Opinion: In Davenport building collapse, rescue efforts, full explanation must precede demolition
The decisions being made by people in charge of the response to a partial building collapse in Davenport are baffling. That will remain true no matter what explanations eventually emerge for a brief rescue operation and plans to demolish the structure while some occupants remained unaccounted for.
If there are good reasons for these choices that justify what appears to observers near and far like an appalling disregard for human life or for loved ones' need for certainty, it's the responsibility of the government to share them, urgently, with relatives, friends and the general public.
A city news release late Monday fell short of this simple benchmark. It vaguely declared that “currently, there are unaccounted individuals that were residents of the property.” As for a demolition that officials said at one point was scheduled for Tuesday morning, the news release quoted the city director of development and neighborhood services, Rich Oswald, as saying, “With the current structure in imminent danger of collapse, the necessity to demolish this building stems specifically from our desire to maintain as much safety for the surrounding areas as possible.”
More: Frustrated families say loved ones still missing after Davenport apartment collapse
What about the safety of people who might be trapped at the apartment building? What about the possibility of unrecovered bodies? If the risk to lives nearby from further collapse is significant and cannot be mitigated, then a horrific sort of triage might be necessary — and the city should have said so. This is no time for sugar-coating.
The partial collapse that tore away portions of all six stories of the 117-year-old building at 324 Main St., which has about 80 units, occurred just before 5 p.m. Sunday. Perhaps the missing were out enjoying the warm holiday weekend and are safe. Perhaps they weren’t. Nobody expects the emergency responders who have been risking their lives to have instant answers. But the city, and agencies that assisted the city, need to be forthcoming about what they know and what they don’t know. We haven’t seen that in the first 36 hours of the response.
Officials said Monday morning, less than 17 hours after the collapse, that rescue operations were ending. A woman was rescued several hours later.
“This is not winning over the people within the community,” Antoine Smith Sr. told Register reporter William Morris on Monday. He was waiting to find out the fate of an aunt and a close friend who lived in the building. It was Smith's aunt, Lisa Brooks, who was later reported rescued.
Until authorities can say with confidence that there is no possibility of finding more survivors, rescue attempts are what matter most. “Why” questions — including both what went wrong to allow people to live in an unsafe building, and what’s been going wrong since it fell — can wait.
Lucas Grundmeier is the Register's opinion editor.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Opinion: In Davenport building collapse, put rescue before demolition
