New Jersey family recounts surviving Surfside building collapse GARCIA-NAVARRO: It sounds like it was a very good community. The death . 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. I - and I just want my cat back. Surfside Collapse Survivor Sues Condo Association - The Real Deal South You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! And there were two men and a young man with us, and they were helping us. Paolo Longobardi, who lives in the Champlain Towers South with his wife and two children, said he also awoke to loud noises and saw part of the building collapse. That is what they said, OK? A few seconds later, his bed and room began to shake and Rosenthal jumped out of bed to see what was happening. As the search for survivors enters itsfifth day,those who escaped are recounting harrowingtales of survival after last weeks condo collapse in Surfside. "We tried knocking on people's doors," Gabe said. What we know about the building collapse so far. No other survivors were found even after an international coalition of rescue workers labored for two weeks, working 24 hours a day, to dig through a 40-foot high pile of rubble. Please enter valid email address to continue. The NIST received $22 million in supplemental funding from Congress to complete its investigation. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 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. Did anyone survive the collapse Surfside? He said he awoke around 1:15 a.m. to a shaking building and swaying chandeliers. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. The Associated Press contributed to this story. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. "While we're running, we're thinking, we don't know what's going on. She kept telling me what to do. 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. 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. (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. It wasn't until they opened the door to the hallway that they realized what had actually happened. We talked until 1 in the morning, De Moura said. She hasn't slept in a bed since the collapse a week ago. But her mother, Angela Gonzalez, and her sister, Deven Gonzalez, did survive. 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. In the first 48 hours, we obviously did not have all the resources, Burkett, the mayor, told USA Today. And we'll have more details on that, plus more information on the collapse and what it might mean for other similarly constructed buildings in the area elsewhere in the show. The Lopez family has lived for two decades on the street side of the condo that's still partially intact. Surviving members of family caught in Surfside condo collapse reunite They have no luggage. "I didn't know where to run. However, NPR has been able to confirm that the meeting did take place in 2018. Yes. Binx The Cat Survived Surfside Condo Collapse, Reunited With Family Just because the body gets mangled doesnt mean thats what killed you, Caprara said. A 13-second video from inside the Miami condo collapse shows debris falling, the footage shaking and the the video cutting out. They chose to live in Champlain Towers South. The family is now living in a hotel and dealing with the trauma of that night. ", "I'm very hopeful because we have the best team in the world. The familys condo was on the ninth floor of the 12-story Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Florida. 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. It's unclear exactly how many residents have been displaced, but those with insurance policies should recoup at least a portion of their losses. ALVAREZ: I'll be all right. 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 . Their condo in Surfside had collapsed, and they had just narrowly survived. "As soon as she goes down to the front, I hear this loud rumble. He and his wife got the kids from their beds and ran for their lives. How many people survived the Surfside condo collapse? (AP), LIVE UPDATES: SURFSIDE CONDO BUILDING COLLAPSE. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. It was like a sandstorm. Surfside condo collapse victim Luis Pettengill played college tennis at Indianas Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, from which he graduated in 2007. He ran to his apartment to drop off his dog, and when he returned to the wreckage, he heard screaming under the rubble. A survivor of the Florida condo collapse said she had to climb through Survivors of Surfside condo collapse speak out 03:45 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. Dubai-based DAMAC Properties won a $120 million bid to acquire the 1.8 acres. Search for bodies concludes in Surfside condo collapse "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. It just makes us really grateful, but also sad. 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. The uncle said that Jonah was out of the hospital with only minor injuries, according to Balboa. I just ran out. The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. All my friends were giving me luggage and clothes and things. And there was maybe two apartments left in my floor, and I banged on their doors. Albert Aguero and his family had asimilarclose call. Newsroom: (305) 795-2777. All I saw was cement, rubble, wood, people yelling Help me,' Rosenthal said. (AP). We had to wait for fire rescue to come up with the ladder. Jadallah told reporters that at least 11 people were medically assessed and treated on site, four of whom were then transported to local hospitals. She still hears the screams from that night. 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. GARCIA-NAVARRO: Susana Alvarez, thank you very much for talking with us. Survivors recount harrowing escape from collapsed condo. Officials said Thursday they're making plans for the likely demolition of all parts of the building that didn't collapse. The remains belonged to Estelle Hedaya, 54, according to a statement from the Miami-Dade Police. 