Talk About Tennis 2.0

“We didn’t understand that these islands actually migrate until the 1970s,”
This complex was built in 1981.

A lot of real estate value has become effectively zero. It is just a matter of how wide will this area be.

I know I sound like a monster, but news outlets shouldn't be fueling false hope here. It's rarely helpful to do so. "Missing" is too hopeful a term and divorced from reality. It's been several days. "Missing and presumed dead" needs to be how the unaccounted for are referenced moving forward.

I can't find the link now but the most compelling info I saw related to the Surfside collapse was related to improper construction of the pool. The Miami Herald is unsurprisingly crushing it with their coverage. There was an engineering report from a few years ago that showed the pool was improperly draining because it was not properly angled, was totally flat. The pool was over the underground garage and residents had reported there was always water in the garage and it's thought that this could be a leading cause - cracks in the concrete, rebar showing

'Surveillance video' pretty much always means unmanned cameras which are installed and left alone.
But this 'surveillance video' has obvious camera shake (could possibly be the wind, although it very much mimics the way that a person would hold the camera) - and it even pans to the right, as if to center the collapse within the frame.
Strange.

False hope can actually be helpful in easing the blow. It's similar psychologically to having a loved one die very suddenly vs. having a loved one die after a serious illness. If one has time to prepare, it can ease the blow.

Of course, it depends on the individuals involved, as well as the circumstance. But I don't see it doing any harm.
They're not saying that these people ARE still alive - they're simply saying that it's possible that people are still alive. Their loved ones are obviously clinging to this hope - but they also realize that there's a chance that the people won't be found alive. This can help ease the blow by extending it over a longer period of time, as opposed to it hitting like a brick.

I view hope as being a positive element.
I also believe that there IS still hope in this situation. It has been seen before that people have been found alive underneath rubble after earthquakes, etc. So I see nothing wrong with telling people that there is still hope - both because there is, and because it can help ease the blow if their loved ones are in fact found dead.

When they announce that it's no longer a search and rescue but a recovery mission then the tone in the media will change.

Was there water you ask?

Damage to the structure you ask?

This is so depressing

This is a great look at what forensic engineers see so far in the building collapse in Florida. It's worth a bit of time to see what they've put together so far.

Visual Forensics
Video, images and interviews deepen questions about role of pool deck in condo collapse

https://www.washingtonpost.com/investig ... ce=twitter