“Earthquake”, quick escape and many doubts after the collapse of the building in Miami

Like an earthquake. This is how Janet Aguero sounded the deafening roar that woke her up on Thursday, June 24 at about 1:20 a.m. in Miami.

It wasn’t: The 55 sea-facing apartment complex of Champlain Towers South, an apartment building in Surfside, near Miami, just collapsed in one of the worst urban disasters in American history.

“It was like an earthquake. My husband and I were sleeping, and the shaking building woke us up very violently,” Aguero, 46, told AFP. From his window, he saw only a cloud of dust.

Janet, her husband Alberto and their two children spent a week on vacation in her in-laws’ apartment on the eleventh floor of the complex, in the apartment block overlooking the street.

Mario Gonzalez visits the Monument to the Missing and Victims. AP . photos

Located just north of Miami Beach, Surfside has a population of about 6000 and is known for its white sandy beaches to make it a destination for tourists and wealthy retirees. The city, about 20 kilometers from downtown Miami, is also home to a large Jewish community.

Built in 1981, the 12-story, nearly beachfront, South Champlain Towers complex stands out for its silhouetted beige form amidst modern, glass-fronted apartment blocks.

The building housed 136 apartments, both inhabited and rented. The units of ocean width that collapsed for some reason had not yet been determined.

Within ten minutes, firefighters were on the scene. From his balcony, Alberto Aguero asked them what to do. And they answered, “If you can go, go away.”

Upon leaving the apartment, “half of the landing went to our left, and we saw the sea” as his son Justin recalls.

The tower that was standing. AP . photos

The stairs were still there “but half of it is destroyed, some steps missing.” The descent seemed endless. “I wasn’t thinking about looking outside, I was concentrating on my feet,” said the 22-year-old.

In Survival Mode, the family got to the garage level, advanced towards the Big Pile of Rubble, found a gap and ran towards the beach where they finally felt safe. That’s when Janet “broke down” and burst into tears. “Lots of feelings,” he said.

search

Neighbors who took refuge on their balconies were evacuated by stairs. The search for survivors began among the rubble by hand on the surface and underground.

When it had not yet detonated, a teenager was taken alive from the rubble. The first report recorded the death of the boy’s mother and 99 people were missing.

Since the early hours of Thursday morning, the community center in the area, a few streets to the north, has been turned into a reunion center for families of the disappeared. The evacuees, like the Agüeros, also went there to find temporary housing.

During the day, volunteers distributed drinks, food, blankets and basic necessities, while relatives of residents provided details of who was supposed to be in their apartments at the time of the disaster.

Tina Opis, whose uncle and aunt have not been heard from, donated a DNA sample. He told AFP that the authorities “need them to verify the body, which belongs to any family.”

Electrical storms and a fire in the basements of the complex, which was only brought under control on Saturday, delayed rescue efforts. By Friday, the balance was four dead and 159 missing.

Miami-Dade County Sheriff Daniela Levine Cava said at the time that “still” expected to find people alive beyond the extent of the damage.

But that hope began to fade as the days passed, despite the mechanisms deployed on the site and nearly 300 firefighters, aided by dog ​​teams, who meticulously excavated the rubble.

On Tuesday morning, the death toll reached 11, with more than 150 missing.

doubts

The first questions about the condition of the building, as they were working on updating it in accordance with current regulations, surfaced on Saturday.

According to a 2020 study, the building suffered a “very slight” landing in the 1990s. Authorities have not ruled out the cause of the disaster, and the author of this study told CNN he couldn’t tell if the drowning was “expected.”

A 2018 report had already called into question the integrity of the property, citing “significant structural damage” and “cracks” in the concrete columns in the basement.

In a letter dated April 9, 2021, the president of the co-owners association expressed alarm at the increasing “deterioration”.

“The garage always looked in poor condition, there were cracks, and it was flooded all the time,” Janet Aguero told AFP.

Authorities have promised a “thorough and thorough investigation”, while there are concerns about the “sister” complex of North Champlain Towers, which was built at the same time by the same company a block away.

US President Joe Biden announced that he will visit Surfside Thursday.

France Press agency

PB

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