Alfredo and Marian Lopez were sound asleep around 1:30 a.m. Thursday when they heard the first boom, like a crash of thunder from a Florida . The couple fled down the emergencystairwell, but couldn't open the lobby door. 'Like it had been hit by a missile': Residents who survived the collapse describe being inside. "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. 0:00. So Sara went to the front lobby to talk to the security guard. Firefighterseventuallyrescued him from his fourth-floor balcony. They have no luggage. 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. 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. ", Longobardi, who is a civil engineer, said they found a staircase that was completely intact and he quickly checked for cracks or other signs of damage before they used it to escape. One unit over, and I am gone, Rosenthal added. 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. Rosenthal is not the only survivor who has shared their story. July 14, 2021 / 6:01 AM / CBS Miami. "I know that they are hopeful, so we are hopeful as well.". He thought the ordeal could not be real, but he said he knew it was real when dust fell on his face and saw more of it out of his window. 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. (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. If the cause of death could have been multiple things, and we dont have enough evidence to say definitely what it was, we dont list possible causes.. We took out $15 million to fix that building at his say-so. All rights reserved. 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. Alfredo used to joke to his wife she'd have to bury him there. You couldn't see anything. 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 . GARCIA-NAVARRO: And this is, of course, the middle of the night, so it's dark. Victor Oquendo, Emily Shapiro, Ben Stein, Christine Theodorou and Nery Ynclan contributed to this report. Of the 136 condominium units, approximately 55 were destroyed along the northeast corridor, according to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Assistant Chief Raide Jadallah. Mia, another cat, had been lying at the feet of her owner on . We've received your submission. My family's having a hard time," 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. Dubai-based DAMAC Properties won a $120 million bid to acquire the 1.8 acres. She then went down to the garage to discover it was flooded with water upto her ankles. Rest of collapsed Miami tower brought down with explosives; 121 still missing. He and his wife got the kids from their beds and ran for their lives. I know it. 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. And my mom decided to stay later at her event, my sister decided to come back home late," he said. And there was maybe two apartments left in my floor, and I banged on their doors. appreciated. Associated Press. About three dozen people were able to escape from the portion of the building that remained standing. 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. Another requires condo owners to maintain a reserve fund to address needed repairs. I was going to retire there. Come get us!'" And I - my apartment is in the front of the building, and it's right across the elevators. The announcement came after search and rescue operations were paused for hours because of growing signs the structure was dangerously unstable. The Miami-Dade Police Department is leading an investigation into the incident. 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. And - so I went around the corner, and that's when I saw that the building was missing. It's just so emotional. So far, only five people have been confirmed dead. 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. And it was just a lot - what looked like smoke, which must've been dust. She hasn't slept in a bed since the collapse a week ago. Did Mavericks kneel during national anthem. 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. "People were yelling, 'help me, get me out, help me.'". "Nothing's ruled out. This story has been shared 155,909 times. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. So far, they have rescued 35 people who were trapped in the building and two others from beneath the rubble, according to Jadallah. The remains belonged to, The final missing person in the condominium building collapse in Surfside, Florida has been recovered and identified, according to the Miami-Dade County mayor. Miami, FL 33141 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. I mean, I know that sounds silly, but that's all I want, my cat back. Then their bedroom began to shake. Thats a horrifying thought, Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett told the outlet. GARCIA-NAVARRO: Susana, I'm so sorry for everything you've lost. Was any of that shared with the rest of residents? As Sara and Chani ran from the building, Gabe called 911. They managed to survive the collapse after Sara Nir heard loud noises and then saw the parking deck collapse. Firefighters officially ended their search for bodies in the debris of the collapsed Surfside condo building on Friday "As soon as she goes down to the front, I hear this loud rumble. 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. They were always, always offering assistance. Sara and Eyal Nir have six kids and two of them, Gabe and Chani, moved into the condominium building with them. Rattled, she got dressed, grabbed some essentials andbegan the trek out. First responders arrive at the partially . 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. "Panic starts to set in, like we need to really run, because I don't know if the rest of it is coming down. 2023 Cable News Network. "Especially at nighttime. "Some of them dont have insurance, and theyve lost everything they worked all their lives for. Their car was destroyed in the building's garage. "I looked to the left and the apartment to our left was half sheared off. 