Report warned that the Iowa building collapsed just DAYS before the disaster leaving three suspected dead
Workers were warned to “get away” from an “unsafe” building in Iowa just two days before it collapsed, leaving three people presumed dead and families praying for their loved ones.
Contractor Ryan Shaffer said he told people who worked near the Davenport apartment building that they would “die” if they stayed there because he could see the cracking and the masonry falling.
Meanwhile, an engineering report written five days before the disaster warned that the entire face of the building was on the verge of collapse and called for urgent repairs.
The revelations have angered families who wonder why residents were not evacuated before disaster struck.
Three men, Ryan Hitchcock, Branden Colvin and Daniel Prien, remain missing after the building at 324 Main Street collapsed on Sunday.
An investigation of the Davenport apartment building by firm Select Structural, written just five days before the disaster, found that the entire face of the building was on the verge of collapse. The municipality reports this on Wednesday
Officials are now looking for three missing men in anticipation of another collapse. Devina Colvin (right), wife of the missing Branden Colvin, and son Branden Jr. (asleep on the left) are seen here Thursday outside a barrier that prohibits entry to the building, awaiting answers from city officials about the fate of their loved one
At the de facto protest site on Thursday, Branden Jr.’s younger brother was on the scene. — seen here with a sign protesting the city’s lack of action
Colvin’s younger son held a sign that read “Where’s My Dad?” outside the remains of the site Thursday.
City officials have been criticized by families for making preparations for the building’s demolition before everything is accounted for.
Meanwhile, Quanishia White-Berry – known to friends as Peach – had to have her leg amputated after a desperate rescue Monday.
Davenport City Hall released hundreds of documents on Wednesday, including reports warning that the building was falling into disrepair, notices of violations, orders to vacate some apartments and complaints from residents over the past three years.
Among the documents submitted is a technical report from the firm Select Structural – written five days before the building collapsed – which warned that urgent work was needed “to prevent the entire face of the building from falling away.”
Shaffer, who had been working at a nearby location, said he went to 324 Main Street for two days before the disaster and – after seeing a pile of stones on the ground – said to the workers on the site: ‘Get out. You are dying.’
He said he came back the next day to find more bricks missing and “ran” to a city cleaner working under the block and warned him, “It’s not safe.” You have to get out of here.’
Wold has been cited for failing to keep the building in a safe and structurally sound condition, according to a court document filed by the city on Tuesday.
He must appear in court on June 9.
Missing residents Branden Colvin (left) and Ryan Hitchcock (right) are presumed dead among the rubble, city officials said Thursday
Eight people have been rescued from the rubble since the Davenport block collapsed on Sunday
A photo taken by contractor Ryan Shaffer before the building collapse shows the building’s facade decaying
Wold and the property management team released a statement that did not address the breach, but said their “thoughts and prayers are with our tenants and families at this difficult time.”
With damning records, city officials struggle to provide answers to families who want to know how the building could have collapsed while residents were still living there.
At a news conference Thursday, Mayor Mike Matson said, “I totally understand their anger. I totally understand their concern. I have the same anger and concern.
“We’re continuing to investigate.”
Rich Oswald, Davenport’s Director of Development and Community Services, said a building inspector who had falsely “passed” recent repairs to the complex had now resigned.
Oswald said the work should have been marked ‘unfinished’, explaining that while it was an ‘clerical’ error, ‘the magnitude of the situation in the error made’ meant the officer had left his post.
Rescue efforts have removed eight people from the building since Sunday, but the operation was now a matter of “recovery,” Davenport Police Chief Jeffery E. Bladel said Thursday.
He said there was a “high probability” that the three missing men were “within that collapsed space and all the information we were given is that the space is not sustainable for life.”
Protesters held signs reading “Find them first” and “Who’s in the rubble?” Some used a megaphone to call out the names of residents. The building had 53 tenants in about 80 units, the police chief said
In the days following the collapse, more than 100 residents have gathered at the site to protest a planned demolition of the unstable building – which remains up in the air as Colvin and Hitchock are still missing
Families of missing people disagree over whether the building should be demolished.
Officials say the block is “still moving” and is “hazardous” – making salvage operations dangerous and increasing the likelihood that other parts of the building will collapse, endangering lives.
Plans to demolish the building, originally scheduled for Tuesday morning, have been shelved.
“We’re nowhere near that yet,” said Mayor Matson. We are working on a timeline. We are contacting experts who have specific expertise in removing it in a dignified and respectful manner.’
Ryan Hitchcock’s family say they accept the likelihood that he is dead and support the city’s plans to demolish the rest of the building to prevent further casualties.
Family member Amy Anderson said at a press conference on Tuesday: “Ryan wouldn’t want anyone else to risk his life.
‘I don’t rule out the possibility that he could be miraculously stuck there.
“But we don’t want any more families to lose their lives or anyone else to get hurt removing that rubble and something to fall.”
But Branden Colvin’s family disagrees.
“You know people are still missing, but you want to tear down the building. What’s the point?’ Colvin’s cousin Preston McDowell told him CNN. They don’t give us answers. I just don’t get it.’