In light of the condominium collapse in Florida that has the claimed the lives of nearly 100 people, an engineering professor at USC is calling for California to require inspections of aging high rises.
Henry Koffman tells KNX that California leaves the safety of and integrity of aging high rises mainly to the owners.
“I’m really concerned that we have buildings with that similar type of construction that we need to have some sort of inspection,” Koffman said.
The condo collapse in Surfside, Florida on June 24 reminded Koffman of an incident that occurred in Westwood in 2010. That condominium had cracked beams, corrosion and serious water leaks.
“Luckily, the majority of the homeowners voted to fix it,” he said. “If they didn’t fix it, that building would have come down sooner than the (Surfside) building came down.”
Koffman advocates for officials to identify buildings in poor condition and inspect them on a regular basis. He said the major cost would come from building repairs.
“It is certainly a price we have to pay to keep our people safe,” Koffman said.