I can only imagine how many people were in their apartments either sleeping or watching TV or just whatever, just living their lives. Rosenthal said it is a miracle that he managed to escape because many of his neighbors' apartments were on the L-shaped tower that collapsed. That was my home. After a failed attempt duringthe 2022 legislative session, lawmakers in May returned to Tallahasseeandpassed legislation designed to prevent a similar disaster. Town leaders fuming at obstacles to investigation, aim to sue county, Florida judge approves $83 million settlement for property loss in Surfside condo collapse, DeSantis signs condo reform bill a response to Surfside building collapse into law, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. They're working around the clock and they're using every possible tool," she added. ", "It's a tremendous tragedy," he said, after taking a moment to collect himself. Have you been able to sort of gather and sort of think about what's next? "I feel like I'm mourning every minute for someone in the building," she said. "Panic starts to set in, like we need to really run, because I don't know if the rest of it is coming down. The teens rescue was one of at least 37 people rescued the day of the collapse. Still, friends and even complete strangers have been helping replace what she's lost. And it's just overwhelming, really.". It was like a sandstorm. ALVAREZ: Yes, I go every day. Residents of a partially-collapsed condo in Surfside, Florida, have spoken out about what they heard, felt, and saw during the disaster, as search and rescue efforts continue. , even as police and forensic specialists continue working to identify human remains. "My initial reaction is wow, we were so lucky. We talked aboutitand we say it's about 15 feet that we survived by, if we had been 15 feet to the right, it would have gone down, or half of the apartment would have gone down," Aguero said. The disaster is now officially one of the deadliest structural building failures in American history. But, I mean, I can't get into the building. The family's condo was on the ninth floor of the 12-story Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Florida. Gabe said his family knew many people in that community. ", She made her way to a nearby stairwell and tried to exit on the pool deck, but the door was jammed. She said she believed she is only one of two people from her floor who survived. And my mom decided to stay later at her event, my sister decided to come back home late," he said. Please enter valid email address to continue. The Champlain Towers South condominium was built in the 1980s and was up for its 40-year recertification, according to Surfside officials. "I looked to the left and the apartment to our left was half sheared off. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. All Rights Reserved. MIAMI (CBSMiami) - For the fortunate who survived the collapse of the Champlain Towers South in late June, getting basic help early on was simple. "There was no . CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. Have a news tip? We took out $15 million to fix that building at his say-so. Nir, a recent college graduate, was living there while he looked for a job and considered medical school. Then their bedroom began to shake. The condo collapse in Surfside, Florida has a Loudoun County man relieving and retelling his own horror story, after he was rescued from an apartment building collapse 20 years ago. He said he has not spoken to Jonah and there no plans in the works to meet, adding that he wants to give the 15-year-old time and space. GARCIA-NAVARRO: It doesn't sound silly. This was in a matter of seconds, out of nowhere. As many as nine victims, or about 10% of the death toll, remained alive and buried under the mountains of debris after parts of the 12-story residential building in Surfside, a quiet neighborhood just outside of Miami Beach, caved in on June 24 around 1:25 a.m. And there was maybe two apartments left in my floor, and I banged on their doors. Did Mavericks kneel during national anthem. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. But on Thursday, exactly two weeks after the 12-story . Rest of collapsed Miami tower brought down with explosives; 121 still missing. About six months ago, the Nir family moved to Surfside, Florida. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); The familys condo was on the ninth floor of the 12-story Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Florida. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much Nearly 20 people were rescued from the rubble of the World Trade Center following the terrorist attacks on 9/11. Deven survived the partial collapse of a condo tower near Miami. "I know that they are hopeful, so we are hopeful as well.". What are you thinking at this moment? "We're lucky to be here.". I ran to the balcony. Caitlin O'Kane is a digital content producer covering trending stories for CBS News and its good news brand, The Uplift. Not only were they working against the instability of the structure, but rescuers also battled underground flooding, fires,smoke and wind and rain from Tropical Storm Elsa. Those are people I say hello to. A survivor of the Florida condo collapse said she had to climb through the rubble in the dark with her dog until they found light. The familys condo was on the ninth floor of the 12-story Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Florida. Those are our neighbors. There was nothing there, and people were screaming. Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Fires have flared up throughout the day, adding to the danger for the search and rescue teams, according to the official. GARCIA-NAVARRO: As you just heard there, Ms. Alvarez said that the residents of Champlain Towers were reassured by a representative from the town of Surfside that the building was safe. The roof was also undergoing work and the entire building had been under scrutiny due to potential construction projects nearby, officials said. "It could have been a very different thing," Janette Aguero said, her voice wavering with emotion. And we'll have more details on that, plus more information on the collapse and what it might mean for other similarly constructed buildings in the area elsewhere in the show. I look and the ceilings down, the concrete, the cement," Rosenthaltold NBC South Florida. Its not like her, and its not like me, and when I woke up at 5:30, I understood why.. Firefighters officially ended their search for bodies in the debris of the collapsed Surfside condo building on Friday The family had their choice of two units, Gabe said. The remains belonged to Estelle Hedaya, 54, according to a statement from the Miami-Dade Police. Most residents were asleep. A massive search-and-rescue effort is underway following the partial collapse of a 12-story condominium building in Surfside, Miami, early June 24, 2021. Their car was destroyed in the building's garage. In the first 48 hours, we obviously did not have all the resources, Burkett, the mayor, told USA Today. I mean, I know that sounds silly, but that's all I want, my cat back. "We're just lost. ", Workers load a stretcher with remains extricated from the rubble into a Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner van, near the Champlain Towers South condo building on Friday. Scene at family reunification center, where 'it's the waiting that's getting to me' Surfside building collapse victims Sophia Lpez Moreira and her husband Luis Pettengill died along with their three children and nanny, Leidy Vanessa Luna Villalba. First published on July 14, 2021 / 2:21 PM. Once in her apartment, they made their way to the balcony and flagged down firefighters who rescued them. A total of 98 people died when the building partially collapsed on June 24, 2021. "It was like a really loud clap of thunder. Another requires condo owners to maintain a reserve fund to address needed repairs. Schechter, whose home is in a part of the building that is still standing, said she was asleep when she began hearing noises that were followed by shaking and rumbling. And she got the last condo in a 16-unit building that was opened up rent-free to Surfside survivors for the month of July. They were screaming. We're here! July 23, 2021 / 11:29 PM / AP. GARCIA-NAVARRO: And this is, of course, the middle of the night, so it's dark. "We tried knocking on people's doors," Gabe said. I have a good job, and I'm not destitute. Meanwhile, another 120 people have been accounted for, according to Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. Albert and Janette Aguero suddenly awoke early Thursday to what they said sounded like a "really loud clap of thunder." GARCIA-NAVARRO: And have you been back to the building? Nine of the 98 Surfside victims may have SURVIVED the initial condo collapse: Fire rescue logs show woman was alive in rubble for TEN HOURS. Now she has moved in with family members and assumes what's left of the building will be torn down with no chance to recover belongings. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Raysa Rodriguez, a retired postal worker who lived at Champlain Towers South for 17 years and was close to paying off her mortgage, described in a lawsuit she filed against the condominium association how crashing sounds roused her from bed the night of the collapse. The cause of the collapse is still being investigated, but evidence soon emerged of a history of maintenance and structural concerns at the building, which was just beginning a multimillion-dollar repair project. Someone help us. And I want you to know that in 2018, we had a board meeting. Paolo Longobardi speaks about escaping the collapsed building in Surfside, Fla. on "Good Morning America," June 25, 2021. Its a miracle. And I hear car alarms going off, I see lights flashing everywhere. Rescue workers continued digging feverishly for a sixth day Tuesday, after stressing Monday that they could still find survivors in the rubble of a collapsed Surfside condo building. But all the material possessions they lost can be replaced, he said. And their daughter was staying there. During times like this, they are very good. Live Updates: Miami-Area Condo Collapse Rescue crews race to find scores of people still missing in the wreckage Binx The Cat, A Survivor Of The Florida Condo Collapse, Was Reunited With His Family A high-rise condo building in Surfside, Florida, partially collapsed on June 24, leaving at least 95 people dead, with as many as 14 potentially still missing Tuesday afternoon. It was. The family's condo was on the ninth floor of the 12-story Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Florida. If the cause of death could have been multiple things, and we dont have enough evidence to say definitely what it was, we dont list possible causes.. "I don't think I've really processed what happened.". As of Friday night, at least four people were confirmed dead and 159 people were unaccounted for as search crews continued to work through the wreckage. As of Wednesday, officials said 75 people were confirmed dead and 90 of the victims have been identified. First responders arrive at the partially . I don't know because I grabbed nothing else. Elected officials told the paper that first responders lacked adequate resources and the experience in dealing with such a massive and catastrophic incident. The Miami-Dade Police Department is leading an investigation into the incident. