"Im just grateful I made it out alive with my family," Nir said. "We were screaming 'Help! We're going to hear now from one of the survivors of that collapse. 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. Legal Statement. They always wanted me to go out, ride bikes with them. All rights reserved, How to Help Victims of the Surfside Building Collapse, Deeply Emotional': Families of the Missing Visit Site of Florida Condo Collapse, Viral Kids' Star Ms. Rachel Is Taking a Break From Social Media After Backlash Over Co-Star Who Uses They/Them Pronouns, Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), Flight Attendant Hit the Ceiling': 7 Hospitalized After Severe Turbulence Diverts Flight to Virginia, Check Your Change! 2021 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. The National Institute of Standards and Technology,the main federal agency conducting the probe, has said it expects the investigation to take at least two years, as every piece of evidence must be thoroughly analyzed, and all hypotheses evaluated,according to its latest statement. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! 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. "People didn't want to answer they didn't know what was going on outside.". And we sat there with the town of Surfside. Without hesitation, I did exactly what she told me. Market data provided by Factset. 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.". 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. 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. Schechter said as soon as she got out, all she could think about were her neighbors that might have still been inside. Still, officials had resisted abandoning the search-and-rescue effort. At least 10 people have been confirmed dead, but over 150 are still missing as of Monday afternoon. He said there was water damage to the complex, but that is common for oceanfront properties and wouldn't have caused the collapse. It was about the life that I had there. 1:33. My family's having a hard time," Gabe said. It's just so emotional. 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. She convinced him to have a beer at the dining room table. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. At that point, I turned around. July 14, 2021 / 6:01 AM / CBS Miami. He ran to his apartment to drop off his dog, and when he returned to the wreckage, he heard screaming under the rubble. One provision stipulates that condos taller than three stories must be inspected every ten years. Of the 136 condominium units, approximately 55 were destroyed along the northeast corridor, according to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Assistant Chief Raide Jadallah. And - so I went around the corner, and that's when I saw that the building was missing. Gabe said it sounded like construction but in the middle of the night, it was suspect. There was people alive in there. "We cannot say what is the reason for that from the satellite images but we can say there was movement here.". Coco, a black and white tuxedo cat, was left behind after her 89-year-old owner was pulled to safety from her fourth floor apartment. 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. "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. Several of their pets also went missing. They were screaming. And it was just a lot - what looked like smoke, which must've been dust. "Its nothing short of amazing.". "The whole bedroom was shaking so violently that, honestly, I was prepared for the whole building to come down," Janette Aguero added. During times like this, they are very good. Its the only way they can heal.. That is what they said, OK? (AP), LIVE UPDATES: SURFSIDE CONDO BUILDING COLLAPSE. Published 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." 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. Friends she's staying with outfitted her with new clothes and a computer. You couldn't see anything. Associated Press. 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. I can only imagine how many people were in their apartments either sleeping or watching TV or just whatever, just living their lives. (AP), OFFICIALS PLANNING FOR LIKELY DEMOLITION OF REMAINING STRUCTURE. It's still unclear what caused the condominium, which has withstood decades of hurricanes, to partially collapse. I could hear people crying and screaming for help, Lopez told the Herald. As of Wednesday, officials said 75 people were confirmed dead and 90 of the victims have been identified. WSVN-TVSunbeam Television Corp They have been hampered by torrential rain and fires and have had to move with excruciating care. Please enter valid email address to continue. And there were two men and a young man with us, and they were helping us. , even as police and forensic specialists continue working to identify human remains. But on Thursday, exactly two weeks after the 12-story . There was nothing there, and people were screaming. Alfredo Lopez and his wife describe how they escaped the crumbling Champlain Towers South on June 24, 2021. "I'm on the phone with 911. She said she believed she is only one of two people from her floor who survived. I can't imagine. 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. "It's very hard for us to even think about these people that are not there with us anymore," he 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 . Neither he nor the company, in its press release, made any mention of the 98 people who perished. I thought it was a wonderful property because I was so happy. 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. It wasnt about my home. The couple lived in apartment No. 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. Like, you feel like an earthquake is happening right in front of you," he said. Her apartment was on the 10th floor and she knew many people in the building she had lived in for years. ALVAREZ: Not to that extent. I have a good job, and I'm not destitute. 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. In May:DeSantis signs condo reform bill a response to Surfside building collapse into law. A 15-year-old boy who miraculously survived the Miami condo collapse was sitting in his bedroom next to his mother when the building gave way and she was killed, according to a lawsuit filed by . "Good Morning America's" TJ Holmes asked them what the collapse sounded like. "We lost everything, so there's so many things that your mind goes crazy. And a warning, this is a harrowing conversation but an important one. Everything I owned was in that apartment, but I don't care. She kept telling me what to do. A pool contractor who visited the building just two days before the collapse took photographs showing a wet floor, cracked concrete and severely corroded reinforcing steel in the building's pool equipment room, CBS News' David Begnaud reported. ALVAREZ: I was only thinking of myself. An aerial view showing a partially collapsed building in Surfside near Miami Beach, Fla., June 24, 2021. It wasn't until they opened the door to the hallway that they realized what had actually happened. 