Editorial: Check soundness of coastal towers

As the horrifying news about victims of the Florida condominium collapse continues to unfold, it only takes a glance around Honolulu’s skyline to understand the local concern about history repeating itself in the islands.

Chances are, it won’t, the experts say, for the simple reason that such deadly occurrences are rare. But this is nothing that should be left to chance.

That is especially true, considering the heightened risk of damage due to environmental factors in Hawaii, not unlike those that added to the deterioration of the oceanfront Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Fla.

These are some of the same factors that have worn away shoreline lots in numerous properties throughout the state, through forces accelerated by climate change and sea-level rise. This issue has been one of property owners selling homes, hotels and businesses along the coastlines without fully disclosing their vulnerability to damage.

The disclosure problem here has been addressed through the enactment of Senate Bill 474, which requires that owners comply with requirements to disclose “material facts” about a real property by specifying that the property for sale “lies within the sea level rise exposure area.” This rule will take effect May 1, 2022.

However, the more challenging issue of ensuring better building stability has no simple solution. Efforts to pass two relevant bills in 2017 stalled. They would have required safety inspections every five years for residential and commercial buildings on Oahu.

The city’s Department of Planning and Permitting disputed the need to shoulder that kind of inspection burden, and it had a point. Current law already allows DPP to respond to public complaints that a building may be unsafe.

If the contention is confirmed by DPP, the agency can order an evacuation and compel repairs or demolition. If an owner resists the order, the agency could have the work done and place a lien on the property to recover any expense the city bears for the necessary work.

As might be expected, other cities have responded to Florida’s tragedy by taking a closer look at their own inspection processes, and have come to similar conclusions. Inspectors are required to monitor carefully at each step of the construction and the Surfside experience underscores why this is so important.

But real problems can manifest once construction is complete, requiring careful oversight. Beachfront properties in coastal areas face rising subterranean water tables as well as potential damage from exposure to waves and salt air.

At the ill-fated Champlain South building, engineers hired in 2018 for a structural survey cited significant cracking and fragmenting of concrete structures in columns, beams and walls. Degraded rebar was a vulnerability as well.

The report noted damage that could be dismissed as minor but emphasized that “most of the concrete deterioration needs to be repaired in a timely fashion.”

When they are first identified, the problems are easier to dismiss as nonthreatening, but that’s when it makes sense to make the fixes. Later, corrective action becomes increasingly expensive.

Condominium owners have to contend with a long list of potential assessments to make various improvements. The risk of fire is generally seen as of primary concern, and even for that, property owners have been reluctant to pick up the bill for sprinkler systems.

Still, having the best information is essential. Owners must give this issue the vigilance it deserves. Only when armed with the facts can they make rational decisions about protecting their property and, most crucially, saving lives.