HEAVY MACHINERY IS ON THE WAY
WHICH WILL HELP LEFT THE DEBRIS
AS THEY CONTINUE THEIR SEARCH.
AND FEMA STAFF IS ON THE WAY AS
WELL.
SOME THERE ALREADY.
THE RED CROSS IS ON THE SCENE
PROVIDING SUPPORT FOR THE
DISPLACED.
THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE WHO ARE
DISPLACED.
THEY ARE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT
WHAT TO DO NEXT.
THEY ARE SETTING UP A SITUATION
FOR THEM TO TEMPORARILY STAY IN
PLACES IN THE AREA.
THEYRE SETTING UP A FAMILY
REUNIFICATION CENTER AND
PROVIDING MENTAL HEALTH WORKERS
FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY FOR THE
VICTIMS WHO SURVIVED THIS, THE
FAMILY MEMBERS AND FOR THE
COMMUNITY AT LARGE.
AGAIN, THERE IS HOPE THEY WILL
FIND MORE PEOPLE ALIVE.
BUT FROM THE LOOKS OF THE PILE
OF RUBBLE, WILLIE, IT IS A VERY
DIFFICULT AND HEART BREAKING
SCENE.
HOPEFULLY THE HEAVY MACHINERY
WILLRYO ARIF SOON.
RIGHT NOW THEY ARE JUST USING
SAWS AND JACK HAMMERS AND
TUNNELLING THROUGH THE DEBRIS IN
THE PARKING LOT UNDERNEATH ALL
OF THIS, WHICH IS HALFWAY FILLED
UP WITH WATER, TRYING TO TUNNEL
THROUGH IT ALL TO SEE IF THEY
CAN FIND PEOPLE.
>> YEAH, AND ONE OF THE THINGS
WE KNOW HAVING COVERED SO MANY
TRAGEDIES OVER THE YEARS, MIKA,
IS THAT THE FIRST NUMBERS WE GET
USUALLY ARE NOT THE ACCURATE
NUMBERS.
WE HEARD INITIALLY 99
UNACCOUNTED FOR.
NIECE ARE HAPPENING IN REALTIME.
THESE CHANGE.
THEYRE DYNAMIC SITUATIONS.
THATS A GUT PUNCH, 159 PEOPLE
UNACCOUNTED FOR, THE UPDATED
NUMBER FROM THE MAYOR.
FOUR DEAD.
SHE DIDNT WANT TO SAY IT.
BUT MOST EXPECT THE NUMBER FROM
FOUR TO GO UP QUITE A BIT.
WE HAVE WITH US THE CHAIR OF THE
DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND
CIVIL ENGINEERING AT THE FLORIDA
INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY THP.
DOCTOR, WE WERE HAVING A
CONVERSATION BEFORE THE
CONVERSATION BEGAN.
JUST FACTORING IN EVERYTHING YOU
SEE HER, EVERYTHING YOU KNOW
ABOUT THE AGE OF THE BUILDING,
40 YEARS OLD, CONSTRUCTED IN
1981 NEAR THE OCEAN AT SEA
LEVEL.
COULD BE CORROSION FROM SEA
WATER.
WHAT ARE ALL OF THOSE FACTORS
YOULL BE LOOKING AT AS WE TRY
TO DETERMINE A CAUSE OF THE
DEVASTATING TRAGEDY.
>> THERE IS A VERY GOOD ROAD MAP
FOR INVESTIGATORS OF SUCH A
FAILURE.
YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT EVERY PIECE
OF INFORMATION ATTACHED TO THE
HISTORY OF THE BUILDING, FROM
THE DESIGN PLAN, THE
CONSTRUCTION NOTES, TAKING THE
MATERIAL SAMPLES FROM THE STEEL
AND CONCRETE, LOOKING AT THE
FOUNDATION BEHAVIOR, LOOKING AT
THE -- ANY HISTORY OF THE
REPORTS, TALKING TO THE PEOPLE.