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. As Sara and Chani ran from the building, Gabe called 911. Initially, 150 people were thought to be missing. Alvarez is still dealing with the trauma. Steve Rosenthal said he was woken up when he heard a loud noise and felt his unit shaking. Crews searched for hours but were unable to find her, the report said. Just because the body gets mangled doesnt mean thats what killed you, Caprara said. These Valuable Pennies Are Worth Thousands, Mysterious Cases of Men Found Dead After Leaving NYC Gay Bars Ruled Homicides: ME. That was my home. I don't know because I grabbed nothing else. 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. The whole experience, she told Today, was really surreal., Unfortunately, we did hear screams. Always. Survivors recount harrowing escape from collapsed condo. 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. Contact this reporter at kvlamis@insider.com. Jason Delgado is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network-Florida. Gabriel Nir narrowly escaped a first-floor apartment with his mother and 15-year-old sister. Legal Statement. / CBS News. Most people who have contacted his nonprofit for help lived in the part that is still standing but assume their homes and anything inside are a complete loss. The uncle said that Jonah was out of the hospital with only minor injuries, according to Balboa. 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. Reach him at JDelgado@gannett.com. The family had just moved in six months ago. At approximately 1:20 a.m. on June 24, 2021, Champlain Towers South, a 12-story, 136-unit condo building at 8777 Collins Ave., Surfside, partially collapsed in a matter of minutes. All rights reserved. 903 of the Champlain Towers South. And the building was covered with smoke - smoke everywhere. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. I thought, oh, tomorrow on the news, we're going to hear about, you know, tremors in Florida. Its not like her, and its not like me, and when I woke up at 5:30, I understood why.. We talked until 1 in the morning, De Moura said. By Wilson Wong. 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. That's when the family started hearing loud noises. 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. Condo association "kept kicking the can down the road," according to lawyer for unit owner. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. But I am homeless right now. Have you been able to sort of gather and sort of think about what's next? One year later, heres what we know so far. They were the nicest couple. Discovery Company. He was obviously sleeping, Balboa said two weeks ago. Rescue workers continued digging feverishly for a sixth day Tuesday, after stressing Monday that they could still find survivors in the rubble of a collapsed Surfside condo building. At least four people have been confirmed dead and 159 others remain unaccounted for. Son shares how family survived Surfside condo building collapse 03:11 About six months ago, the Nir family moved to Surfside, Florida. 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. Yes. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, We took out $15 million to fix that building at his say-so. 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. 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. About four hours later, he checked his phone and found out what had happened to his home and neighbors. The death . The remaining portion of the structure was demolished on July 4, and search efforts shifted into recovery mode. Im like, All right, Im in the middle of it. Mia, another cat, had been lying at the feet of her owner on . Schechter, whose home is in a part of the building that is still standing, said she was asleep when she began hearing noises that were followed by shaking and rumbling. All rights reserved. Albert Aguero (top left), his wife Janette Aguero (bottom right), his son Justin Willis (top right) and his daughter Athena Aguero (bottom left) speak to ABC News for an interview on "Good Morning America" in Surfside, Fla. on June 25, 2021. Someone help us. A jagged five-foot chunk of flooring barely left enough room to escape. That was my home. They chose to live in Champlain Towers South. I'm very, very emotional. Sara was at an event, Chani was babysitting and Gabe, a night owl, had gone to the gym. Its not known. 1401 79th Street Causeway It was like 'Titanic,'" she said. "We are working with the Consulates of various countries in the Western Hemisphere to help secure travel visas for family members who need to travel to the U.S.," Rubio wrote in a post on his official Twitter account on Thursday evening. "There was no . A Haitian man once survived for two weeks within the wreckage of a building after a . But her mother, Angela Gonzalez, and her sister, Deven Gonzalez, did survive. ", "I'm very hopeful because we have the best team in the world. 0:00. I wish I had had different shoes on, he said, noting he was wearing flip flops at the time. OfeOsin-Cohen, anotherfourth-floor resident who escaped,told NBC's "Today" showshewassound asleepwhen she hearda weird sound and feltthe building shake. But I'll - I know I can get myself back up on my feet. I don't care about that. But, I mean, I can't get into the building. Rodriguez helped neighbors escape to a second-floor balcony where firefighters helped them to the ground. Victor Oquendo, Emily Shapiro, Ben Stein, Christine Theodorou and Nery Ynclan contributed to this report. 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. 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. "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].". I left my cat behind. One was a penthouse, the other on the first floor. ALVAREZ: They are. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. Once in her apartment, they made their way to the balcony and flagged down firefighters who rescued them. "I looked to the left and the apartment to our left was half sheared off. "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. GARCIA-NAVARRO: It sounds like it was a very good community. "It was like a really loud clap of thunder. 00:49. I only care about the cat. So far, they have rescued 35 people who were trapped in the building and two others from beneath the rubble, according to Jadallah. First published on July 14, 2021 / 2:21 PM. GARCIA-NAVARRO: You did the only thing you could. "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. I won't leave. Thats how we got out.. 