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. Thats a horrifying thought, Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett told the outlet. A Miami-Dade County grand jury on Wednesday released a series of recommendations for condo safety throughout Florida after a deep examination of the deadly collapse in Surfside earlier this year. (AP), LIVE UPDATES: SURFSIDE CONDO BUILDING COLLAPSE. I looked forward, which is where the elevator shaft is, and it was just a hole," Albert Aguero recalled. But I am homeless right now. So far, there is no evidence of foul play, according to Levine Cava. One was a penthouse, the other on the first floor. Firefighters on Friday declared the end of their search for bodies at the site of a collapsed Florida condo building, concluding a month of painstaking work removing . Aguero, his wife and two children, were visiting South Florida from New Jersey. The earthquake happened 100 miles off the coast of Florida and experts are weighing in whether it could have had anything to do with the Surfside condo collapse almost a week later. Miami, FL 33141 Did anyone survive the Surfside collapse? I want major answers. He followed the sound and located 15-year-old Jonah Handler, whose hand and fingers were visibly wiggling through the wreckage. "As soon as she goes down to the front, I hear this loud rumble. I really didn't think anything of it. Rescue teams have tunneled into an underground parking lot for the condo building, creating a 125ft-long trench in an attempt to find air pockets in which people may have survived. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. MIAMI BEACH The first victim was found in the heap of wreckage just hours after the sudden collapse of a 13-story oceanside condo building. Everything I owned was in that apartment, but I don't care. The second body was pulled out a short while later. Sara was at an event, Chani was babysitting and Gabe, a night owl, had gone to the gym. Victor Oquendo, Emily Shapiro, Ben Stein, Christine Theodorou and Nery Ynclan contributed to this report. Required fields are marked *. "Any time we hear like, 'boom,' or just something that's very unusual, anything that brings those flashbacks, it's just terrifying and it's very traumatizing," he said. At least 34 lawsuits have been filed by families of victims since the collapse, accusing building officials, the condo board and others of ignoring structural defects. I can't imagine. Albert Aguero and his family had asimilarclose call. An engineer apparently warned the building's condo association of major structural damage back in 2018. The bodies of 83-year-old Antonio Lozano and his wife, 79-year-old Gladys Lozano, were recovered from the wreckage by first responders on June 24 and June 25, respectively. Accuracy and availability may vary. Its so difficult to put into words because of the people that are there, but Im grateful to be alive, he said. As the search for survivors enters its fifth day, those who escaped are recounting harrowing tales of survival after last week's condo collapse in Surfside.At least 10 people have been confirmed . We got to the stairwell and when we opened the door, that's when everything really hit, because half the wall to the stairwell was missing, it was kind ofopen airstairs, so now we're just racing down as fast as possible.". Multiple survivors have recounted that their entire apartment was rattling before the collapse. I don't know why I grabbed my phone. The group came up against rubble blocking their path. But, The June 24 collapse killed 97 people 96 bodies were pulled from the debris and one died at a hospital after being removed and. Surfside Resident Who Survived Condominium Collapse Wants Answers NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro speaks with Susana Alvarez, who lived on the 10th floor of the building that collapsed in Surfside, Florida Praying that the building didnt fall on me, collapse on me. Legal Statement. WSVN-TVSunbeam Television Corp But subsidence, or the gradual sinking of land, likely would not on its own cause a building to collapse, according to Wdowinski, whose expertise is in space geodesy, natural hazards and sea level rise. Copyright 2023 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. When I opened the door to my apartment, it leads to a long hallway, and all I saw was debris, Osin-Cohen told"Today. With Eyal traveling for work often, Gabe told CBS News he decided to live with his mom and teen sister to help them out. Jen Psaki offers to help coordinate rescue of US citizens Canadian teacher with size-Z prosthetic breasts placed on paid leave, Buster Murdaugh got 'very drunk' with dad 2 months after mom, brother murdered: source, What's next for Buster Murdaugh after dad's murder conviction, life sentence, Prince Harry was scared to lose Meghan Markle after fight that