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. The death . Initially, 150 people were thought to be missing. Someone help us. The collapsed condo was about to begin . "We're just lost. The 101-pageproposal included provisions helping ensure corporations stay up to speed on maintenance and inspections. The second body was pulled out a short while later. Those are people I say hello to. First published on July 14, 2021 / 2:21 PM. 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.". The Lopez family has lived for two decades on the street side of the condo that's still partially intact. It was like 'Titanic,'" she said. Support . Switchboard: (305) 751-6692 The identification brings the total death toll to 98 victims. Champlain Towers South is the 13-story beachfront building that collapsed June 24. It was about the life that I had there. GARCIA-NAVARRO: Where are you staying right now? Gabriel Nir narrowly escaped a first-floor apartment with his mother and 15-year-old sister. 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. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. 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 . Market data provided by Factset. The couple lived in apartment No. 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. 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. Many lost cars, too, buried in the buildings underground parking garage. All content Copyright 2000 - 2023 WSVN-TV. All my friends were giving me luggage and clothes and things. GARCIA-NAVARRO: There's been a lot of news coming out about why this might have happened. GARCIA-NAVARRO: It sounds like it was a very good community. GARCIA-NAVARRO: Susana Alvarez, thank you very much for talking with us. "Without hesitation, I did exactly what she told me. Rodriguez helped neighbors escape to a second-floor balcony where firefighters helped them to the ground. It's still unclear what caused the condominium, which has withstood decades of hurricanes, to partially collapse. The NIST received $22 million in supplemental funding from Congress to complete its investigation. Did you encounter any technical issues? "It felt like the whole building was shaking," Schechter said, adding that she went to look out the window. Reach him at JDelgado@gannett.com. The family's condo was on the ninth floor of the 12-story Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Florida. Condo building's collapse prompts historic search-and-rescue response 4:54 p.m. A massive search-and-rescue effort is underway following the partial collapse of a 12-story condominium building in Surfside, Miami, early June 24, 2021. Your email address will not be published. "That was a very difficult night," Scheinhaus said. The 60-year-old told WPLG she had to climb over rubble through the dark with her dog. June 2021: The collapse. I mean, this doesn't just happen. 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. 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. I don't care about that. WSVN broadcast educational and informational programming for children, and file quarterly reports with the FCC detailing the station's outreach to children. More than 150 people were unaccounted for after a high-rise condo building partially collapsed near Miami Beach early Thursday, leaving at least four people dead and 11 injured, officials said . The family is now living in a hotel and dealing with the trauma of that night. In the first 48 hours, we obviously did not have all the resources, Burkett, the mayor, told USA Today. 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. Those are our neighbors. 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. No one ever, ever, ever told us that this - that that building was in such bad shape - no one, no one. The final missing person in the condominium building collapse in Surfside, Florida has been recovered and identified, according to the Miami-Dade County mayor. Published Albert Aguero and his family had asimilarclose call. About six months ago, the Nir family moved to Surfside, Florida. Can you tell us what happened? At least two members of the family were seriously injured in the collapse one is still missing. I mean, the bed was shaking. I could hear them screaming. "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. As they stepped onto the beach, Alfredo said he could hear the cries for help coming from the wreckage. "They are going to basically have to start all over again," Capponi said. But I'll - I know I can get myself back up on my feet. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. ALVAREZ: Yes, I go every day. The Associated Press contributed to this story. Jason Delgado is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network-Florida. Survivors of Surfside condo collapse speak out 03:45 Copyright 2023 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. Nicholas Balboa was walking his dog around midnight when he felt the ground shake. GARCIA-NAVARRO: It was an unimaginable situation. When he opened the . They chose to live in Champlain Towers South. And it felt like the longest thunder I had ever heard in my life. What are the survivors - you know, you - who managed to get out, what are you talking about? / CBS News. They are. And I should've gone back for her. Hes based in Tallahassee. ALVAREZ: I can't imagine. GARCIA-NAVARRO: But you know if you'd done that, you might have lost your life. "Of course, it's not ruled out," she added. 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. "Three families that I know well," he . What are you thinking at this moment? Once in her apartment, they made their way to the balcony and flagged down firefighters who rescued them. 00:49. Susana Alvarez fled her home on the 10th floor of Champlain Towers South, escaping with her life and almost nothing else. 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. Just because the body gets mangled doesnt mean thats what killed you, Caprara said. 0:41. The earthquake happened 100 miles off the coast of Florida and experts are weighing in whether it could have had anything to do with the Surfside condo collapse almost a week later. I really didn't think anything of it. I left my cat behind. 