"I know that they are hopeful, so we are hopeful as well.". The 25-year-old caught up with his mom and sister and they continued to run from the scene. I closed the balcony doors. 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. She convinced him to have a beer at the dining room table. It's like a motor it just goes fast, fast, fast," he said, adding that they don't even know where to start. As the search for survivors enters itsfifth day,those who escaped are recounting harrowingtales of survival after last weeks condo collapse in Surfside. And there were no elevators, just open holes. The New Jersey couple were vacationing with their two children in southern Florida, staying on the 11th floor of the oceanfront Champlain Towers South condominium in a unit owned by their parents. I mean, did you have any idea that the building was unsound? 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. Did anyone survive the Surfside collapse? 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. I looked forward, which is where the elevator shaft is, and it was just a hole," Albert Aguero recalled. 2. Susana Alvarez is 62. A mother and daughter who survived the Florida condo collapse that killed 98 people describe how they survived falling when the floor gave way. All I saw was cement, rubble, wood, people yelling Help me,' Rosenthal said. First responders have not heard any voices coming from the pile but have continuously picked up sounds, according to Jadallah. The group came up against rubble blocking their path. appreciated. "The chandeliers and the pendant lights [were] just swaying completely, and that was not normal. 'Like it had been hit by a missile': Residents who survived the collapse describe being inside. First published on July 14, 2021 / 2:21 PM. 1:33. That was a very difficult night, Scheinhaus said. Nobody had been found alive since immediately after the Florida building crumbled almost two weeks ago, killing at least 54. I'm very, very emotional. I think that it was a progressive evolution, and every hour that went by, we continued to add resources.. 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. Rest of collapsed Miami tower brought down with explosives; 121 still missing. My balcony doors opened. It was about the life that I had there. 0:00. Initially, 150 people were thought to be missing. "I'm having a hard time [getting] to sleep. 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. That was a very difficult night, Scheinhaus said. Steven Rosenthalwasasleepin a corner unit of the12-story Champlain Towers South buildingthat collapsed last Thursday when he heard the loudest thunderclap times a hundred that I ever heard in my life.. 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. Steve Rosenthal said he was woken up when he heard a loud noise and felt his unit shaking. GARCIA-NAVARRO: It sounds like you want answers. Its not known. The family had just moved in six months ago. Without hesitation, I did exactly what she told me. "We were just tremendously lucky.". WSVN-TVSunbeam Television Corp Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Which of the following structure contains osteocytes? The identification brings the total death toll to 98 victims. I couldnt tell where it was coming from.. You couldn't see anything. It's not like her, and it's not like me, and when I woke up at 5:30, I understood why." It's just so emotional. The family is now living in a hotel and dealing with the trauma of that night. Balboa said he told the uncle, Sorry I couldnt get to his sister faster.. This story has been shared 155,909 times. 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. 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. GARCIA-NAVARRO: It doesn't sound silly. "That was a very difficult night," Scheinhaus said. . But, at this point, nothing to indicate that.". She quickly grabbed her dog and tried to evacuate, along with other residents, down the only staircase that was available. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much 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. Firefighters officially ended their search for bodies in the debris of the collapsed Surfside condo building on Friday The people that lived there were good, good people that didn't deserve this. Meanwhile, another 120 people have been accounted for, according to Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. And again, I'm staying in the area. GARCIA-NAVARRO: And for more information or to report the status of Champlain Tower residents who are unaccounted for, please call 305-614-1819 or 305-993-1071. 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. It was. I only care about the cat. By Wilson Wong. I mean, the bed was shaking. We climbed out of rubble. Recordings of 911 calls released from the scene of the Florida condominium building collapse reveal the chaos and . (AP), OFFICIALS PLANNING FOR LIKELY DEMOLITION OF REMAINING STRUCTURE. "Good Morning America's" TJ Holmes asked them what the collapse sounded like. "It's just sad. Condo association "kept kicking the can down the road," according to lawyer for unit owner. Many lost cars, too, buried in the buildings underground parking garage. I was going to retire there. I just ran out. And we sat there with the town of Surfside. "People didn't want to answer they didn't know what was going on outside.". All rights reserved. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. The collapsed condo was about to begin . The NIST received $22 million in supplemental funding from Congress to complete its investigation. Usually it's hard for me to sleep because you have the screaming echoing in my mind and it just brings those flashbacks. The familys condo was on the ninth floor of the 12-story Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Florida. Susana Alvarez fled her home on the 10th floor of Champlain Towers South, escaping with her life and almost nothing else. 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.". Authorities tallied a total of 98 deaths in what is one of the worst building collapses in U.S. history. 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. Still, officials had resisted abandoning the search-and-rescue effort. Victor Oquendo, Emily Shapiro, Ben Stein, Christine Theodorou and Nery Ynclan contributed to this report. Market data provided by Factset. Albert Aguero, his wife and two children, who are from New Jersey and on vacation in South . Officials said Thursday they're making plans for the likely demolition of all parts of the building that didn't collapse. Im in a dream in California. Discovery Company. 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. One provision stipulates that condos taller than three stories must be inspected every ten years. Fires have flared up throughout the day, adding to the danger for the search and rescue teams, according to the official. 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. They have no luggage. Legal Statement. 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.". An engineer apparently warned the building's condo association of major structural damage back in 2018. Required fields are marked *. Nicholas Balboa was walking his dog around midnight when he felt the ground shake. Deven Gonzalez, left, and her volleyball teammate Liyah Deveaux. GARCIA-NAVARRO: It sounds like it was a very good community. Always. 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 . Initially, 150 people were thought to be missing. And I ran, and I ran. At least 10 people have been confirmed dead, but over 150 are still missing as of Monday afternoon. Rodriguez helped neighbors escape to a second-floor balcony where firefighters helped them to the ground. Emergency personnel work at the site of a partially collapsed building in Surfside near Miami Beach, Fla., June 24, 2021. Profiles of the 98 victims of the Surfside collapse in Florida | Miami Herald. 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. 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. Balboa flagged a police officer and other rescuers, who helped pull the teenager out to safety. 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. I can't imagine. 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. What we know about the building that partially collapsed in Surfside, Florida. One unit over, and I am gone, Rosenthal added. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. GARCIA-NAVARRO: There's been a lot of news coming out about why this might have happened. It's not known if those factors played a role in the collapse. This is one of the most complex building failure investigations ever undertaken, said Judith Mitrani-Reiser, who co-leads the investigation. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. And the fire escape door wouldn't open, but I saw people on the other side, and I banged. And I should've gone back for her. And - so I went around the corner, and that's when I saw that the building was missing. One year later, heres what we know so far. The structural engineer has been around for a while. Albert and Janette Aguero suddenly awoke early Thursday to what they said sounded like a "really loud clap of thunder." (Sara Nir) RIGHT: A bedroom in the Nir's apartment, Unit 111, before the collapse . Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Did you encounter any technical issues? I mean, I know that sounds silly, but that's all I want, my cat back. I can only imagine how many people were in their apartments either sleeping or watching TV or just whatever, just living their lives. Mia, another cat, had been lying at the feet of her owner on . Nir, a recent college graduate, was living there while he looked for a job and considered medical school. ", "It's a tremendous tragedy," he said, after taking a moment to collect himself. The identification brings the total death toll to. 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. Copyright 2023 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. 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. It wasn't until they opened the door to the hallway that they realized what had actually happened. And when we got outside again, all I could hear were the people screaming. Over a month after a condominium complex near Miami abruptly collapsed overnight, local officials said Monday theyve identified the remains of a final missing person, sending the disasters overall death toll to 98. As they stepped onto the beach, Alfredo said he could hear the cries for help coming from the wreckage. 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. What are you thinking at this moment? 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 Hes based in Tallahassee. 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. I go as near as I can. A "substantial number" of the condominium's residents are from overseas and "almost a third" of those reported missing are foreign citizens, according to Florida Sen. Marco Rubio. Survivors of Surfside condo collapse speak out 03:45 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. "Especially at nighttime. 