Have you been able to sort of gather and sort of think about what's next? All content Copyright 2000 - 2023 WSVN-TV. Deven survived the partial collapse of a condo tower near Miami. "It's just sad. 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. Its the only way they can heal.. Updated on: July 14, 2021 / 9:25 PM Caitlin O'Kane is a digital content producer covering trending stories for CBS News and its good news brand, The Uplift. 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. 0:00. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Raysa Rodriguez recounts a harrowing escape from her unit at the collapsed Surfside condominium, and . Their car was destroyed in the building's garage. When I opened the door to my apartment, it leads to a long hallway, and all I saw was debris, Osin-Cohen told"Today. GARCIA-NAVARRO: Susana, I'm so sorry for everything you've lost. 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.. Can you tell us what happened? 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. And the town of Surfside said to us that the building was not in bad shape, that the building was not in bad shape. During times like this, they are very good. All rights reserved. Alfredo Lopez and his wife describe how they escaped the crumbling Champlain Towers South on June 24, 2021. We reached out to a Surfside spokesperson for a response but did not hear back. "We're lucky to be here.". For more information on this site, please read our Privacy Policy, and Terms of Service. Discovery Company. A mother and daughter who survived the Florida condo collapse that killed 98 people describe how they survived falling when the floor gave way. I don't care about that. 00:49. I just ran out. 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. 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. And the stairs were all full of rubble. They managed to survive the collapse after Sara Nir heard loud noises and then saw the parking deck collapse. I went with the people. However, NPR has been able to confirm that the meeting did take place in 2018. At that point, I turned around. According to The Telegraph, another Haitian man survived underneath a pile of rubble for over three weeks by drinking sewage water . What are the survivors - you know, you - who managed to get out, what are you talking about? The second body was pulled out a short while later. I won't leave. And I want you to know that in 2018, we had a board meeting. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. GARCIA-NAVARRO: It was an unimaginable situation. The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. "It's very hard for us to even think about these people that are not there with us anymore," he said. The structural engineer has been around for a while. You couldn't see anything. Deven Gonzalez, left, and her volleyball teammate Liyah Deveaux. 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. ALVAREZ: It makes me think that the engineer did not properly do his work. Initially, 150 people were thought to be missing. "It felt like the whole building was shaking," Schechter said, adding that she went to look out the window. 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. "I lost everything," Alvarez said, "and it doesnt mean anything to me.". 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. Gabe said it sounded like construction but in the middle of the night, it was suspect. The announcement came after search and rescue operations were paused for hours because of growing signs the structure was dangerously unstable. ALVAREZ: I am near the building. All Rights Reserved. SUSANA ALVAREZ: Not well. 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. I could hear them screaming. ALVAREZ: Not to that extent. 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. That was a very difficult night, Scheinhaus said. That was my home. She quickly grabbed her dog and tried to evacuate, along with other residents, down the only staircase that was available. After he saw the damage on TV, De Moura said he had to drive his car to the condo building to see it for himself. ABC News' Eliana Larramendia Boyd, Kendall Coughlin, Alexandra Faul, Christopher Godburn, Joshua Hoyos, Aaron Katersky, Rachel Katz, Katie Kindelan,. I ran to the balcony. OfeOsin-Cohen, anotherfourth-floor resident who escaped,told NBC's "Today" showshewassound asleepwhen she hearda weird sound and feltthe building shake. The people that lived there were good, good people that didn't deserve this. she told WPLG. "As soon as she goes down to the front, I hear this loud rumble. 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. "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 collapsed condo was about to begin . As Sara and Chani ran from the building, Gabe called 911. "It was pitch black. 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. At least four people have been confirmed dead and 159 others remain unaccounted for. We talked until 1 in the morning, De Moura said. When Rosenthal opened his front door, he saw his hallway had been blocked by debris from the collapse. Direktor noted that he hadn't been warned of any structural issues with the building or about the land it was built on. 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. And the building was covered with smoke - smoke everywhere. But I am homeless right now. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. 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 . Thats what saved me. Despite a search and rescue effort that went on for weeks, no signs of life were found past the morning of the collapse on June 24. 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. (CNN) After several weeks of searching and waiting for news on victims from the Champlain Towers South condominium collapse in Surfside, Florida, A class-action complaint updated on Nov. 10 alleges that the towers were badly damaged and destabilized because of, A total of 98 people died when the building, 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. I (opened) the doors and a wall of dust hit me," she said in the filing. 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. I was sleeping, and I heard the loudest thunderclap Ive heard in my life times 100, he said. "I don't have anything," said the 62-year-old survivor of the condominium . I can only imagine how many people were in their apartments either sleeping or watching TV or just whatever, just living their lives. Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava speaks to ABC News for an interview on "Good Morning America" on June 25, 2021. 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. 00:25. 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 . 