She still hears the screams from that night. I was sleeping, and I heard the loudest thunderclap Ive heard in my life times 100, he said. GARCIA-NAVARRO: Where are you staying right now? July 14, 2021 / 6:01 AM / CBS Miami. "There is a chance that someone or some people can still survive this. The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. Support . 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. (AP), OFFICIALS PLANNING FOR LIKELY DEMOLITION OF REMAINING STRUCTURE. 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. GARCIA-NAVARRO: But you know if you'd done that, you might have lost your life. They have been hampered by torrential rain and fires and have had to move with excruciating care. The 101-pageproposal included provisions helping ensure corporations stay up to speed on maintenance and inspections. 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 Switchboard: (305) 751-6692 Jason Delgado is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network-Florida. While delayed maintenance and structural complications are widely considered the cause of the collapse, manyquestions about the disasterstill remain. 00:25. Surfside condo collapse:Town leaders fuming at obstacles to investigation, aim to sue county, From March:Florida judge approves $83 million settlement for property loss in Surfside condo collapse. Updated on: July 14, 2021 / 9:25 PM So far, they have rescued 35 people who were trapped in the building and two others from beneath the rubble, according to Jadallah. What we know about the building that partially collapsed in Surfside, Florida. Albert Aguero and his family had asimilarclose call. 0:41. And the town of Surfside said to us that the building was not in bad shape, that the building was not in bad shape. But on Thursday, exactly two weeks after the 12-story . At least four people have been confirmed dead and 159 others remain unaccounted for. While the family is still dealing with the trauma of that night, Gabe said he thinks fate kept them alive. Yes. This was in a matter of seconds, out of nowhere. Search and Rescue personnel work at a partial collapse building . Rosenthal is not the only survivor who has shared their story. GARCIA-NAVARRO: You were in the building when it collapsed. ", "It's a tremendous tragedy," he said, after taking a moment to collect himself. 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. Many families are still holding out hope that their loved ones will be found alive. About three dozen people were able to escape from the portion of the building that remained standing. This is a 1 in 10,000 year earthquake that hits Florida.. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. I wish I had had different shoes on, he said, noting he was wearing flip flops at the time. I also want you to know that that couple - that they keep saying in the news that 1001 - it's a man and his wife - that the niece was visiting them - they were the nicest people, the nicest people, were always - I'm by myself. That was a very difficult night, Scheinhaus said. The Miami-Dade County Medical Examiners Office has released initial reports for 67 of the victims, listing the cause of death as either blunt force injuries or building collapse.Only one autopsy was performed, according to the report. And I don't know - we just - we climbed out of rubble. Just white, concrete dust," he said. So far, one person is confirmed dead, 11 are injured and 99 people . She did - to yoga with me. What did you see? Sara and Eyal Nir have six kids and two of them, Gabe and Chani, moved into the condominium building with them. That's when the family started hearing loud noises. Dubai-based DAMAC Properties won a $120 million bid to acquire the 1.8 acres. They chose to live in Champlain Towers South. As of Thursday . It's like a motor it just goes fast, fast, fast," he said, adding that they don't even know where to start. About six months ago, the Nir family moved to Surfside, Florida. 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. Friends she's staying with outfitted her with new clothes and a computer. Michael Capponi, the president of a Miami-area nonprofit that for the past decade has helped victims of disasters from hurricanes to wildfires in the U.S. and abroad, said he has personally dealt with 50 people who lost homes in the building. We took out $15 million to fix that building at his say-so. "I lost everything," Alvarez said, "and it doesnt mean anything to me.". Sometimes, if were not sure if its blunt force trauma, the doctor will choose to put the general overarching event, Darren Caprara, director of operations at the medical examiners office, told USA Today about using building collapse as the cause of death. Did Mavericks kneel during national anthem. "They are going to basically have to start all over again," Capponi said. Gabe told his sister to leave the apartment with him, and when they got to the lobby, they joined their mom and started to run. Survivors of Surfside condo collapse speak out 03:45 Sadly, no one . Sharon Schechter, 60, described