did anyone survive the condo collapse
The second body was pulled out a short while later. 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. 0:00. It's like a motor it just goes fast, fast, fast," he said, adding that they don't even know where to start. No one ever, ever, ever told us that this - that that building was in such bad shape - no one, no one. We reached out to a Surfside spokesperson for a response but did not hear back. When they opened their door, they sawsky and beach where their neighbors doors had once stood. The family's condo was on the ninth floor of the 12-story Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Florida. And the town of Surfside said to us that the building was not in bad shape, that the building was not in bad shape. NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro speaks with Susana Alvarez, who lived on the 10th floor of the building that collapsed in Surfside, Florida. Susana Alvarez is 62. And the fire escape door wouldn't open, but I saw people on the other side, and I banged. 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. Initially, 150 people were thought to be missing. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. 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. While delayed maintenance and structural complications are widely considered the cause of the collapse, manyquestions about the disasterstill remain. "That's kind of what's hard.". And there were two men and a young man with us, and they were helping us. Direktor noted that he hadn't been warned of any structural issues with the building or about the land it was built on. Most residents were asleep. 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. MIAMI (CBSMiami) - For the fortunate who survived the collapse of the Champlain Towers South in late June, getting basic help early on was simple. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. "That was a very difficult night . Those are our neighbors. Still, friends and even complete strangers have been helping replace what she's lost. She then went down to the garage to discover it was flooded with water upto her ankles. Your email address will not be published. It was. I can't even explain it. Rescuers are in a desperate bid to try and find survivors in Surfside, Fla., amid the wreckage of the Champlain Towers condo building. I won't leave. And 156 people are still unaccounted for. 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. It's still unclear what caused the condominium, which has withstood decades of hurricanes, to partially collapse. She kept telling me what to do. July 14, 2021 / 6:01 AM / CBS Miami. "They are going to basically have to start all over again," Capponi said. And their daughter was staying there. 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. 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. And I don't know - we just - we climbed out of rubble. Come get us!'" This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The images that I saw looks like some place that had a bomb, Figueiredo said. Gabe said his family knew many people in that community. With her dog in her arms, she had to climb through rubble and over cars to escape. The Miami-Dade Police Department is leading an investigation into the incident. she told WPLG. And it felt like the longest thunder I had ever heard in my life. And I should've gone back for her. I have a good job, and I'm not destitute. The Miami-Dade Police Department is leading an investigation into the incident. The structural engineer has been around for a while. GARCIA-NAVARRO: And have you been back to the building? I look and the ceilings down, the concrete, the cement," Rosenthaltold NBC South Florida. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. The identification brings the total death toll to 98 victims. 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 ", Now they have to rebuild their lives from scratch. When Rosenthal opened his front door, he saw his hallway had been blocked by debris from the collapse. Everything I owned was in that apartment, but I don't care. , even as police and forensic specialists continue working to identify human remains. Jeff Pias, 60, was staying with his . So Sara went to the front lobby to talk to the security guard. Firefighters officially ended their search for bodies in the debris of the collapsed Surfside condo building on Friday Thanks for contacting us. 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. ALVAREZ: Yes, I go every day. From the balcony of his vacation rental in Unit 1106 right by the collapsed wing he saidhe saw a grey cloud covering the entire building. All content Copyright 2000 - 2023 WSVN-TV. 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. But her mother, Angela Gonzalez, and her sister, Deven Gonzalez, did survive. I could hear them screaming. "Pancake collapses tend to 'stack' floors on themselves, bringing all their weight down nearly square on the . Switchboard: (305) 751-6692 "I feel like I'm mourning every minute for someone in the building," she said. They chose to live in Champlain Towers South. And we went down the stairs. I have friends in Surfside. All rights reserved. Only three survived the initial collapse. He and his wife got the kids from their beds and ran for their lives. They have no luggage. 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. "Just don't know why we're here and the rest of the people aren't," Janette Aguero told ABC News. ", "It's a tremendous tragedy," he said, after taking a moment to collect himself. It's unclear exactly how many residents have been displaced, but those with insurance policies should recoup at least a portion of their losses. He said the Surfside investment is its first U.S. project. Since the collapse, Balboa said he has replayed that moment in his mind many times, wondering what he could have done differently to save more people, he told CNN. Gabriel Nir narrowly escaped a first-floor apartment with his mother and 15-year-old sister. ALVAREZ: I can't imagine. 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. It was like a sandstorm. 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 said as soon as she got out, all she could think about were her neighbors that might have still been inside. 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. 2021 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? You feel sorry for them, and I wish we could've done more for them.". Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. The whole experience, she told Today, was really surreal., Unfortunately, we did hear screams. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! Those are people I say hello to. The couple fled down the emergencystairwell, but couldn't open the lobby door. "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. When part of the 12-story Champlain Towers South condo building in Surfside, Florida, collapsed early Thursday, it left a pile of rubble where the beachside residences once stood. Their condo in Surfside had collapsed, and they had just narrowly survived. GARCIA-NAVARRO: It was an unimaginable situation. A Warner Bros. Caitlin O'Kane is a digital content producer covering trending stories for CBS News and its good news brand, The Uplift. Gabe said it sounded like construction but in the middle of the night, it was suspect. ALVAREZ: I want answers. 