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. Have a news tip? The second body was pulled out a short while later. Did you encounter any technical issues? Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. People stand at the Surfside Community Center where authorities are taking residents and relatives from a partially collapsed building in Surfside near Miami Beach, Fla., June 24, 2021. They chose to live in Champlain Towers South. Last Wednesday night, hours before the collapse, Erick De Moura was walking out of girlfriend Fernanda Figueiredos Miami Beach home to head to his condo in Champlain Towers South. 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. "Some of them dont have insurance, and theyve lost everything they worked all their lives for. I mean, this doesn't just happen. "I know that they are hopeful, so we are hopeful as well.". And I - my apartment is in the front of the building, and it's right across the elevators. Still, officials had resisted abandoning the search-and-rescue effort. The public may view the reports by going to WSVN.com and clicking on "FCC Public File", or by visiting the FCC's website at FCC.org. Can you tell us what happened? I thought, oh, tomorrow on the news, we're going to hear about, you know, tremors in Florida. Please enter valid email address to continue. When he told me My building collapsed, I believed something wrong happened during the building or something broke, but not the whole building on the floor.. 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 . We reached out to a Surfside spokesperson for a response but did not hear back. Osin-Cohenthen returned to her apartment, taking along with her an elderly couple she came across that was also trying to find their way out. Its so difficult to put into words because of the people that are there, but Im grateful to be alive, he said. In the early morning hours of June 24, Sara, Gabe and Chani were home but all three had a reason to be awake later than usual. Yes, I want answers. Thanks for contacting us. 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 . Search and rescue personnel work onsite after the partial collapse of the Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Fla., north of Miami Beach, on June 24, 2021. De Moura lived in unit 1004. And it felt like the longest thunder I had ever heard in my life. Sara and Eyal Nir have six kids and two of them, Gabe and Chani, moved into the condominium building with them. Another requires condo owners to maintain a reserve fund to address needed repairs. 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. 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 GARCIA-NAVARRO: Susana Alvarez, thank you very much for talking with us. They managed to survive the collapse after Sara Nir heard loud noises and then saw the parking deck collapse. I couldnt tell where it was coming from.. He ran to his apartment to drop off his dog, and when he returned to the wreckage, he heard screaming under the rubble. She hasn't slept in a bed since the collapse a week ago. "Without hesitation, I did exactly what she told me. Its about the lives that are there.. Direktor said the construction plans had already been submitted to the Town of Surfside but the only work that had begun was on the roof. So far, only five people have been confirmed dead. Rattled, she got dressed, grabbed some essentials andbegan the trek out. A few seconds later, his bed and room began to shake and Rosenthal jumped out of bed to see what was happening. 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. Those are our neighbors. And their daughter was staying there. The Lopez family has lived for two decades on the street side of the condo that's still partially intact. So far, there is no evidence of foul play, according to Levine Cava. Condo association "kept kicking the can down the road," according to lawyer for unit owner. Nobody had been found alive since immediately after the Florida building crumbled almost two weeks ago, killing at least 54. 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. That was my home. "It felt like the whole building was shaking," Schechter said, adding that she went to look out the window. Her apartment was on the 10th floor and she knew many people in the building she had lived in for years. 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. I left the cat behind, and I ran out. 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 wish I had had different shoes on, he said, noting he was wearing flip flops at the time. Albert Aguero, his wife and two children, who are from New Jersey and on vacation in South . Initially, 150 people were thought to be missing. I was going to retire there. Come get us!'" We had to wait for fire rescue to come up with the ladder. The 101-pageproposal included provisions helping ensure corporations stay up to speed on maintenance and inspections. The Miami-Dade Police Department is leading an investigation into the incident. July 14, 2021 / 6:01 AM / CBS Miami. She did - to yoga with me. 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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. She kept telling me what to do. Meanwhile, another 120 people have been accounted for, according to Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. I can only imagine how many people were in their apartments either sleeping or watching TV or just whatever, just living their lives. First responders have not heard any voices coming from the pile but have continuously picked up sounds, according to Jadallah. He was obviously sleeping, Balboa said two weeks ago. That was a very difficult night, Scheinhaus said. Surfside building collapse victims Sophia Lpez Moreira and her husband Luis Pettengill died along with their three children and nanny, Leidy Vanessa Luna Villalba. While the family is still dealing with the trauma of that night, Gabe said he thinks fate kept them alive. Jason Delgado is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network-Florida. "It's just sad. 