her escape to WPLG , saying she believes she was only one of two people who survived from her floor when the 12-story oceanfront Champlain Towers South near Miami partially . I went with the people. "I said, 'Oh my god, where's the building? "I'm on the phone with 911. When I opened the door to my apartment, it leads to a long hallway, and all I saw was debris, Osin-Cohen told"Today. ALVAREZ: Yes, I go every day. For five long . They have no luggage. He was obviously sleeping, Balboa said two weeks ago. Search and Rescue personnel pull a body out of the rubble after the partial collapse of the Champlain Towers South in Surfside, north of Miami Beach, on June 24, 2021. she told WPLG. All content Copyright 2000 - 2023 WSVN-TV. Miami, FL 33141 "It's very hard for us to even think about these people that are not there with us anymore," he said. Though most who managed to flee to safety lived in parts of the building that remain standing, they have little hope of returning to reclaim clothing, computers, jewelry and sentimental possessions they left behind. 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. We reached out to a Surfside spokesperson for a response but did not hear back. I don't know why I grabbed my phone. One unit over, and I am gone, Rosenthal added. Copyright 2021 NPR. So far, only five people have been confirmed dead. We're here! I won't leave. Initially, 150 people were thought to be missing. "That number is way up from the original count, and so we're very, very grateful for the hard work of our firefighters on the scene," Levine Cava told ABC News' Cecelia Vega in an interview Friday on "GMA. 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. "I don't have anything," said the 62-year-old survivor of the condominium building collapse just outside Miami. Florida Building Collapse: Death Toll Climbs To 18, With 145 Missing : Live Updates: Miami-Area Condo Collapse It has now been nearly a week since rescue crews last pulled anyone alive from the . He said he awoke around 1:15 a.m. to a shaking building and swaying chandeliers. The whole experience, she told Today, was really surreal., Unfortunately, we did hear screams. Did you encounter any technical issues? Alfredo used to joke to his wife she'd have to bury him there. I just ran out. "I'm having a hard time [getting] to sleep. And I feel like fate really God really came and saved us," he said. The family had their choice of two units, Gabe said. Discovery Company. An attached copy of the policy showed limits between $1 million and $2 million. "As soon as she goes down to the front, I hear this loud rumble. "The chandeliers and the pendant lights [were] just swaying completely, and that was not normal. First responders arrive at the partially . We had to wait for fire rescue to come up with the ladder. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Their car was destroyed in the building's garage. Published Condo association "kept kicking the can down the road," according to lawyer for unit owner. And the building was covered with smoke - smoke everywhere. But, at this point, nothing to indicate that.". Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. "She lived there for a long time," said Adam Schwartzbaum, her attorney, "and she was planning to live there for the rest of her life. Mr. Candiotti, 67, knows he was lucky to have survived the collapse last month of the condo building in Surfside, Fla. At least 97 of his neighbors did not. About four hours later, he checked his phone and found out what had happened to his home and neighbors. 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. The couple lived in apartment No. They are. 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. ALVAREZ: I was in bed, and I heard a tremor. ", She made her way to a nearby stairwell and tried to exit on the pool deck, but the door was jammed. An eyeglass store refilled her prescription, even though she never called it in. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. I was going to retire there. "The building swayed like a sheet of paper. Gabe said it sounded like construction but in the middle of the night, it was suspect. Searchers for a second day combed through the massive pile of debris following the collapse of a Florida condo building, as officials vowed to keep looking for anyone who may still . Susana Alvarez fled her home on the 10th floor of Champlain Towers South, escaping with her life and almost nothing else. Ninety-six bodies were recovered from the Champlain Towers South collapse site in Surfside, Florida, while one other victim who died at a hospital brings the official death toll to 97. For more information on this site, please read our Privacy Policy, and Terms of Service. 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. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. How many people survived the Surfside condo collapse? I thought it was a wonderful property because I was so happy. 