AND AFTER YOU DO ALL OF THAT YOU
ALSO HAVE TO -- YOU HAVE THE
TOOL BOTH IN THE CONSULTING
OFFICE, MORE PROBABLY AT THE
UNIVERSITY LEVEL, THAT WE CAN
SIMULATE ALL THE DIFFERENT
SCENARIOS IN THE COMPUTER AND
RECREATE IN THE COMPUTER THE
IMAGES THAT SHOWS HOW THE
BUILDING CAN COLLAPSE UNDER THE
DIFFERENT SCENARIOS.
AND THEN FROM THAT TYPE OF
INFORMATION IS HOW WE DECIDE
EXACTLY WHAT CAUSES THE
COLLAPSE.
NOW, ONE POINT IF I MAY MAKE,
YOU KNOW IN SEISMIC REGIONS, WE
KNOW THAT THE GROUND MOTION IS
UNKNOWN.
SO WE DESIGN OUR BUILDINGS IN
WEST COAST SO THAT IT CAN
SUSTAIN THE DAMAGE BEYOND EVEN
REPAIR BUT IT DOES COLLAPSE.
BUT I THINK BEYOND THE FIRST
POINT I MADE THAT WE NEED TO
PROBABLY TRY TO INSPECT CERTAIN
BUILDINGS LOCATED IN CERTAIN
LOCATIONS MORE FREQUENTLY, MAYBE
ONCE EVERY FIVE YEARS OR SO, I
ALSO THINK MAYBE WE MAY HAVE TO
LOOK AT THE -- SOME OF THE
PRACTICE IN THE DESIGN, THE WAY
WE HAVE FORCED THE DESIGN OF THE
HIGH-RISE BUILDING.
BUT THOSE ARE THE ISSUES THAT
SHOULD COME AFTER WE GIVE TIME
TO THE STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS, THE
CONSULTING OFFICE, THE PEOPLE
INVESTIGATING THIS, TO FIND OUT
EXACTLY WHAT THE CAUSE OF THIS
COLLAPSE IS.
AND THEN DECIDE, OKAY, WHAT
CHANGES DO WE NEED TO MAKE TO
THE WAY WE DESIGN, CONSTRUCT AND
WE INSPECT AND MANAGE OUR
HIGH-RISE BUILDINGS.
I THINK THOSE ARE THE QUESTIONS
THAT SHOULD COME LATER.
BUT RIGHT NOW I THINK THE FOCUS
SHOULD BE -- HOPEFULLY THERE ARE
MORE PEOPLE ALIVE.
I MEAN, THAT SHOULD BE FIRST IN
OUR THOUGHTS RIGHT NOW.
AND KUDOS TO THE RESCUER PEOPLE
WHO ARE REALLY RICKING LIVES.
>> YOURE RIGHT THE
INVESTIGATION WILL TAKE MONTHS.
LETS TALK ABOUT THE HERE AND
NOW.
WE WANT TO SAY AGAIN, THIS IS
THE BEST OF THE BEST IN THIS
COUNTRY IN TERMS OF SEARCH AND
RESCUE.
THIS MIAMI-DADE URBAN SEARCH AND
RESCUE HAS BEEN DEPLOYED AROUND
THE WORLD FOR SITUATIONS LIKE
THIS IN FAR-FLUNG PLACES, NOW
THEIR OWN BACKYARD.
WE JUST HEARD AT THE PRESS
BRIEFING, DOCTOR, THERE ARE
STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS ON SITE.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES
THAT THE SEARCH AND RESCUE TEAMS
NOW FACE FROM A STRUCTURAL
ENGINEERING PERSPECTIVE AS THEY
TRY TO FIND SURVIVORS?
>> YOU KNOW, I THINK THE
STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS ARE DOING
THEIR BEST.
THEY HAVE TO DO LOTS OF GUESSING
TOO.
BECAUSE ALL THE RUBBLE HAS
FALLEN ON TOP OF EACH OTHER.
THERE IS NO SAYING HOW STABLE
THEY ARE.
THE STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS HAVE NO
IDEA.
SO THERE ARE LOTS OF RISKS THEY
ARE TAKING I THINK.
DOING THEIR BEST BASED ON THE
MINIMAL INFORMATION.
