The Surfside Condo Collapse

Yuby Cartes, along with her family, is in distress and panic as she continues to search for her nephew. Despite the fact that they have not gotten any news about him as of yet, the family is holding on to hope. He was with his family celebrating a birthday in Surfside, Florida when the condo they were in collapsed on one side.

In Miami, a beachfront condo building partially broke down very recently, leaving families distraught and in search of loved ones. It was 1:30 in the morning when one wing of the Champlain Towers South Condo came crashing down. At that point, dozens of survivors were aided out. Unfortunately, the efforts still left nearly 100 people unaccounted for as maintained by the Miami-Dade mayor. Officials fear that the death toll could climb rapidly since the exact number of people in the tower before the fall is still unknown.

Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett explained, “The building is literally pancaked. That is heartbreaking because it doesn’t mean, to me, that we are going to be as successful as we wanted to be in finding people alive.”.

Emergency officials are requesting families to call 305-614-1819 if they have relatives who are left unaccounted for.

The system of searching and saving others from the disastrous wreckage and debris is using crews of around ten rescuers. The process is to shuffle different such teams as well as utilizing the help of dogs and other equipment. The crews are swapped out when one team wears out from the heavy lifting. According to Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, the state’s fire marshal, they aren’t going to give up any time soon.

“They’re not going to stop just because of nightfall. They just may have a different path they pursue.” he affirmed.

This is important, because the witnesses and affected families are gravely urging that the search go on and that it isn’t enough.

The stories of the many people affected by this tragic situation are just beginning to surface. For example, one eyewitness from south Florida narrated a desperate cry for help he heard to the NBC news. Nicholas Balboa stated that he was walking his dog when he noticed a motion in the rubble and heard a young voice call out the words “please don’t leave me”. As Nicholas tried to get nearer, an arm emerged as he continued to yell for help. After he was assisted, he said that his mother was inside as well. However, his mother is still being searched for. Fortunately, Nicholas Balboa’s compassion and calm thinking was what saved the child.

Many other Florida families are holding on to hope that they will reunite with their loved ones. One mother’s leg had to be amputated in order to remove her and her son from the rubble. Fortuna Smukler posted about the catastrophe on Facebook, in hopes that a nearby witness would know the whereabouts of an elderly couple, Myriam Caspi Notkin and Arnie Notkin. Arnie Notkin had been an elementary school teacher of physical education in the area for years, Smukler, a North Miami Beach commissioner who is friends with Myriam Notkin’s daughters, explained.

“ He was such a well-liked P.E. teacher from people’s past,” she continued to describe. “Everyone’s been posting, ‘Oh my god, he was my coach’”.

(AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

The disaster has resulted in a plethora of support from people gathered around the site, ready to help in any way necessary. As an example, therapy dogs were brought to the hotel. Others were holding hands and praying near the burning building and thick smoke.

There are many ways for others to help, even from a distance! To give an instance, the American Red Cross is assisting displaced residents to secure shelters. In addition, the team is providing emotional and spiritual support to the survivors. If you would like to donate for their efforts, click here for more information. Also, the ATJC Aventura Turnberry Jewish Center is cumulating any donations to help the affected people. Their organization is requesting donations of urgent products. You can donate sheets, pillows, phone chargers, and snack food. Direct Relief has teamed up with the NBA's Miami Heat to collect donations helping issue healthcare for survivors along with equipment for first responders. Greater Miami Jewish Federation is accepting donations to help supply spiritual support as well as crisis counseling. Additionally, the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue is responding to the crisis, instructing people that “To report missing loved ones, call 305-614-1819”. Alternatively, you can file an online missing persons report. According to CNN, “residents who live within the partially collapsed tower are asked to fill out this wellness check form. For free bilingual emotional support, call 833-848-1762”. The World Central Kitchen is supplying meals to the Surfside community to make sure displaced residents and rescue crews are fed as they face the unexpected.

When it comes to the actual collapse of the building, the word ‘pancaked’ is being used often to describe the way the building had broken down. The authorities have not stated what caused the fall. One video displayed the center of the building appearing to fall first, “with a section nearest the ocean teetering and coming down seconds later as a huge dust cloud swallowed the neighborhood”. Many people claim that the building was not fit to live in.

In conclusion, there is still much more information to uncover and work to be done. In this heartbreaking situation, we can only hope for the best - that more survivors will be able to safely return to their families.

Sources:

• Wilfredo Lee, Terry Spencer. “‘Many Feared Dead after Florida Beachfront Condo Collapses.’” AP NEWS, Associated Press, 24 June 2021, https://apnews.com/article/miami-building-collapses-25ee9ff94dd07d2a0ae3da742a6cb8dd.

• Macaya, Melissa. “South Florida Building Collapse near Miami: Live Updates.” CNN, Cable News Network, 25 June 2021, www.cnn.com/us/live-news/miami-florida-building-collapse-06-24-21/index.html.

NBCNews. “Condo Collapse Eyewitness: I Heard A Yell From The Rubble 'Please Don't Leave Me'.” YouTube, YouTube, 24 June 2021, www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6fsQxEjmZs.