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. The 25-year-old caught up with his mom and sister and they continued to run from the scene. U.S. President Joe Biden subsequently approved an emergency declaration in Florida and ordered federal assistance to supplement state and local response efforts in the wake of the partial building collapse. I know it. ", "I'm very hopeful because we have the best team in the world. In the first 48 hours, we obviously did not have all the resources, Burkett, the mayor, told USA Today. The Miami Herald, in a multimedia investigative story,reported last December that the collapse beganwhen the ground-floor parking area and pool deck caved in, and found that design failures, shoddy construction, damage and neglect over the past 40 years lined up like dominoes to create the perfect conditions for a deadly chain reaction.. (Sara Nir) RIGHT: A bedroom in the Nir's apartment, Unit 111, before the collapse . And there were no elevators, just open holes. I want major answers. "We are working with the Consulates of various countries in the Western Hemisphere to help secure travel visas for family members who need to travel to the U.S.," Rubio wrote in a post on his official Twitter account on Thursday evening. Please enter valid email address to continue. June 24: At around 1:20 a.m., while many residents were sleeping, the condo tower shakes and then partially collapses, destroying about 55 apartment units. Initially, 150 people were thought to be missing. One year later, heres what we know so far. I closed the balcony doors. These Valuable Pennies Are Worth Thousands, Mysterious Cases of Men Found Dead After Leaving NYC Gay Bars Ruled Homicides: ME. All rights reserved. ALVAREZ: Not to that extent. But her mother, Angela Gonzalez, and her sister, Deven Gonzalez, did survive. Authorities have opened a family assistance center at the Surfside recreational center for individuals unable to locate loved ones who live in the Champlain Towers South. I had just taken all of my mother's pictures - all the pictures of our family to that condo two days before that because I was going to sort them all out. And in the pool area, you just see everything just sunk down below, underneath. Did anyone survive the collapse Surfside? "We cannot say what is the reason for that from the satellite images but we can say there was movement here.". The disaster that killed at least 18 people, with more than 140 still missing, also rendered dozens of people homeless. A Miami-Dade county official told ABC News that there's real concern about the structural integrity of the remaining building, particularly from dangling wires and portions of concrete. Reach him at JDelgado@gannett.com. There's no building.". Recordings of 911 calls released from the scene of the Florida condominium building collapse reveal the chaos and . Usually it's hard for me to sleep because you have the screaming echoing in my mind and it just brings those flashbacks. Balboa flagged a police officer and other rescuers, who helped pull the teenager out to safety. Always. Survivors recounted hearing signs of the collapse and attempting to escape the building early Thursday morning. We've received your submission. Eyal was out of town that fateful night. He and his wife got the kids from their beds and ran for their lives. Jadallah told reporters that at least 11 people were medically assessed and treated on site, four of whom were then transported to local hospitals. At approximately 1:20 a.m. on June 24, 2021, Champlain Towers South, a 12-story, 136-unit condo building at 8777 Collins Ave., Surfside, partially collapsed in a matter of minutes. Someone help us. . And I ran out the front door. 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. GARCIA-NAVARRO: Susana, I'm so sorry for everything you've lost. 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. I could hear them screaming. The condominium is a mix of full-time residents, seasonal residents, renters and short-term visitors, so authorities have been relying largely on neighbors and word of mouth, according to the official. Multiple survivors have recounted that their entire apartment was rattling before the collapse. The remaining portion of the structure was demolished on July 4, and search efforts shifted into recovery mode. Your email address will not be published. Sara was at an event, Chani was babysitting and Gabe, a night owl, had gone to the gym. And that, to me, is the worst thing, and that's all I want back. I had this beautiful condo by the beach. Balboa said he told the uncle, Sorry I couldnt get to his sister faster.. 