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. Of the 136 condominium units, approximately 55 were destroyed along the northeast corridor, according to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Assistant Chief Raide Jadallah. We took out $15 million to fix that building at his say-so. The 25-year-old caught up with his mom and sister and they continued to run from the scene. The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. Mia, another cat, had been lying at the feet of her owner on . 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. "As soon as she goes down to the front, I hear this loud rumble. Required fields are marked *. Did anyone survive the Surfside condo partial collapse? Fire-rescue logs obtained by the paper showed that search dogs found signs of life in the Champlain Towers South wreckage site multiple times in the hours after the 1:25 a.m. collapse. Far more people have not been as fortunate; 32 people have been confirmed dead, and 113 remain unaccounted for as teams urgently search through the rubble for signs of life, officials said Tuesday. Officials confirmed they had recovered remains for each person who had been considered missing after the June 24 collapse. Susana Alvarez fled her home on the 10th floor of Champlain Towers South, escaping with her life and almost nothing else. What did you see? The family had their choice of two units, Gabe said. A mother and daughter who survived the Florida condo collapse that killed 98 people describe how they survived falling when the floor gave way. We talked until 1 in the morning, De Moura said. "I was prepared for the whole building to come down," one survivor said. "Of course, it's not ruled out," she added. Yes. Victor Oquendo, Emily Shapiro, Ben Stein, Christine Theodorou and Nery Ynclan contributed to this report. GARCIA-NAVARRO: Where are you staying right now? And there were two men and a young man with us, and they were helping us. Many families are still holding out hope that their loved ones will be found alive. 3:07 PM EDT, Tue July 6, 2021, Video shows boy rescued from rubble in building collapse, saw that a major section of the condo complex had collapsed. A 13-second video from inside the Miami condo collapse shows debris falling, the footage shaking and the the video cutting out. And the town of Surfside said to us that the building was not in bad shape, that the building was not in bad shape. The death . But it wasn't even a minute that went by when it was - my bed started to shake like if I was on a - like I was on a ride. 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. It was. The teens rescue was one of at least 37 people rescued the day of the collapse. About the . It wasnt about my home. Rescue crews . The images that I saw looks like some place that had a bomb, Figueiredo said. Fires have flared up throughout the day, adding to the danger for the search and rescue teams, according to the official. "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. Yes. 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. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. Photos: Florida beachfront condo collapses, Surfside mourns victims as death toll nears 100, One year later, Surfside survivors recall collapse and healing journey, Memorial held for victims of the Surfside tragedy on anniversary of the condo collapse, Judge approves $1 billion settlement in deadly Florida condo collapse, "Voice in the rubble" victim of Surfside condo collapse is identified, Lawsuit claims construction triggered deadly condo collapse, history of maintenance and structural concerns. The Dubai billionaires $120 million land purchase also will be used to pay families of victims and property owners. One provision stipulates that condos taller than three stories must be inspected every ten years. When I opened the door to my apartment, it leads to a long hallway, and all I saw was debris, Osin-Cohen told"Today. Balboa flagged a police officer and other rescuers, who helped pull the teenager out to safety. The familys condo was on the ninth floor of the 12-story Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Florida. "I didn't know where to run. 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. 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. And it was just a lot - what looked like smoke, which must've been dust. He said he awoke around 1:15 a.m. to a shaking building and swaying chandeliers. "Three families that I know well," he . At least 10 people have been confirmed dead, but over 150 are still missing as of Monday afternoon. First published on July 14, 2021 / 2:21 PM. The lady that was in the elevator with me before I went to bed that night, before I went to - home for the evening - we were talking. SUSANA ALVAREZ: Not well. 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. 