98 remembered a year after condo collapse
SURFSIDE, Fla. — A year ago in the middle of the night, a 12-story oceanfront condo building in Surfside, Fla., came down with a thunderous roar, leaving a giant pile of rubble and claiming 98 lives — one of the deadliest structure collapses in U.S. history.
The names of the victims were read aloud during a ceremony Friday to mark the somber anniversary, attended by political figures, first responders and family members of those who died at Champlain Towers South on June 24, 2021.
“Exactly 365 days ago, my house imploded, my home collapsed with everything and everyone inside but … I am alive, and I have the chance to rediscover something that motivates me to smile again, to fight, to be a whole person,” said Raquel Oliveira, whose husband and 5-year-old son died in the collapse.
“Let’s not give up on justice, love, gratitude, forgiveness.
Let’s not give up life. We have not come this far just to come this far,” she added.
The disaster was the largest non-hurricane emergency response in Florida history. It drew rescue crews from across the U.S. and as far away as Israel to help local teams dig through the pile and search for victims. They were honored
Friday for their difficult work.
“Your dedication and selflessness were on display for the entire world,” said Miamidade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. “Thank you for your heroic efforts.”
Before the public ceremony organized by the town of Surfside, there was a private torchlighting gathering at the time
— about 1:25 a.m. — when the 136-unit condominium fell a year ago.
There was an effort by many victims and family members to install a memorial at the site where the building once stood, but the land is being sold for $120 million to a Dubai developer and a memorial will likely be created nearby.
Those missing in the collapse included the 7-year-old daughter of a firefighter who helped in the search, later found dead with her mother, aunt and grandparents; a woman whose cries for help were heard in the early hours but suddenly stopped; and two sisters, 4 and 11, pulled from the rubble, who were so tiny they were buried in the same casket.
The victims included local residents as well as visitors who were Orthodox Jews, Latin Americans, Israelis, Europeans and snowbirds from the Northeast.
The cause of the collapse remains under investigation by the National Institute of Standards and Technology.