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. No other survivors were found even after an international coalition of rescue workers labored for two weeks, working 24 hours a day, to dig through a 40-foot high pile of rubble. I lived there by myself. I was only thinking of getting out. "While we're running, we're thinking, we don't know what's going on. Accuracy and availability may vary. And at that point, I got up, and I said, wow. 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. ALVAREZ: It makes me think that the engineer did not properly do his work. "We cannot say what is the reason for that from the satellite images but we can say there was movement here.". A total of 98 people died when the building partially collapsed on June 24, 2021. 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 engineer apparently warned the building's condo association of major structural damage back in 2018. Its about the lives that are there.. "I looked to the left and the apartment to our left was half sheared off. I mean, did you have any idea that the building was unsound? 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 . 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Associated Press. 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 thought a bomb - I mean, that was my first - when I saw that building missing, I mean, I was like, I have to get out of here. My family's having a hard time," Gabe said. 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. Profiles of the 98 victims of the Surfside collapse in Florida | Miami Herald. Did anyone survive the Surfside condo partial collapse? 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. 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. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. About four hours later, he checked his phone and found out what had happened to his home and neighbors. Nobody had been found alive since immediately after the Florida building crumbled almost two weeks ago, killing at least 54. He thought the cause of the collapse was a gas explosion and wanted to get a safe distance away. And I hear car alarms going off, I see lights flashing everywhere. ", VIDEO SHOWS WATER GUSHING INTO GARAGE BEFORE SURFSIDE BUILDING FELL. They then descended to the garage where they encountered shin-deep water, ultimatelyescaping Alfredo with a woman frozen from shock hoisted over his shoulder through an opening in acrumbled wall. The teens rescue was one of at least 37 people rescued the day of the collapse. First responders arrive at the partially . They were screaming, help, help. I had this beautiful condo by the beach. / CBS News. For now they are staying at a nearby hotel, the floor of their room cluttered with items donated by friends and strangers. Rosenthal is not the only survivor who has shared their story. What we know about the building collapse so far. Recordings of 911 calls released from the scene of the Florida condominium building collapse reveal the chaos and . Meanwhile, another 120 people have been accounted for, according to Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. GARCIA-NAVARRO: You were in the building when it collapsed. Have you been able to sort of gather and sort of think about what's next? About three dozen people were able to escape from the portion of the building that remained standing. Condo building's collapse prompts historic search-and-rescue response 4:54 p.m. 00:25. 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. WSVN-TVSunbeam Television Corp And I want you to know that in 2018, we had a board meeting. Families deserve to know what really happened to their loved ones. "I know that they are hopeful, so we are hopeful as well.". This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. "I don't have anything," said the 62-year-old survivor of the condominium . When you start hitting seven days, that really goes down." Survival depends on several factors - mainly access to air and water, ability to regulate body temperature, pre-existing health conditions, injuries sustained during the collapse, and mental will to live. "Im just grateful I made it out alive with my family," Nir said. GARCIA-NAVARRO: It doesn't sound silly. 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. And I feel like fate really God really came and saved us," he said. I was standing right here, De Moura said just outside of her home. 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. Crews searched for hours but were unable to find her, the report 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. 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 . 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. And the stairs were all full of rubble. "I remember screaming to my mom and my sister, 'Run, run, just run for your life,'" Gabe said, adding that he heard screaming from others and it felt like a nightmare. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. "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].". Officials confirmed they had recovered remains for each person who had been considered missing after the June 24 collapse. The Lopez family has lived for two decades on the street side of the condo that's still partially intact. Miami condo owners warned of major structural damage in 2018. I don't even know why. The announcement came after search and rescue operations were paused for hours because of growing signs the structure was dangerously unstable. "I don't have anything," said the 62-year-old survivor of the condominium building collapse just outside Miami. 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. They managed to survive the collapse after Sara Nir heard loud noises and then saw the parking deck collapse. She did - to yoga with me. . The Associated Press reported that the $1 billion settlement would come from several sources, including insurance companies, engineering companies and a luxury condominium that had recently been built next door. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. The NIST received $22 million in supplemental funding from Congress to complete its investigation. I run to the hallway, cloud of dust slams into me. Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Sadly, no one . 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.". "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. The 25-year-old caught up with his mom and sister and they continued to run from the scene. TALLAHASSEE June 24 will mark one year since the tragic partial collapse of the Champlain Towers South condo building thatclaimed the lives of 98 residentsin Surfside. Did you encounter any technical issues? 