'One Unit Over, and I'm Gone': Survivors of Surfside Building Collapse I looked forward, which is where the elevator shaft is, and it was just a hole," Albert Aguero recalled. 2 survivors of Surfside condo collapse share their survival stories - WSVN 2023 www.tallahassee.com. Death Toll Climbs To 18 In The Surfside Condo Collapse, With 145 Missing But I am homeless right now. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. And there were no elevators, just open holes. As of Thursday . Rescue crews . All rights reserved. I have no family. 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. He cannot help but wish, though, that a . 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. A mother 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 . - Latest victims in condo tower collapse include 2 children Officials said Thursday that they're making plans for the likely demolition of all parts of the building that didn't collapse. Updated on: July 14, 2021 / 9:25 PM "It felt like the whole building was shaking," Schechter said, adding that she went to look out the window. ALVAREZ: It makes me think that the engineer did not properly do his work. 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. GARCIA-NAVARRO: You did the only thing you could. A Florida judge on Thursday approvedasettlement of more than $1 billionto families who lost loved ones in the collapse of the beachfront condominium building. Unnerving footage from INSIDE Miami condo in seconds before building Susana, I want to ask you, first of all, how are you doing? He followed the sound and located 15-year-old Jonah Handler, whose hand and fingers were visibly wiggling through the wreckage. ", Workers load a stretcher with remains extricated from the rubble into a Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner van, near the Champlain Towers South condo building on Friday. Survivor of Surfside condo collapse remembers when 'the floor just GARCIA-NAVARRO: It doesn't sound silly. Florida condo collapse: What witnesses say they saw | CNN Victor Oquendo, Emily Shapiro, Ben Stein, Christine Theodorou and Nery Ynclan contributed to this report. 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. Its so difficult to put into words because of the people that are there, but Im grateful to be alive, he said. 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. And the fire escape door wouldn't open, but I saw people on the other side, and I banged. "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 feel like I'm mourning every minute for someone in the building," she said. When he told me My building collapsed, I believed something wrong happened during the building or something broke, but not the whole building on the floor.. They were screaming. "Just don't know why we're here and the rest of the people aren't," Janette Aguero told ABC News. A jagged five-foot chunk of flooring barely left enough room to escape. ALVAREZ: It was. ALVAREZ: Yes, but there was a full moon, so that made it even worse. Hes based in Tallahassee. I look and the ceilings down, the concrete, the cement," Rosenthaltold NBC South Florida. Florida condo collapse Death toll rises to 11; authorities name Nicholas Balboa was walking his dog around midnight when he felt the ground shake. July 5, 2021 4 . Crews searched for hours but were unable to find her, the report said. Timeline: The Surfside Condo Collapse In Florida - NPR Teen, mom survived falling several floors in condo collapse - Los I go as near as I can. Surfside survivors tell how they escaped collapsed condo | Miami Herald They have been hampered by torrential rain and fires and have had to move with excruciating care. 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. 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. Both had been flagged in a 2018 engineering report noting the need for extensive and costly repairs to fix systemic issues with the Champlain Towers South. And there was an older lady and they were helping us out of the rubble. Always. And - so I went around the corner, and that's when I saw that the building was missing. That was a very difficult night, Scheinhaus said. I was only thinking of getting out. Your email address will not be published. "I walked out with my pajamas and my phone.". I won't leave. Uncle of 15-year-old who survived Surfside condo collapse thanks - CNN I don't know because I grabbed nothing else. WSVN broadcast educational and informational programming for children, and file quarterly reports with the FCC detailing the station's outreach to children. 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. GARCIA-NAVARRO: And have you been back to the building? I can't imagine. Multiple survivors have recounted that their entire apartment was rattling before the collapse. As Sara and Chani ran from the building, Gabe called 911. That was my home. Once in her apartment, they made their way to the balcony and flagged down firefighters who rescued them. And there was water - a lot of water. 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 "I was prepared for the whole building to come down," one survivor said. "That's kind of what's hard.". He was obviously sleeping, Balboa said two weeks ago. Did Anyone Survive The Condo Collapse? - FAQS Clear Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. 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. We climbed out of rubble. Have a news tip? "I looked to my left and half of the apartment is gone, look forward and the elevator shaft is there and there's no elevator, it's just two holes," Aguero told NBC South Florida. GARCIA-NAVARRO: And this is, of course, the middle of the night, so it's dark. And I remember telling 911, 'I can't explain anything right now, you guys have to come here ASAP,'" he said. Son shares how family survived Surfside condo building collapse 03:11 About six months ago, the Nir family moved to Surfside, Florida. And I should've gone back for her. Meanwhile, another 120 people have been accounted for, according to Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. GARCIA-NAVARRO: Where are you staying right now? We've received your submission. 