Do you have pictures related to Surfside collapse? How you can help an investigation
On June 24, the Champlain Towers South partially collapsed, leaving hundreds missing. The next day, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, or NIST, sent a team of six scientists and engineers to start gathering information at the site.
On June 30, the little-known federal agency announced it was beginning a full technical investigation of the collapse.
“There are millions of high-rise condominium units in Florida alone, many of them aging structures near the ocean,” the NIST website reads. “While a NIST investigation is intended to identify the cause of the Champlain Towers South collapse, it could also uncover potential issues in other similar buildings nearby and throughout the nation.”
The search and rescue mission pivoted to a search and recovery operation on Wednesday, with 78 dead and 62 unaccounted for as of Friday afternoon. The team has partnered with federal, state and local authorities to identify and preserve anything that might help them understand why the building came down.
What is NIST, and what exactly is it investigating?
Since it was founded in 1901, the NIST — a nonregulatory agency housed in the U.S. Department of Commerce — has been performing a wide range of activities to advance measurement sciences, standards and technology, according to its website. In 2002, Congress passed and then-President George W. Bush signed into law the National Construction Safety Team, or NCST, Act, the first piece of legislation to give a federal agency the primary responsibility to investigate building failures.
NIST has conducted four investigations prior to Surfside, including the World Trade Center in 2001, the 2003 Station nightclub fire, and the 2011 Joplin tornado investigation. Its investigation into Hurricane Maria is ongoing.
The investigation into the Champlain Towers, its most recent, is to determine the technical cause of the collapse, and depending on findings, make recommendations for changes to building codes or standards and practices that would improve structural safety of buildings.
The investigation will not determine whether any criminal acts or violations of federal requirements or state or local code or regulatory requirements were committed.
How long will the investigation take?
NIST investigations typically take years, but it will give updates on its progress to the National Constructive Safety Team Advisory Committee during regular meetings, which are open to the public, according to the NIST website.
How can you help?
NIST is encouraging the public to submit any information, including video, photos or other documentation, that might help the investigation. You can submit the material through a data portal on the agency’s website. Submitting is a relatively simple process. For each submission, just fill out the form that asks for a description of the data, credits and permissions.
The portal helps the agency organize and study, and conduct analysis and comparison with subsequent severe disaster and failure events.
Currently, the agency is only accepting information and data, including photos, videos and other documentation, from authors, creators or copyright owners. If you want to submit something but did not yourself write or create the material —for example, if you want to submit a photograph someone else took — contact the Disaster and Failure Studies Program.
The Miami Herald is also collecting information to try to learn more about what went on with the Champlain Towers leading up to the incident. If you have any information, please send it to tips@miamiherald.com.
This story was originally published July 9, 2021 at 5:15 PM.
