Horry County condo complex evacuated last week after deemed unsafe. What happened and why?
About 200 feet of Horry County beach just north of Ocean Lakes Campground is closed, but it’s the structure behind the beach that is the real reason for the caution tape.
Hundreds of residents of the Renaissance Tower condo complex were evacuated from their units last week as the building was deemed unsafe over apparent concerns related to its structural foundation. The building remained closed off Friday with no clear update as to when owners may be allowed back.
Horry County Code Enforcement posted a sign outside the 22-story building within Myrtle Beach Resort that the building is unsafe and its occupancy has been prohibited, according to WPDE, while residents received an evacuation letter from their management company noting that the steel frame within its foundation is in “substantially worse condition” than previously believed.
Neither a county spokesman, nor a representative from the management company immediately returned a voicemail Friday seeking an update.
A letter sent from an engineer to the board president of the condo’s homeowner’s association — posted online by a unit owner — state that this damage was discovered during a repair project that had just begun.
“The condition of the outside steel surfaces, which have been concealed for nearly 40 years, are substantially worse than those that are visible from within the crawl space,” the engineer wrote. “Some of the column flanges are completely disintegrated on the outer side of the columns.”
He continued, in underlined and bold type: “We must assume these columns are not structurally sound. Without further evaluation and installation of shoring for the columns, no work should proceed and no occupancy should be permitted — zero exceptions.”
The engineer and board president did not immediately return voicemails seeking interviews.