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. That was my home. They were screaming. About six months ago, the Nir family moved to Surfside, Florida. "When we measure subsidence or when we see movement of the buildings, it's worth checking why it happens," Wdowinski, who analyzed space-based radar data, said in a statement Thursday. And I remember telling 911, 'I can't explain anything right now, you guys have to come here ASAP,'" he said. 00:25. "I don't think I've really processed what happened.". "I walked out with my pajamas and my phone.". Then their bedroom began to shake. "We are finding our way out until we get to some light.". 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. MIAMI (CBSMiami) - For the fortunate who survived the collapse of the Champlain Towers South in late June, getting basic help early on was simple. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. 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. 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. My family's having a hard time," Gabe said. While the family is still dealing with the trauma of that night, Gabe said he thinks fate kept them alive. Updated on: July 14, 2021 / 9:25 PM "It was like a really loud clap of thunder. Newsroom: (305) 795-2777. The building's shocking anddevastating collapselast month killed at least 97 people inside but the Nirs managed to get out alive. Yes. Miami condo owners warned of major structural damage in 2018. For five long . Survivors recount harrowing escape from collapsed condo. But her mother, Angela Gonzalez, and her sister, Deven Gonzalez, did survive. Still, friends and even complete strangers have been helping replace what she's lost. He ran to his apartment to drop off his dog, and when he returned to the wreckage, he heard screaming under the rubble. 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 60-year-old told WPLG she had to climb over rubble through the dark with her dog. "I'm on the phone with 911. I dont even want to think about it, shesaid. That complete side of the building was not there, Mariantold the Miami Herald. And I hear car alarms going off, I see lights flashing everywhere. Did anyone survive the Surfside condo partial collapse? They were always, always offering assistance. The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. 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. "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. 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. "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. "They are going to basically have to start all over again," Capponi said. He and his wife got the kids from their beds and ran for their lives. "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. 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. Legal Statement. 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. "Some of them dont have insurance, and theyve lost everything they worked all their lives for. So far, there is no evidence of foul play, according to Levine Cava. Alvarez is still dealing with the trauma. "Without hesitation, I did exactly what she told me. The family's condo was on the ninth floor of the 12-story Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Florida. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. "I feel like I'm mourning every minute for someone in the building," she said. 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 . The couple fled down the emergencystairwell, but couldn't open the lobby door. Although he and his family are safe, Longobardi said they are all "shocked. I could hear them screaming. 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. They have been hampered by torrential rain and fires and have had to move with excruciating care. 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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. And there was maybe two apartments left in my floor, and I banged on their doors. A Florida judge on Thursday approvedasettlement of more than $1 billionto families who lost loved ones in the collapse of the beachfront condominium building. At least four people have been confirmed dead and 159 others remain unaccounted for. "I don't have anything," said the 62-year-old survivor of the condominium . Nearly 20 people were rescued from the rubble of the World Trade Center following the terrorist attacks on 9/11. The remaining portion of the structure was demolished on July 4, and search efforts shifted into recovery mode. "It could have been a very different thing," Janette Aguero said, her voice wavering with emotion. Firefighterseventuallyrescued him from his fourth-floor balcony. A few seconds later, his bed and room began to shake and Rosenthal jumped out of bed to see what was happening. 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. He cannot help but wish, though, that a . So far, one person is confirmed dead, 11 are injured and 99 people . 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. 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. "That's kind of what's hard.". They are. I (opened) the doors and a wall of dust hit me," she said in the filing. There was people alive in there. she told WPLG. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, (CNN) After several weeks of searching and waiting for news on victims from the Champlain Towers South condominium collapse in Surfside, Florida, all 242 people have been accounted for. Jason Delgado is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network-Florida. It's still unclear what caused the condominium, which has withstood decades of hurricanes, to partially collapse.