But, I mean, I can't get into the building. Jason Delgado is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network-Florida. "We said, 'We have to run, don't take anything,'" Longobardi recalled during an interview Friday on "GMA" with ABC News' T.J. Holmes. 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. Required fields are marked *. There was people alive in there. It's like a motor it just goes fast, fast, fast," he said, adding that they don't even know where to start. "We are finding our way out until we get to some light.". Susana, I want to ask you, first of all, how are you doing? While the family is still dealing with the trauma of that night, Gabe said he thinks fate kept them alive. 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. 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. 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. And they opened it, and I just ran. All rights reserved. SUSANA ALVAREZ: Not well. One unit over, and I am gone, Rosenthal added. "We're just lost. GARCIA-NAVARRO: So what does that make you think? She said she believed she is only one of two people from her floor who survived. "The building swayed like a sheet of paper. "There was no . 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. "It could have been a very different thing," Janette Aguero said, her voice wavering with emotion. Florida Gov. It's not known if those factors played a role in the collapse. "It was like a really loud clap of thunder. 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. 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. 'Like it had been hit by a missile': Residents who survived the collapse describe being inside. Once in her apartment, they made their way to the balcony and flagged down firefighters who rescued them. The building's shocking anddevastating collapselast month killed at least 97 people inside but the Nirs managed to get out alive. Families deserve to know what really happened to their loved ones. It was about the life that I had there. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. The remains belonged to Estelle Hedaya, 54, according to a statement from the Miami-Dade Police. Of the 136 condominium units, approximately 55 were destroyed along the northeast corridor, according to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Assistant Chief Raide Jadallah. ", Now they have to rebuild their lives from scratch. 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. "That's kind of what's hard.". This was in a matter of seconds, out of nowhere. 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. GARCIA-NAVARRO: There's been a lot of news coming out about why this might have happened. ALVAREZ: They are. 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. That was my home. The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. Another requires condo owners to maintain a reserve fund to address needed repairs. When I opened the door to my apartment, it leads to a long hallway, and all I saw was debris, Osin-Cohen told"Today. A few seconds later, his bed and room began to shake and Rosenthal jumped out of bed to see what was happening. All I saw was cement, rubble, wood, people yelling Help me,' Rosenthal said. Someone help us. She hasn't slept in a bed since the collapse a week ago. And it felt like the longest thunder I had ever heard in my life. 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. 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. And I remember telling 911, 'I can't explain anything right now, you guys have to come here ASAP,'" he said. 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. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. ALVAREZ: I am near the building. Several of their pets also went missing. 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. And their daughter was staying there. That was my home. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much Rodriguez helped neighbors escape to a second-floor balcony where firefighters helped them to the ground. 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. Susana Alvarez fled her home on the 10th floor of Champlain Towers South, escaping with her life and almost nothing else. Residents of a partially-collapsed condo in Surfside, Florida, have spoken out about what they heard, felt, and saw during the disaster, as search and rescue efforts continue. 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. He said the Surfside investment is its first U.S. project. Profiles of the 98 victims of the Surfside collapse in Florida | Miami Herald. An investigation by USA Today found that at least nine of the 98 people killed in the tragedy initially survived the June 24 collapse, including one woman who was possibly still alive under the rubble 10 hours later. And it was just a lot - what looked like smoke, which must've been dust. First responders arrive at the partially . I won't leave. July 5, 2021 4 . The family is now living in a hotel and dealing with the trauma of that night. Steve Rosenthal said he was woken up when he heard a loud noise and felt his unit shaking. It was destroyed in the collapse, but thanks to the persistent nature of his significant other, he is still alive today. All my friends were giving me luggage and clothes and things. I left the cat behind, and I ran out. This is one of the most complex building failure investigations ever undertaken, said Judith Mitrani-Reiser, who co-leads the investigation. An eyeglass store refilled her prescription, even though she never called it in. 