led to therapy, Prince Harry says psychedelics are fundamental part of his life, Inside Scheana Shay, Raquel Leviss heated confrontation about Tom Sandoval affair, Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant allegedly flashes gun at a strip club, Tom Sizemore And The Dangerous Burden of Desperation, Kellyanne Conway and George Conway to divorce. She hasn't slept in a bed since the collapse a week ago. The collapsed condo was about to begin . "For some reason, we all were doing things later than usual. I had this beautiful condo by the beach. The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. They always wanted me to go out, ride bikes with them. The remains belonged to, The final missing person in the condominium building collapse in Surfside, Florida has been recovered and identified, according to the Miami-Dade County mayor. "I'm on the phone with 911. He was obviously sleeping, Balboa said two weeks ago. "At that point, we knew it was a race against time because I didn't know if the rest of the building was coming [down].". He said his mom liked the unit on the ground floor better and chose that one a decision that, six months later, played a role in their survival. "That was a very difficult night . Capponi's organization, Global Empowerment Mission, has distributed roughly $75,000 in gift cards among surfside survivors, and he's also working with hotel and condo owners to find places they can live for the next two months. She then went down to the garage to discover it was flooded with water upto her ankles. "That was a very difficult night," Scheinhaus said. Coco, a black and white tuxedo cat, was left behind after her 89-year-old owner was pulled to safety from her fourth floor apartment. I lived there by myself. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! Heavy machinery is used to remove a support column as search and rescue personnel work atop the rubble at the Champlain Towers South condo building on Friday. As of Thursday . ALVAREZ: Yes. Can you tell us what happened? GARCIA-NAVARRO: It sounds like it was a very good community. He thought the ordeal could not be real, but he said he knew it was real when dust fell on his face and saw more of it out of his window. Miami-Dade County officials are aware of the study and are "looking into" it, Levine Cava told ABC News. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The remaining portion of the structure was demolished on July 4, and search efforts shifted into recovery mode. I see cars going inwards, underneath the building underneath the building is the car garage. 1401 79th Street Causeway The report from the firm of Morabito Consultants said the ground-floor pool deck was resting on a concrete slab that had major structural damage and needed to be extensively repaired, and uncovered abundant cracking and spalling of concrete columns, beams and walls in the parking garage. It's still unclear what caused the condominium, which has withstood decades of hurricanes, to partially collapse. At least 12 dead after winter storm slams South, Midwest, The Saturday Six: Dental device controversy, scientist's bug find and more, Trump speaks at CPAC after winning straw poll, 3 children killed, 2 others wounded at Texas home, Man charged for alleged involvement in 2 transformer explosions, Nikki Haley slams potential GOP contenders, and Trump and George W. Bush, Duo of 81-year-old women plan to see the world in 80 days, Tom Sizemore, actor known for "Saving Private Ryan" and "Heat," dies at 61, Alex Murdaugh trial: What to know about the double murder case, Son shares how family survived condo collapse, Son shares how family survived Surfside condo building collapse. "That's kind of what's hard.". The uncle of a 15-year-old who survived the Champlain Towers South collapse in Surfside, Florida, two weeks ago called the man who found the teenager in the rubble to thank him. WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports | Fort Lauderdale, Damage forces evacuation of Miami Beach apartment building, Ordered to leave their homes, Crestview Towers residents speak out on evacuation, Remembering the victims of the Surfside condo collapse, How you can help those impacted by the condo collapse in Surfside, Coral Gables resident still refuses to sell decades-old home surrounded by massive development, Broward County pastor faces several fraud, grand theft charges after defrauding church, Gunman dead after hours-long SWAT standoff at SW Miami-Dade apartment complex, Police: Man fatally shot 3-year-old son, himself inside Coconut Grove condo, Police arrest student who made false bomb threat at Dillard High School; classes resume. Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava speaks to ABC News for an interview on "Good Morning America" on June 25, 2021. And we sat there with the town of Surfside. Miami condo owners warned of major structural damage in 2018. "Good Morning America's" TJ Holmes asked them what the collapse sounded like. 2. Rescue crews . But her mother, Angela Gonzalez, and her sister, Deven Gonzalez, did survive. Before sprinting to the beachto safety, Aguero said thegroupcrawled up about three feet of rubble on the first floor andovercamea three-foot gapby the pool. For five long . "I was prepared for the whole building to come down," one survivor said. (AP), OFFICIALS PLANNING FOR LIKELY DEMOLITION OF REMAINING STRUCTURE.
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