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. Neither he nor the company, in its press release, made any mention of the 98 people who perished. "Of course, it's not ruled out," she added. All rights reserved. or redistributed. And it felt like the longest thunder I had ever heard in my life. In May:DeSantis signs condo reform bill a response to Surfside building collapse into law. 2021 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. Market data provided by Factset. I looked forward, which is where the elevator shaft is, and it was just a hole," Albert Aguero recalled. Elected officials told the paper that first responders lacked adequate resources and the experience in dealing with such a massive and catastrophic incident. The disaster that killed at least 18 people, with more than 140 still missing, also rendered dozens of people homeless. She convinced him to have a beer at the dining room table. An aerial view showing a partially collapsed building in Surfside near Miami Beach, Fla., June 24, 2021. I have no family. "These folks that we are serving, who we know they are having the worst experience of their lives, are turning around and asking you what can they do to serve," Logan said. Just because the body gets mangled doesnt mean thats what killed you, Caprara said. As the search for survivors enters its fifth day, those who escaped are recounting harrowing tales of survival after last week's condo collapse in Surfside.At least 10 people have been confirmed . He said the Surfside investment is its first U.S. project. Firefighterseventuallyrescued him from his fourth-floor balcony. However, Figueiredo told him to stay because they do not get spend Wednesday nights together often. Thanks for contacting us. Was any of that shared with the rest of residents? GARCIA-NAVARRO: And have you been back to the building? "Just don't know why we're here and the rest of the people aren't," Janette Aguero told ABC News. That complete side of the building was not there, Mariantold the Miami Herald. An engineer apparently warned the building's condo association of major structural damage back in 2018. Copyright 2023 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. We've received your submission. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! 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. "I was prepared for the whole building to come down," one survivor said. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much They have no luggage. They were screaming. I want major answers. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. 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. By Wilson Wong. Initially, 150 people were thought to be missing. About four hours later, he checked his phone and found out what had happened to his home and neighbors. Rest of collapsed Miami tower brought down with explosives; 121 still missing. Its not like her, and its not like me, and when I woke up at 5:30, I understood why.. 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. And we sat there with the town of Surfside. A 13-second video from inside the Miami condo collapse shows debris falling, the footage shaking and the the video cutting out. 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. What did you see? 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. "We tried knocking on people's doors," Gabe said. All I saw was cement, rubble, wood, people yelling Help me,' Rosenthal said. Sara picked up Gabe on her way home and they all arrived back at the building just before 1 a.m., he said. What are you thinking at this moment? Surfside is a few miles north of Miami Beach. The NIST received $22 million in supplemental funding from Congress to complete its investigation. All my friends were giving me luggage and clothes and things. A mother 'Like it had been hit by a missile': Residents who survived the collapse describe being inside. Sara and Eyal Nir have six kids and two of them, Gabe and Chani, moved into the condominium building with them. The 25-year-old caught up with his mom and sister and they continued to run from the scene. For now they are staying at a nearby hotel, the floor of their room cluttered with items donated by friends and strangers. Did anyone survive the Surfside condo partial collapse? 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. It's not like her, and it's not like me, and when I woke up at 5:30, I understood why." He followed the sound and located 15-year-old Jonah Handler, whose hand and fingers were visibly wiggling through the wreckage. Surfside building collapse victims Sophia Lpez Moreira and her husband Luis Pettengill died along with their three children and nanny, Leidy Vanessa Luna Villalba. But her mother, Angela Gonzalez, and her sister, Deven Gonzalez, did survive. The condo collapse in Surfside, Florida has a Loudoun County man relieving and retelling his own horror story, after he was rescued from an apartment building collapse 20 years ago. We're going to hear now from one of the survivors of that collapse. While the family is still dealing with the trauma of that night, Gabe said he thinks fate kept them alive. Rattled, she got dressed, grabbed some essentials andbegan the trek out. I could hear people crying and screaming for help, Lopez told the Herald. "That was a very difficult night . Those are people I say hello to. I mean, the bed was shaking. 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. 0:41. "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. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. Another requires condo owners to maintain a reserve fund to address needed repairs. The couple lived in apartment No. Just white, concrete dust," he said. Legal Statement. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Miami condo owners warned of major structural damage in 2018. Champlain Towers South is the 13-story beachfront building that collapsed June 24. And please understand that I don't care - everything I lost in that condo, including my parents' wedding rings and my father's 18-karat gold watch from Cuba that was engraved and all that - I don't care. 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. It's still unclear what caused the condominium, which has withstood decades of hurricanes, to partially collapse. Hes based in Tallahassee. This story has been shared 155,909 times. 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. 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. 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 . 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. ", Now they have to rebuild their lives from scratch. Did you encounter any technical issues? "Im just grateful I made it out alive with my family," Nir said. June 2021: The collapse. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. 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.