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. 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. The search and rescue efforts at the collapsed Miami Beach-area condo building has shifted to a recovery operation, signaling the formal end of the search for survivors, officials announced . Instead she's been sleeping in a chair, constantly thinking of the victims who couldn't escape. That was a very difficult night, Scheinhaus said. 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 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. WSVN-TVSunbeam Television Corp Sara was at an event, Chani was babysitting and Gabe, a night owl, had gone to the gym. "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. There was people alive in there. "There is a chance that someone or some people can still survive this. GARCIA-NAVARRO: And have you been back to the building? Market data provided by Factset. 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." "It's very hard for us to even think about these people that are not there with us anymore," he said. (AP). I (opened) the doors and a wall of dust hit me," she said in the filing. Yes. Survivors recounted hearing signs of the collapse and attempting to escape the building early Thursday morning. And it's just overwhelming, really.". However, NPR has been able to confirm that the meeting did take place in 2018. Its about the lives that are there.. 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. Your cat's name was Mia (ph), right? While the family is still dealing with the trauma of that night, Gabe said he thinks fate kept them alive. She quickly grabbed her dog and tried to evacuate, along with other residents, down the only staircase that was available. "The chandeliers and the pendant lights [were] just swaying completely, and that was not normal. Eyal was out of town that fateful night. I have friends in Surfside. "I don't have anything," said the 62-year-old survivor of the condominium . Susana, I want to ask you, first of all, how are you doing? "It could have been a very different thing," Janette Aguero said, her voice wavering with emotion. Initially, 150 people were thought to be missing. And we sat there with the town of Surfside. Have a news tip? She kept telling me what to do. After a failed attempt duringthe 2022 legislative session, lawmakers in May returned to Tallahasseeandpassed legislation designed to prevent a similar disaster. Miami-Dade County officials are aware of the study and are "looking into" it, Levine Cava told ABC News. 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. I dont even want to think about it, shesaid. An attached copy of the policy showed limits between $1 million and $2 million. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. I don't even know why. I won't leave. "Just don't know why we're here and the rest of the people aren't," Janette Aguero told ABC News. He said the Surfside investment is its first U.S. project. 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 remaining portion of the structure was demolished on July 4, and search efforts shifted into recovery mode. De Moura lived in unit 1004. Sadly, no one . On Tuesday, Balboa told CNN in a phone call that the boys uncle reached out to him on June 28 on Facebook, and also called him to say thank you for saving his nephew. Profiles of the 98 victims of the Surfside collapse in Florida | Miami Herald. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Emergency personnel work at the site of a partially collapsed building in Surfside near Miami Beach, Fla., June 24, 2021. I want major answers. Not only were they working against the instability of the structure, but rescuers also battled underground flooding, fires,smoke and wind and rain from Tropical Storm Elsa. The building's shocking anddevastating collapselast month killed at least 97 people inside but the Nirs managed to get out alive. "The building swayed like a sheet of paper. 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. "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. "It was pitch black. I have no family. He said he awoke around 1:15 a.m. to a shaking building and swaying chandeliers. Jadallah told reporters that at least 11 people were medically assessed and treated on site, four of whom were then transported to local hospitals. "There was no . But, I mean, I can't get into the building. 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. The familys condo was on the ninth floor of the 12-story Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Florida. 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. Sara picked up Gabe on her way home and they all arrived back at the building just before 1 a.m., he said. About four hours later, he checked his phone and found out what had happened to his home and neighbors. "I lost everything," Alvarez said, "and it doesnt mean anything to me.". 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 feel like I'm mourning every minute for someone in the building," she said. An engineer apparently warned the building's condo association of major structural damage back in 2018. I can't imagine. Fox News Flash top headlines are here. What did you see? "I was prepared for the whole building to come down," one survivor said. Discovery Company. 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. ", Now they have to rebuild their lives from scratch. 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. A family who survived the Surfside condominium collapse said they were mere feet from losing their lives. And I feel like fate really God really came and saved us," he said. 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. 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. We climbed out of rubble. Rescue crews .
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did anyone survive the condo collapse