Ever Since the Champlain Towers South condo collapsed on Thursday, people have been on edge about living in high rise buildings.
A local psychologist said it is good to look at when the last time your building was inspected, but she also talks about steps to take to ease some of this anxiety.
Dr. Lynn Wadelton, a local psychologist, said it’s common for people to think the worst after the 12-story beachfront condominium tower in Miami-Dade County collapsed early Thursday morning.
Wadelton lives in a condo on the beach herself and she says she’s had anxious thoughts.
“The problem begins when your brain gets stuck on thinking as low probability event actually has a high probability,” Wadelton said.
Wadelton has some tips to get rid of some of these worries.
″Ask yourself, do you really believe the alarm? Wadelton said. “And be really honest, if you did believe it, you wouldn’t be in your condo right now.”
Dale Linn lives on the 15th floor of the Strand Apartments downtown. He says the recent event has caused some worries in his family.
“I honestly think the most dangerous thing about this is not that the buildings are going to fall down,” Linn said. “People aren’t going to sleep.”
Another one of Wadelton’s tips is to do some research.
The news followed word of a 2018 engineering report that showed the Champlain Towers South condo had “major structural damage” to a concrete slab below its pool deck that needed extensive repairs before it collapsed. It was part of a series of documents released by the city of Surfside.
“Some people are doing problem-solving actions, like checking to see when the last time they were inspected was,” Wadelton said.
That’s what Hannah Reese did.
She said her parents live in The Strand Apartments in downtown Jacksonville, but she isn’t worried.
“I was recently a biology student, so I’ve learned about the rising sea levels in Miami,” Reese said. “So it was kind of an interesting standpoint to look at with the ecological perspective.”
Wadelton said if you’re still feeling anxious two weeks from now, you should consult with a mental health professional on how to deal with anxiety.
“If you really think about how many condos are up and down the beaches of Florida, you will realize that this is so rare,” Wadelton said.