The partial collapse of a downtown Davenport apartment building has sparked the search for survivors and answers as well as protests against the building’s owner and city.
In the latest news conference held late Tuesday morning, May 30, officials with the City of Davenport said there are plans to demolish the heavily damaged structure.
The building, known as The Davenport, at 324 Main St., partially collapsed at about 5 p.m. Sunday, May 28.
At the news conference, city officials offered these key updates:
- Five residents from the building are still unaccounted for, and two people are still believed to be inside the building. That building had about 53 tenants and 80 apartment units.
- Search efforts continue, but those efforts are tempered by the fact the building may collapse at any moment.
- First responders have helped rescue nine people from the building, including resident Lisa Brooks, who was rescued at about 8 p.m. Monday. (Davenport Mayor Mike Matson said on Tuesday that he doesn’t know why it took so long to locate and rescue Ms. Brooks, but he wants to find answers to that situation.)
- City officials are moving forward with plans to demolish the building, but there is no firm demolition timeline in place.
- City officials also are moving forward with gathering information for an investigation into the building collapse.
Davenport Mayor Mike Matson gives an update Tuesday morning, May 30, 2023, on the latest developments from a building collapse at 324 Main St. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
The plans to demolish the building — where apparently two people are believed to be missing — seemed to partially spur a protest on Tuesday. Hundreds of people gathered in front of Davenport City Hall and near the fenced-off damaged building. Some of the protesters were holding up signs stating “Find them first,” “Corruption kills,” and “Things need to change.”
Also, there were shouts of “There are still people in there,” and “There are still animals in there” outside on the streets during the news conference, which attracted about 35 people, most from media outlets and city officials.
During that event, Mr. Matson said he is aware there is anger and protests over the building situation, but he doesn’t want those protests aimed at first responders and the perception that the city is not doing enough. He called the first responders “heroes” who have repeatedly put their lives on the line to rescue people from the building, and added that the city continues to work hard to help the residents of the building and find the answers to the partial collapse.
“If you want to go after anybody, here I am. Go after me,” the mayor said.
Also during the update, Amy Anderson, a relative of one of the residents — identified as Ryan Hitchcock — believed to be still inside the building, spoke and urged the protesters to end the protests.
She said she supports the city’s plans to demolish the building so no other people will be hurt.
“I plead with our community to let the city do their job. We just want to recover our family. … I plead with you guys, just stop,” she said to the protestors.
The building needs to be demolished relatively quickly because the structure is unstable, dangerous and could fall down on its own at any time, city officials said.
“We could leave this room right now and that building could come down in 20 minutes,” said James Morris, Davenport assistant fire chief and the city’s fire marshall.
Mr. Morris added that the city’s demolition plans for the building will start today with officials meeting with contractors to discuss the demolition, which he called a controlled “disassembling of the building.” However, Mr. Morris and other city officials could not give a timeline when that work will actually start.
During Tuesday’s update meeting, Larry Sandhaas, senior structural engineer with Shive-Hattery, called the building’s current condition dangerous, and getting worse by the minute.
“The debris is helping to hold up the building. … This building is going to collapse,” he added.
The dangerous condition also is hampering any efforts to go back inside the structure. Mr. Matson said it’s simply too dangerous to allow tenants to go back inside the building to recover their belongings. But it is possible first responders could go back inside, if needed.
Due to the complex nature of the incident, the Davenport Fire Department requested both regional and state resources to assist with the technical rescue efforts. MABAS43 and MABAS39 units and Iowa Task Force 1 Urban Search and Rescue Team were brought in to respond to the scene.
These units are equipped with and utilize specialized equipment and supplies to safely shore up the structure, gain access to victims, and extricate them from unique situations. Using thermal imaging, drones as well as a team of service dogs, they attempted to locate victims within the structure, according to the city’s Facebook page.
“The events of Sunday night are tragic and complicated,” said Davenport Fire Chief Mike Carlsten in a news release. “An incident like this requires the hard work and expertise of all of our first responders as well as the cooperation of partner agencies. I am proud of everyone’s efforts.”
During Tuesday’s update meeting, city officials identified the building owner as Andrew Wold, and said they have been in contact with him. When asked by the media if the building owner might face charges, Mr. Morris said it’s far too early to consider potential charges. Instead, the city wants to gather information for an eventual investigation into the building’s partial collapse.
Several city officials also urged the community to help the victims.
The following local agencies are helping the victims of the building collapse:
- The American Red Cross.
- The Salvation Army.
- The Quad Cities Community Foundation has opened the Quad Cities Disaster Recovery fund to assist residents who have been displaced.
For more information on how to help those displaced by the collapse, visit here.