IMAGINE YOU HAVE THIS WHOLE
BUILDING AND ITS EVEN DIFFICULT
TO PREDICT WITH 100% ACCURACY
THE BEHAVIOR OVER TIME.
I IMAGINE THE BUILDING THAT PART
HAS COLLAPSED AND YOU WANT TO
TRY TO IMMEDIATELY ON SITE, NOT
HAVING ACCESS TO ALL KIND OF
INFORMATION TRYING TO GET.
SO I THINK I WOULD PUT MY FAITH
ON THE JUDGMENT OF THE
STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS.
THEY ARE TAKING A EDUCATED
GUESS.
AND EVERYTHING IS RISK.
AND IT GIVES ME COMFORT THAT THE
YOU HAVE STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS
WORKING HAND IN HAND WITH THE
RESCUE PEOPLE.
I THINK THATS A COMBINATION
THAT SHOULD BE --
>> WALTER?
I WANT TO ASK ABOUT FUTURE
PREVENTIONS OF THINGS LIKE THIS.
WHAT TYPE OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES
ARE THERE?
AND WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE
INVENTED THAT COULD MONITOR AND
DETECT IN REALTIME THE TYPE OF
STRESSES THAT MAY BE HAPPENING
IN BUILDINGS?
>> I THINK MORE THAN ANYTHING
ELSE, YOU KNOW, THE EXAMPLE OF
THE SEISMIC REGION THAT I
MENTIONED, BECAUSE OF THE SO
MANY YEARS OF EXPERIENCE, SO
MANY LESSONS WE HAVE LEARNED, WE
KNOW THAT THE GROUND MOTION
CANNOT PREDICT IT.
YOU CAN HAVE AN EARTHQUAKE ON
THE RECORD SCALE OF 7, 8, 9
EVEN.
WHAT YOU DO IS YOU DESIGN THE
BUILDINGS SO THAT IT CAN SUSTAIN
DAMAGE BUT DOESNT COLLAPSE.
I THINK IN THESE CASES LETS
ASSUME A MINUTE MAYBE THE GROUND
SETTLEMENT IS AN ISSUE.
I THINK WE NEED TO VISIT SOME OF
THESE REGIONS JUST TO MAKE SURE
THAT WE TAKE CARE OF THE -- THE
DIFFERENT SCENARIOS SO THAT
BUILDING CAN MAYBE SUSTAIN
DAMAGE, GIVES US A WARNING
BEFORE IT COLLAPSES.
I MEAN PROGRESSIVE COLLAPSE FOR
EXAMPLE IS ANOTHER EXAMPLE.
NIECE ARE MORE TECHNICAL STUFF.
BUT I THINK MORE THAN ANYTHING
ELSE, THE WAY WE DESIGN OUR
STRUCTURES, THE ELEMENTS OF THE
STRUCTURES, BEAMS COLUMNS AND
ALL THAT.
THEY ARE DESIGNED SO THAT IT
GIVES YOU SOME WARNING BEFORE
THEY FAIL.
THE WAY TO CATCH THOSE AND TAKE
TIMED ACTION IS INSPECTION.
WE HAVE TO INSPECT THE HIGH RISE
BUILDING.
IN MY OPINION, I HAVE COME TO
THE CONCLUSION AFTER SEEING THIS
THAT WE NEED TO INSPECT OUR
BUILDINGS, CERTAIN BUILDINGS
LOCATED IN CERTAIN AREAS MORE
FREQUENTLY MAYBE ONCE EVERY FIVE
YEARS.
THATS A DISCUSSION I THINK THE
COMMUNITY, THE STRUCTURAL
COMMUNITY NEEDS TO GET TOGETHER,
SIT DOWN AND DECIDE.
I THINK ITS GOING TO BE MORE OF
A STATE LEVEL DECISION.
I DONT BELIEVE ITS GOING TO BE
A FEDERAL TYPE OF LAW THAT WE
HAVE IN THE CASE OF THE BRIDGE.
BUT CERTAINLY AT THE STATE LEVEL
WE SHOULD BE SITTING AROUND THE
TABLE AND SAYING, OKAY, GUYS,