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.". A total of 20 agencies are offering assistance to families affected by the collapse. 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 . "I lost everything," Alvarez said, "and it doesnt mean anything to me.". 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 . CNNs Eric Levenson contributed to this report. Balboa said he told the uncle, Sorry I couldnt get to his sister faster.. The Champlain Towers South condominium was built in the 1980s and was up for its 40-year recertification, according to Surfside officials. Then their bedroom began to shake. Surfside building collapse victims Sophia Lpez Moreira and her husband Luis Pettengill died along with their three children and nanny, Leidy Vanessa Luna Villalba. And a warning, this is a harrowing conversation but an important one. Without hesitation, I did exactly what she told me. Initially, 150 people were thought to be missing. 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. Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava speaks to ABC News for an interview on "Good Morning America" on June 25, 2021. "We decided to run to the other side of the building, the north side of the building, where there is another staircase," he said. Sara and Eyal Nir have six kids and two of them, Gabe and Chani, moved into the condominium building with them. Praying that the building didnt fall on me, collapse on me. It's still unclear what caused the condominium, which has withstood decades of hurricanes, to partially collapse. One unit over, and I am gone, Rosenthal added. Usually it's hard for me to sleep because you have the screaming echoing in my mind and it just brings those flashbacks. Surfside Collapse Survivor Finds Starting Over Isn't Easy 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. 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. 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. ALVAREZ: Yes, I go every day. I can only imagine how many people were in their apartments either sleeping or watching TV or just whatever, just living their lives. 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. 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. With Eyal traveling for work often, Gabe told CBS News he decided to live with his mom and teen sister to help them out. And at that point, I got up, and I said, wow. All rights reserved. Florida Condo Collapse Survivor Climbed Through Rubble With - Insider I was sleeping, and I heard the loudest thunderclap Ive heard in my life times 100, he said. "There was no . Rescuers are in a desperate bid to try and find survivors in Surfside, Fla., amid the wreckage of the Champlain Towers condo building. Miami, FL 33141 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. Discovery Company. Since the collapse, Balboa said he has replayed that moment in his mind many times, wondering what he could have done differently to save more people, he told CNN. About the . The identification brings the total death toll to. OfeOsin-Cohen, anotherfourth-floor resident who escaped,told NBC's "Today" showshewassound asleepwhen she hearda weird sound and feltthe building shake. 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. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. "People didn't want to answer they didn't know what was going on outside.". 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. I don't care about that. 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 . Those are people I say hello to. "Nothing like this has ever been seen, at least not in the 40 years I've been doing this," Direktor told ABC News. Initially, 150 people were thought to be missing. "It's just sad. Pancake collapses: What they are and why they're dangerous | CNN Sara picked up Gabe on her way home and they all arrived back at the building just before 1 a.m., he said. "It's very hard for us to even think about these people that are not there with us anymore," he said. "Without hesitation, I did exactly what she told me. (AP), OFFICIALS PLANNING FOR LIKELY DEMOLITION OF REMAINING STRUCTURE. She kept telling me what to do. Although he and his family are safe, Longobardi said they are all "shocked. I really didn't think anything of it. Your cat's name was Mia (ph), right? Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. They are. 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. ALVAREZ: Yes. Survivors recount horror of Surfside building collapse: 'We - ABC News But all the material possessions they lost can be replaced, he said. And we sat there with the town of Surfside. What are the survivors - you know, you - who managed to get out, what are you talking about? Firefighterseventuallyrescued him from his fourth-floor balcony. Sadly, no one . 'We Were So Lucky': Family Narrowly Survived Surfside Condo Collapse ALVAREZ: Not to that extent. He said there was water damage to the complex, but that is common for oceanfront properties and wouldn't have caused the collapse. Survivors recounted hearing signs of the collapse and attempting to escape the building early Thursday morning. "I know that they are hopeful, so we are hopeful as well.". Gabriel Nir narrowly escaped a first-floor apartment with his mother and 15-year-old sister. That complete side of the building was not there, Mariantold the Miami Herald. Associated Press. 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. Miami condo collapse: How long might victims survive in the rubble The building's shocking anddevastating collapselast month killed at least 97 people inside but the Nirs managed to get out alive.