Support . The NIST received $22 million in supplemental funding from Congress to complete its investigation. "The whole bedroom was shaking so violently that, honestly, I was prepared for the whole building to come down," Janette Aguero added. The building's shocking anddevastating collapselast month killed at least 97 people inside but the Nirs managed to get out alive. 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 . 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 . "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. "When we measure subsidence or when we see movement of the buildings, it's worth checking why it happens," Wdowinski, who analyzed space-based radar data, said in a statement Thursday. I looked forward, which is where the elevator shaft is, and it was just a hole," Albert Aguero recalled. 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. Just because the body gets mangled doesnt mean thats what killed you, Caprara said. 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 . A Haitian man once survived for two weeks within the wreckage of a building after a . We've received your submission. And there was water - a lot of water. 0:41. 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. 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. I know it. Man Who Survived Being Buried Under Rubble in India Reflects on 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. The Police Believe 98 People Died in the Condo Collapse. One Hasn't So far, only five people have been confirmed dead. She quickly grabbed her dog and tried to evacuate, along with other residents, down the only staircase that was available. Jeff Pias, 60, was staying with his . The uncle said that Jonah was out of the hospital with only minor injuries, according to Balboa. Thanks for contacting us. "Of course, it's not ruled out," she added. And I want you to know that in 2018, we had a board meeting. Just white, concrete dust," he said. Rosenthal said it is a miracle that he managed to escape because many of his neighbors' apartments were on the L-shaped tower that collapsed. And again, I'm staying in the area. 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. 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. First published on July 14, 2021 / 2:21 PM. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. He followed the sound and located 15-year-old Jonah Handler, whose hand and fingers were visibly wiggling through the wreckage. Market data provided by Factset. 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. ", 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. I won't leave. 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. Initially, 150 people were thought to be missing. 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. "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. Copyright 2023 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. (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. I mean, did you have any idea that the building was unsound? The Lopez family has lived for two decades on the street side of the condo that's still partially intact. Direktor said the construction plans had already been submitted to the Town of Surfside but the only work that had begun was on the roof. And they opened it, and I just ran. My balcony doors opened. Aguero, his wife and two children, were visiting South Florida from New Jersey. "It could have been a very different thing," Janette Aguero said, her voice wavering with emotion. Surfside building collapse victims Sophia Lpez Moreira and her husband Luis Pettengill died along with their three children and nanny, Leidy Vanessa Luna Villalba. I see cars going inwards, underneath the building underneath the building is the car garage. We climbed out of rubble. A survivor of the Florida condo collapse said she had to climb through According to The Telegraph, another Haitian man survived underneath a pile of rubble for over three weeks by drinking sewage water . They were screaming. Published 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! With her dog in her arms, she had to climb through rubble and over cars to escape. Jen Psaki offers to help coordinate rescue of US citizens Canadian teacher with size-Z prosthetic breasts placed on paid leave, Buster Murdaugh got 'very drunk' with dad 2 months after mom, brother murdered: source, What's next for Buster Murdaugh after dad's murder conviction, life sentence, Prince Harry was scared to lose Meghan Markle after fight that led to therapy, Prince Harry says psychedelics are fundamental part of his life, Inside Scheana Shay, Raquel Leviss heated confrontation about Tom Sandoval affair, Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant allegedly flashes gun at a strip club, Tom Sizemore And The Dangerous Burden of Desperation, Kellyanne Conway and George Conway to divorce. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Those are people I say hello to. "We are finding our way out until we get to some light.". Albert Aguero and his family had asimilarclose call. And it felt like the longest thunder I had ever heard in my life. I can only imagine how many people were in their apartments either sleeping or watching TV or just whatever, just living their lives. "It felt like the whole building was shaking," Schechter said, adding that she went to look out the window. She said she believed she is only one of two people from her floor who survived. That was a very difficult night, Scheinhaus said. Jason Delgado is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network-Florida. "Nothing like this has ever been seen, at least not in the 40 years I've been doing this," Direktor told ABC News. (AP), OFFICIALS PLANNING FOR LIKELY DEMOLITION OF REMAINING STRUCTURE. Your email address will not be published. / CBS News. The roof was also undergoing work and the entire building had been under scrutiny due to potential construction projects nearby, officials said. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. OfeOsin-Cohen, anotherfourth-floor resident who escaped,told NBC's "Today" showshewassound asleepwhen she hearda weird sound and feltthe building shake. Did Anyone Survive The Condo Collapse? - FAQS Clear Officials said Thursday they're making plans for the likely demolition of all parts of the building that didn't collapse. By Wilson Wong. Reach him at JDelgado@gannett.com. When Rosenthal opened his front door, he saw his hallway had been blocked by debris from the collapse. The family had their choice of two units, Gabe said. 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 . At that point, I turned around. Dubai-based DAMAC Properties won a $120 million bid to acquire the 1.8 acres. I - and I just want my cat back. GARCIA-NAVARRO: Susana Alvarez, thank you very much for talking with us. Please enter valid email address to continue. Usually it's hard for me to sleep because you have the screaming echoing in my mind and it just brings those flashbacks. "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. Like, you feel like an earthquake is happening right in front of you," he said. 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. 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. 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. Susana Alvarez is 62. 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. Uncle of 15-year-old who survived Surfside condo collapse thanks - CNN From the man who hugged me when I went out there to that beach, and I was all alone out there - and I have no idea who he was - to the security guard in the building next door - the luxury building next door who came out and grabbed me and said, you're coming with me. What did you see? The second body was pulled out a short while later. WOMAN TRAPPED IN CONDO RUBBLE PLEADED WITH RESCUERS TO SAVE HER. The people that lived there were good, good people that didn't deserve this. 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. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. "I don't have anything," said the 62-year-old survivor of the condominium . My family's having a hard time," Gabe said. All I saw was cement, rubble, wood, people yelling Help me,' Rosenthal said. For more information on this site, please read our Privacy Policy, and Terms of Service. Florida Gov. "People didn't want to answer they didn't know what was going on outside.".