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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: It sounds like you want answers. In the main lawsuit, brought by surviving family members, they argued thatrepair work to a neighboring building damaged and destabilized the Surfside building, which was found to be in need of major structural repairs to its foundation for years. When he opened the . ALVAREZ: Yes. A woman who survived the collapse of a condo building in Florida said she escaped by climbing through the rubble in the dark with her dog. Gabe said his family knew many people in that community. The June 24 collapse killed 97 people 96 bodies were pulled from the debris and one died at a hospital after being removed and one person who is missing has still not been identified among the remains. "We were just tremendously lucky.". Its a miracle. "Its nothing short of amazing.". A family who survived the Surfside condominium collapse said they were mere feet from losing their lives. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. The Champlain Towers South Condo Association was preparing to start a new construction project to make updates and the condominium had been through extensive inspections, according to Kenneth Direktor, a lawyer for the association. I thought it was a wonderful property because I was so happy. The official also told ABC News it's been difficult to determine how many people were in the collapsed section of the building, partly due to the fact that there isn't an on-scene management company that keeps track. She convinced him to have a beer at the dining room table. You couldn't see anything. 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. "For some reason, we all were doing things later than usual. 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. 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 . Caitlin O'Kane is a digital content producer covering trending stories for CBS News and its good news brand, The Uplift. Rest of collapsed Miami tower brought down with explosives; 121 still missing. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. I looked forward, which is where the elevator shaft is, and it was just a hole," Albert Aguero recalled. "I looked to my left and half of the apartment is gone, look forward and the elevator shaft is there and there's no elevator, it's just two holes," Aguero told NBC South Florida. All my friends were giving me luggage and clothes and things. They were always, always offering assistance. The NIST received $22 million in supplemental funding from Congress to complete its investigation. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. I mean, I know that sounds silly, but that's all I want, my cat back. A 2020 study conducted by Shimon Wdowinski, a professor at Florida International University's Institute of Environment in Miami, found signs of land subsidence in from 1993 to 1999 in the area where the Champlain Towers South condominium is located. All content Copyright 2000 - 2023 WSVN-TV. The family's condo was on the ninth floor of the 12-story Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Florida. Susana Alvarez is 62. Victims also appear likely to get some money from the liability insurer for Champlain Towers Souths condominium association, which has at least four lawsuits pending related to the collapse. Its not known. They were screaming. A mother I can't even explain it. 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. How many people survived the Surfside condo collapse? "It was pitch black. That was my home. 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. or redistributed. As the search for survivors enters itsfifth day,those who escaped are recounting harrowingtales of survival after last weeks condo collapse in Surfside. A woman who survived the collapse of a condo building in Florida has shared how she escaped. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. 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. And I want you to know that in 2018, we had a board meeting. Search efforts . After a failed attempt duringthe 2022 legislative session, lawmakers in May returned to Tallahasseeandpassed legislation designed to prevent a similar disaster. And there was an older lady and they were helping us out of the rubble. "We decided to run to the other side of the building, the north side of the building, where there is another staircase," he said. 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. They came out, and then I said, we got to get out of here. Your email address will not be published. The announcement came after search and rescue operations were paused for hours because of growing signs the structure was dangerously unstable. Just because the body gets mangled doesnt mean thats what killed you, Caprara said. Once in her apartment, they made their way to the balcony and flagged down firefighters who rescued them. 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. The 60-year-old told WPLG she had to climb over rubble through the dark with her dog. GARCIA-NAVARRO: There's been a lot of news coming out about why this might have happened. It was like 'Titanic,'" she said. They were both identified by the Miami-Dade Police Department on June 26. 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. Many lost cars, too, buried in the buildings underground parking garage. The Champlain Towers South condominium was built in the 1980s and was up for its 40-year recertification, according to Surfside officials. Champlain Towers South is the 13-story beachfront building that collapsed June 24. We're here! The judges initial approval came May 28, the day after attorneys for the families of victims reached an agreement to avoid a protracted court battle that could have taken years to resolve. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. It was like a sandstorm. Neither he nor the company, in its press release, made any mention of the 98 people who perished. 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. The couple said their 22-year-old son and 14-year-old daughter were "mere feet away" from the part of the building that collapsed. ALVAREZ: It was. I want major answers. This was in a matter of seconds, out of nowhere. "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 group came up against rubble blocking their path. SURFSIDE As many as nine of the 98 victims who died in the worst building collapse in modern U.S. history might have survived the initial cave-in, a USA Today investigation suggests . Argentina, Colombia, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela have all reported nationals who have been affected by the building collapse in Surfside, with more than a dozen still missing. MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - Two residents of Champlain Towers South are sharing their stories of survival, with one resident describing what he felt inside the building, and one who said his girlfriend wanting to spend more time with him is what saved his life. Balboa said he told the uncle, Sorry I couldnt get to his sister faster.. This is a 1 in 10,000 year earthquake that hits Florida.. But on Thursday, exactly two weeks after the 12-story . And I don't know - we just - we climbed out of rubble. "We said, 'We have to run, don't take anything,'" Longobardi recalled during an interview Friday on "GMA" with ABC News' T.J. Holmes. 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 . "I feel like I'm mourning every minute for someone in the building," she said. That was a very difficult night, Scheinhaus said. Just white, concrete dust," he said. Discovery Company. 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. "I lost everything," Alvarez said, "and it doesnt mean anything to me.". 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. Miami-Dade County officials are aware of the study and are "looking into" it, Levine Cava told ABC News. The action authorizes the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) "to coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, authorized under Title V of the Stafford Act, to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety, and to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in Miami-Dade County," according to a statement from the White House. The flooded garage was located underneath the building's pool. "It was like a really loud clap of thunder. All rights reserved. But, at this point, nothing to indicate that.". "People were yelling, 'help me, get me out, help me.'". WSVN broadcast educational and informational programming for children, and file quarterly reports with the FCC detailing the station's outreach to children. Susana, I want to ask you, first of all, how are you doing? This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. It's like a motor it just goes fast, fast, fast," he said, adding that they don't even know where to start. "We cannot say what is the reason for that from the satellite images but we can say there was movement here.". 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. "I don't think I've really processed what happened.". Im like, All right, Im in the middle of it. Surfside is a few miles north of Miami Beach. / CBS News. The people that lived there were good, good people that didn't deserve this. Raysa Rodriguez recounts a harrowing escape from her unit at the collapsed Surfside condominium, and . Initially, 150 people were thought to be missing. I ran to the balcony. Its the only way they can heal.. During times like this, they are very good. 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. I don't care about that. It wasn't until they opened the door to the hallway that they realized what had actually happened. He and his wife got the kids from their beds and ran for their lives. "Im just grateful I made it out alive with my family," Nir said. But I am homeless right now. Schechter said as soon as she got out, all she could think about were her neighbors that might have still been inside. It's not known if those factors played a role in the collapse. Some of the medical examiners reports reviewed by the newspaper showed injuries such as broken legs, possible fractures or small cuts that wouldnt have resulted in immediate death, the report said. However, NPR has been able to confirm that the meeting did take place in 2018. 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. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Florida Gov. 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. A total of 20 agencies are offering assistance to families affected by the collapse. Legal Statement. Ron DeSantis has declared a state of emergency in Miami-Dade County "to provide assistance for the families impacted by the Surfside tragedy," according to the order issued Thursday evening. At a news conference Monday, Mayor Daniella Levine Cava announced that the final missing persons family had been notified following the identification of the individuals remains, formally ending the search. 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. Their condo in Surfside had collapsed, and they had just narrowly survived. There was people alive in there. All rights reserved. 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. As of Wednesday, officials said 75 people were confirmed dead and 90 of the victims have been identified.
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