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. The Miami-Dade Police Department is leading an investigation into the incident. She still hears the screams from that night. He said he awoke around 1:15 a.m. to a shaking building and swaying chandeliers. 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. When he opened the . And there was an older lady and they were helping us out of the rubble. And there was maybe two apartments left in my floor, and I banged on their doors. She then went down to the garage to discover it was flooded with water upto her ankles. We had to wait for fire rescue to come up with the ladder. I could hear them screaming. 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. The group came up against rubble blocking their path. They chose to live in Champlain Towers South. Susana Alvarez is 62. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. 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. "Panic starts to set in, like we need to really run, because I don't know if the rest of it is coming down. All I saw was cement, rubble, wood, people yelling Help me,' Rosenthal said. Accuracy and availability may vary. Many families are still holding out hope that their loved ones will be found alive. The announcement came after search and rescue operations were paused for hours because of growing signs the structure was dangerously unstable. 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. Its so difficult to put into words because of the people that are there, but Im grateful to be alive, he said. 2. 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. Surfside condo collapse victim Luis Pettengill played college tennis at Indianas Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, from which he graduated in 2007. Nearly 20 people were rescued from the rubble of the World Trade Center following the terrorist attacks on 9/11. I have friends in Surfside. Balboa said he told the uncle, Sorry I couldnt get to his sister faster.. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Nicholas Balboa said he had been walking his dog past midnight on June 24 when he felt the ground shake and saw that a major section of the condo complex had collapsed. 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 teams, a report said Tuesday. The cause of the collapse is still being investigated, but evidence soon emerged of a history of maintenance and structural concerns at the building, which was just beginning a multimillion-dollar repair project. The second body was pulled out a short while later. Market data provided by Factset. He and his wife got the kids from their beds and ran for their lives. Meanwhile, another 120 people have been accounted for, according to Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. We've received your submission. The NIST received $22 million in supplemental funding from Congress to complete its investigation. The final missing person in the condominium building collapse in Surfside, Florida has been recovered and identified, according to the Miami-Dade County mayor. Survivors of Surfside condo collapse speak out 03:45 Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. (Liyah Deveaux) By KELLI KENNEDY. Condo building's collapse prompts historic search-and-rescue response 4:54 p.m. De Moura lived in unit 1004. However, Figueiredo told him to stay because they do not get spend Wednesday nights together often. ALVAREZ: Yes, I go every day. Just white, concrete dust," he said. He said the Surfside investment is its first U.S. project. 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. 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. ALVAREZ: I'll be all right. Albert Aguero and his family had asimilarclose call. ALVAREZ: Yes, but there was a full moon, so that made it even worse. 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. I really didn't think anything of it. She did - to yoga with me. 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. "It's just sad. According to The Telegraph, another Haitian man survived underneath a pile of rubble for over three weeks by drinking sewage water . 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. A partially collapsed building is seen early Thursday, June 24, 2021, in the Surfside area of Miami, Fla. A woman who survived the collapse of a condo building in Florida has shared how she escaped. ALVAREZ: I was in bed, and I heard a tremor. 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. All content Copyright 2000 - 2023 WSVN-TV. Deven Gonzalez, left, and her volleyball teammate Liyah Deveaux. Nobody had been found alive since immediately after the Florida building crumbled almost two weeks ago, killing at least 54. Your email address will not be published. The judges initial approval came May 28, the day after attorneys for the families of victims reached an agreement to avoid a protracted court battle that could have taken years to resolve. ", 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. Have a news tip? 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. "There is a chance that someone or some people can still survive this. Usually it's hard for me to sleep because you have the screaming echoing in my mind and it just brings those flashbacks. Scene at family reunification center, where 'it's the waiting that's getting to me' I just ran out. "Just don't know why we're here and the rest of the people aren't," Janette Aguero told ABC News. "While we're running, we're thinking, we don't know what's going on. The family reached the third floor, where they helped a young woman and an elderly residentget to the ground floor. The people that lived there were good, good people that didn't deserve this. The familys condo was on the ninth floor of the 12-story Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Florida. "They are going to basically have to start all over again," Capponi said. For now they are staying at a nearby hotel, the floor of their room cluttered with items donated by friends and strangers. 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. And the fire escape door wouldn't open, but I saw people on the other side, and I banged. I was sleeping, and I heard the loudest thunderclap Ive heard in my life times 100, he said. A woman who survived the collapse of a condo building in Florida has shared how she escaped. ", VIDEO SHOWS WATER GUSHING INTO GARAGE BEFORE SURFSIDE BUILDING FELL. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. CNNs Eric Levenson contributed to this report. Another requires condo owners to maintain a reserve fund to address needed repairs. 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. They came out, and then I said, we got to get out of here. Firefighters on Friday declared the end of their search for bodies at the site of a collapsed Florida condo building, concluding a month of painstaking work removing . My balcony doors opened. "I lost everything," Alvarez said, "and it doesnt mean anything to me.".