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. 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. And when we got outside again, all I could hear were the people screaming. The family reached the third floor, where they helped a young woman and an elderly residentget to the ground floor. Deven survived the partial collapse of a condo tower near Miami. At least 10 people have been confirmed dead, but over 150 are still missing as of Monday afternoon. Several of their pets also went missing. 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. Her apartment was on the 10th floor and she knew many people in the building she had lived in for years. 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. This was in a matter of seconds, out of nowhere. Your cat's name was Mia (ph), right? De Moura lived in unit 1004. A woman who survived the collapse of a condo building in Florida has shared how she escaped. Can you tell us what happened? Im like, All right, Im in the middle of it. 0:41. Thats a horrifying thought, Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett told the outlet. "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. Initially, 150 people were thought to be missing. 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.. The apartments were gone.. 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. GARCIA-NAVARRO: You did the only thing you could. Praying that the building didnt fall on me, collapse on me. 2023 Cable News Network. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. The familys condo was on the ninth floor of the 12-story Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Florida. We're going to hear now from one of the survivors of that collapse. Sara and Eyal Nir have six kids and two of them, Gabe and Chani, moved into the condominium building with them. That complete side of the building was not there, Mariantold the Miami Herald. A mother That was a very difficult night, Scheinhaus said. It was about the life that I had there. 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. "Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency," the statement noted. The billionaire developer, DAMAC Chairman and Founder Hussain Sajwani,announced in a May 27 press release that he plans to build an ultra-luxurious condominium project. And I - my apartment is in the front of the building, and it's right across the elevators. Market data provided by Factset. Paolo Longobardi speaks about escaping the collapsed building in Surfside, Fla. on "Good Morning America," June 25, 2021. He cannot help but wish, though, that a . An attached copy of the policy showed limits between $1 million and $2 million. ALVAREZ: I was only thinking of myself. "Nothing like this has ever been seen, at least not in the 40 years I've been doing this," Direktor told ABC News. They came out, and then I said, we got to get out of here. We had to wait for fire rescue to come up with the ladder. Yes, I want answers. "It could have been a very different thing," Janette Aguero said, her voice wavering with emotion. Without hesitation, I did exactly what she told me. Memorial services are planned throughout the day, including a private event with family members and survivorsat the precise moment of the collapse 1:22 a.m. A public ceremony is planned later in the day. Fires have flared up throughout the day, adding to the danger for the search and rescue teams, according to the official. What did you see? This is one of the most complex building failure investigations ever undertaken, said Judith Mitrani-Reiser, who co-leads the investigation. They always wanted me to go out, ride bikes with them. "Its nothing short of amazing.". "It's very hard for us to even think about these people that are not there with us anymore," he said. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, 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. SUSANA ALVAREZ: Not well. ALVAREZ: They are. All Rights Reserved. For more information on this site, please read our Privacy Policy, and Terms of Service. July 23, 2021 / 11:29 PM / AP. I (opened) the doors and a wall of dust hit me," she said in the filing. Contact this reporter at kvlamis@insider.com. Yes. Nicholas Balboa was walking his dog around midnight when he felt the ground shake. A massive search and rescue operation has been underway since early Thursday, as crews carefully comb through the pancaked wreckage and remaining structure in hopes of finding survivors. "We are finding our way out until we get to some light.". I don't know why I grabbed my phone. I really didn't think anything of it. 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. 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. 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. They chose to live in 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." The 12-story residential complex in the small, beachside town of Surfside, about 6 miles north of Miami Beach, partially collapsed before 1:30 a.m. local time on Thursday. What are you thinking at this moment? I was going to retire there. The rumble was followed by a loud crash and debris as part of a condo complex collapsed in Surfside . They were the nicest couple. "We decided to run to the other side of the building, the north side of the building, where there is another staircase," he said. There was light, but it was the eeriness of it. "I lost everything," Alvarez said, "and it doesnt mean anything to me.". (AP), LIVE UPDATES: SURFSIDE CONDO BUILDING COLLAPSE. I - and I just want my cat back. Please enter valid email address to continue. Although he and his family are safe, Longobardi said they are all "shocked. 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. I won't leave. Officials said Thursday they're making plans for the likely demolition of all parts of the building that didn't collapse. Did Mavericks kneel during national anthem. A 13-second video from inside the Miami condo collapse shows debris falling, the footage shaking and the the video cutting out. 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. 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. An aerial view showing a partially collapsed building in Surfside near Miami Beach, Fla., June 24, 2021. Rodriguez helped neighbors escape to a second-floor balcony where firefighters helped them to the ground. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Once in her apartment, they made their way to the balcony and flagged down firefighters who rescued them. Albert and Janette Aguero suddenly awoke early Thursday to what they said sounded like a "really loud clap of thunder." GARCIA-NAVARRO: There's been a lot of news coming out about why this might have happened. The group came up against rubble blocking their path. Rest of collapsed Miami tower brought down with explosives; 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. What we know about the building that partially collapsed in Surfside, Florida. 1:33. "It's just sad. 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. About the .