marrero said that the reasons behind the evacuation order were because of an inspection that occurred on the same day of the evacuation notice. The inspectors claimed the columns provided a weak foundation for the building and needed to be repaired, NBC News reported.