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. They chose to live in Champlain Towers South. ABC News' Eliana Larramendia Boyd, Kendall Coughlin, Alexandra Faul, Christopher Godburn, Joshua Hoyos, Aaron Katersky, Rachel Katz, Katie Kindelan,. But the kindness of people has been phenomenal. 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! I only care about the cat. Sara and Eyal Nir have six kids and two of them, Gabe and Chani, moved into the condominium building with them. I want major answers. But her mother, Angela Gonzalez, and her sister, Deven Gonzalez, did survive. 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. (AP), LIVE UPDATES: SURFSIDE CONDO BUILDING COLLAPSE. At that point, I turned around. And I hear car alarms going off, I see lights flashing everywhere. The NIST received $22 million in supplemental funding from Congress to complete its investigation. 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. "There's got to be a reason we came back later. The Dubai billionaires $120 million land purchase also will be used to pay families of victims and property owners. Nobody had been found alive since immediately after the Florida building crumbled almost two weeks ago, killing at least 54. Surfside condo collapse victim Luis Pettengill played college tennis at Indianas Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, from which he graduated in 2007. Balboa flagged a police officer and other rescuers, who helped pull the teenager out to safety. Search efforts . No one ever, ever, ever told us that this - that that building was in such bad shape - no one, no one. I could hear them screaming. The remaining portion of the structure was demolished on July 4, and search efforts shifted into recovery mode. He cannot help but wish, though, that a . "I was prepared for the whole building to come down," one survivor said. I thought it was a wonderful property because I was so happy. (Sara Nir) RIGHT: A bedroom in the Nir's apartment, Unit 111, before the collapse . 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 condo partial collapse? Victor Oquendo, Emily Shapiro, Ben Stein, Christine Theodorou and Nery Ynclan contributed to this report. Rest of collapsed Miami tower brought down with explosives; 121 still missing. Your email address will not be published. About four hours later, he checked his phone and found out what had happened to his home and neighbors. They chose to live in Champlain Towers South. The identification brings the total death toll to 98 victims. / CBS News. The group came up against rubble blocking their path. "We cannot say what is the reason for that from the satellite images but we can say there was movement here.". GARCIA-NAVARRO: And have you been back to the building? What we know about the building that partially collapsed in Surfside, Florida. You feel sorry for them, and I wish we could've done more for them.". As they stepped onto the beach, Alfredo said he could hear the cries for help coming from the wreckage. The structural engineer has been around for a while. As of Thursday . 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. But her mother, Angela Gonzalez, and her sister, Deven Gonzalez, did survive. During times like this, they are very good. 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. ALVAREZ: I want answers. "People were yelling, 'help me, get me out, help me.'". 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. Alfredo used to joke to his wife she'd have to bury him there. They're working around the clock and they're using every possible tool," she added. I (opened) the doors and a wall of dust hit me," she said in the filing. It's not like her, and it's not like me, and when I woke up at 5:30, I understood why." 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. And when we got outside again, all I could hear were the people screaming. They have been hampered by torrential rain and fires and have had to move with excruciating care. Gabriel Nir narrowly escaped a first-floor apartment with his mother and 15-year-old sister. 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.". The family reached the third floor, where they helped a young woman and an elderly residentget to the ground floor. By Wilson Wong. A 13-second video from inside the Miami condo collapse shows debris falling, the footage shaking and the the video cutting out. Most residents were asleep. Still, friends and even complete strangers have been helping replace what she's lost. 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 . GARCIA-NAVARRO: Susana, I'm so sorry for everything you've lost. Direktor noted that he hadn't been warned of any structural issues with the building or about the land it was built on. I can't imagine. 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 . And the town of Surfside said to us that the building was not in bad shape, that the building was not in bad shape. Praying that the building didnt fall on me, collapse on me. Sara was at an event, Chani was babysitting and Gabe, a night owl, had gone to the gym. We're going to hear now from one of the survivors of that collapse. 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. It's still unclear what caused the condominium, which has withstood decades of hurricanes, to partially collapse.
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