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. During times like this, they are very good. "Just don't know why we're here and the rest of the people aren't," Janette Aguero told ABC News. A class-action complaint updated on Nov. 10 alleges that the towers were badly damaged and destabilized because of excavation and construction at the neighboring 18-story Eighty Seven Park condominium, according to court documents. From the man who hugged me when I went out there to that beach, and I was all alone out there - and I have no idea who he was - to the security guard in the building next door - the luxury building next door who came out and grabbed me and said, you're coming with me. No one ever, ever, ever told us that this - that that building was in such bad shape - no one, no one. 2021 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. GARCIA-NAVARRO: It sounds like you want answers. An investigation by USA Today found that at least nine of the 98 people killed in the tragedy initially survived the June 24 collapse, including one woman who was possibly still alive under the rubble 10 hours later. Nobody had been found alive since immediately after the Florida building crumbled almost two weeks ago, killing at least 54. She hasn't slept in a bed since the collapse a week ago. "There's got to be a reason we came back later. All rights reserved, How to Help Victims of the Surfside Building Collapse, Deeply Emotional': Families of the Missing Visit Site of Florida Condo Collapse, Viral Kids' Star Ms. Rachel Is Taking a Break From Social Media After Backlash Over Co-Star Who Uses They/Them Pronouns, Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), Flight Attendant Hit the Ceiling': 7 Hospitalized After Severe Turbulence Diverts Flight to Virginia, Check Your Change! I mean, did you have any idea that the building was unsound? ALVAREZ: It makes me think that the engineer did not properly do his work. We're going to hear now from one of the survivors of that collapse. As of Friday, some 159 people were still unaccounted for following the collapse of the northeast section of Champlain Towers early Thursday morning, and four people have . Thats what saved me. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories, Champlain Towers South near Miami partially collapsed, Reports: 3 children dead, 2 wounded in attack at Texas home, Kellyanne Conway, George Conway To Divorce After Decadeslong Marriage: Report, School punished teen girl for working out in sports bra in 100-degree Texas heat, ACLU says, U.S. court won't require FAA to make airplane seat size, spacing rules, 'Extremely dangerous': Spike in illegal crossings at Canada-Vermont border has feds sounding alarm, SoCal in for cool start to weekend, butlight showers make brief return, Friday Nightcap: Winners & losers of the week, Two boats, carrying 48 Cuban migrants, make landing on Dry Tortugas in Florida Keys, Big rigs flipped by strong winds during severe weather. An attorney for James River Insurance Company wrote to the judge in one case this week that it plans to "voluntarily tender its entire limit" from the associations policy toward resolving claims. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue workers search through the rubble for survivors after a condo building partially collapsed in Surfside, Florida, on June 24, 2021. Firefighters officially ended their search for bodies in the debris of the collapsed Surfside condo building on Friday WSVN-TVSunbeam Television Corp What are the survivors - you know, you - who managed to get out, what are you talking about? As they stepped onto the beach, Alfredo said he could hear the cries for help coming from the wreckage. All rights reserved. This is one of the most complex building failure investigations ever undertaken, said Judith Mitrani-Reiser, who co-leads the investigation. At that point, I turned around. Aguero, his wife and two children, were visiting South Florida from New Jersey. The structural engineer has been around for a while. "It was pitch black. A Florida judge on Thursday approvedasettlement of more than $1 billionto families who lost loved ones in the collapse of the beachfront condominium building. And - so I went around the corner, and that's when I saw that the building was missing. It's not known if those factors played a role in the collapse. He followed the sound and located 15-year-old Jonah Handler, whose hand and fingers were visibly wiggling through the wreckage. 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. A Warner Bros. When he opened the . Then their bedroom began to shake. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. Survivors recount harrowing escape from collapsed condo. GARCIA-NAVARRO: And this is, of course, the middle of the night, so it's dark. It was like 'Titanic,'" she said. "It was like a really loud clap of thunder. However, Figueiredo told him to stay because they do not get spend Wednesday nights together often. I have a good job, and I'm not destitute. I can't imagine. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. That was my home. There was nothing there, and people were screaming. She convinced him to have a beer at the dining room table. 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. OfeOsin-Cohen, anotherfourth-floor resident who escaped,told NBC's "Today" showshewassound asleepwhen she hearda weird sound and feltthe building shake. Like, you feel like an earthquake is happening right in front of you," he said. And it was just a lot - what looked like smoke, which must've been dust. "People didn't want to answer they didn't know what was going on outside.". Surfside building collapse victims Sophia Lpez Moreira and her husband Luis Pettengill died along with their three children and nanny, Leidy Vanessa Luna Villalba. ALVAREZ: They are. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, 164-unit Miami Beach condo evacuated over structural concerns, A year on, Surfside remembers 98 victims of condo collapse, Florida condo collapse settlement reached, tops $1 billion, Surfside condo collapse site to be sold to Dubai developer for $120M, lost voice contactwith a female victim. That is what they said, OK? (Liyah Deveaux) By KELLI KENNEDY. At least two members of the family were seriously injured in the collapse one is still missing. Jeff Pias, 60, was staying with his . Nir, a recent college graduate, was living there while he looked for a job and considered medical school. Deven Gonzalez, left, and her volleyball teammate Liyah Deveaux. Dressed in flip-flops and pajamas, Alfredo and Marian Lopez left their home of 22 years afterwhat sounded like a loud crash of thunder woke them from their sixth-floor apartment at the northwest corner of the Champlain Towers South. Teams of firefighters have been cutting through the layers of debris with various machinery and using sonar devices as well as specially trained dogs as part of the search efforts, a process that Jadallah said is "slow and methodical." Its not like her, and its not like me, and when I woke up at 5:30, I understood why.. Some of the victims of the devastating condo collapse in Surfside, Fla., may have been alive for hours after the building first caved in but were never found alive by rescue teams, a report said Tuesday. 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. He thought the cause of the collapse was a gas explosion and wanted to get a safe distance away. I couldnt tell where it was coming from.. GARCIA-NAVARRO: There's been a lot of news coming out about why this might have happened. Miami condo owners warned of major structural damage in 2018. Nearly 20 people were rescued from the rubble of the World Trade Center following the terrorist attacks on 9/11. It wasnt about my home. At 11:05 a.m., about 10hours after the condo caved-in, the logs noted that rescuers lost voice contactwith a female victim and requested backup and canines to scour the basement. Although he and his family are safe, Longobardi said they are all "shocked. But the staircase directly outside their unit was collapsing, he said, so they had to find another one. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! "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].". "I know that they are hopeful, so we are hopeful as well.". Florida Gov. Once in her apartment, they made their way to the balcony and flagged down firefighters who rescued them. July 23, 2021 / 11:29 PM / AP. A pool contractor who visited the building just two days before the collapse took photographs showing a wet floor, cracked concrete and severely corroded reinforcing steel in the building's pool equipment room, CBS News' David Begnaud reported. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. "Three families that I know well," he . The death . One provision stipulates that condos taller than three stories must be inspected every ten years. ALVAREZ: I can't imagine. And it felt like the longest thunder I had ever heard in my life. It was not a clap of thunder and it wasn't a storm; it was something else," Albert Aguero told ABC News' T.J. Holmes in an interview Friday on "Good Morning America.". Rescue crews . Sharon Schechter, 60, described her escape to WPLG, saying she believes she was only one of two people who survived from her floor when the 12-story oceanfront Champlain Towers South near Miami partially collapsed early Thursday morning. 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. Furniture sits perched in the remains of apartments sheared in half, in the still standing portion of the Champlain Towers South condo building, more than a week after it partially collapsed. Most people who have contacted his nonprofit for help lived in the part that is still standing but assume their homes and anything inside are a complete loss. "Its nothing short of amazing.". All I saw was cement, rubble, wood, people yelling Help me,' Rosenthal said. I left the cat behind, and I ran out. 903 of the Champlain Towers South. I was only thinking of getting out. Just because the body gets mangled doesnt mean thats what killed you, Caprara said. And the stairs were all full of rubble. Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Their condo in Surfside had collapsed, and they had just narrowly survived. A 15-year-old boy who miraculously survived the Miami condo collapse was sitting in his bedroom next to his mother when the building gave way and she was killed, according to a lawsuit filed by . I dont even want to think about it, shesaid. I can't even explain it. Its not known. The group came up against rubble blocking their path. "Panic starts to set in, like we need to really run, because I don't know if the rest of it is coming down.