Surfside

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Notice to Miami Beach Condo Residents: Get Out Now

14-story complex deemed unsafe, evacuated is down the street from Surfside condo that collapsed

(Newser) - Residents of a Miami Beach, Fla., building on the same street where a condominium collapse killed nearly 100 people last year were forced to evacuate on Thursday evening after officials determined the structure was unsafe and gave orders to leave. Miami Beach spokesperson Melissa Berthier said around 4pm Thursday that...

'Miracle Boy' in Florida Condo Collapse Tells His Story

Jonah Handler was integral to the negotiation of a $1.02B settlement

(Newser) - After they heard the boom at 1:15am on June 24, 2021, Jonah Handler and his mother, Stacie Dawn Fang, went out on their balcony to see if they could figure out where the noise had come from. They returned inside and sat on Jonah's bed in the ensuing...

Lawsuit: Work Next Door Caused Florida Condo to Fall

Defendant says the problems were all at Champlain Towers South

(Newser) - Construction of a luxury building next door triggered the collapse of a fragile Florida condominium that killed 98 people, a new lawsuit argues. The suit, filed on behalf of Champlain Towers South victims and family members, contends that work on the adjacent Eighty Seven Park tower damaged and destabilized a...

After Surfside Condo Collapse, an 'Abhorrent' Alleged Crime

3 are charged with stealing the identities of 7 victims following shopping sprees

(Newser) - Two women and a man allegedly stole the identities of seven victims of the condominium collapse in Surfside, Fla. , in the days after the tragedy and spent thousands of dollars on shoes and a Versace purse. Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle described the suspects—Betsy Alexandra Cacho-Medina, 30; her...

Video Shows 'Astronomical' Corrosion in Collapsed Condo

New investigation begins at Surfside site

(Newser) - Video released by federal investigators shows more evidence of extensive corrosion and overcrowded concrete reinforcement in a Miami-area condominium that collapsed in June, killing 98 people. The video from the National Institute of Standards and Technology shows densely packed steel reinforcement in various sections of the building, along with extensive...

Remains of Final Victim of Condo Collapse Identified

Estelle Hedaya is disaster's 98th victim

(Newser) - Two days after firefighters' search for bodies at the site of the Surfside condo collapse officially ended , the remains of the disaster's final victim have been identified. Ikey Hedaya tells CBS Miami he was notified by police Monday that the remains of his older sister, 54-year-old Estelle Hedaya, had...

Ceremony Ends Firefighters' Search
Ceremony Ends
Firefighters' Search
Jul 23, 2021 4:15 PM CDT

Ceremony Ends Firefighters' Search

Crews rejoin their families after camping at the site of the collapsed condo building

(Newser) - 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 layers of dangerous debris that were once piled several stories high. The June 24 collapse at the oceanside Champlain Towers South in Surfside...

Judge: Condo Collapse Survivors Won't Be Asked to Donate Property

Surviving owners are split on future of Surfside site

(Newser) - There have been calls to turn the site of one of the deadliest building collapses in US history into a memorial, but the judge overseeing lawsuits in the Surfside condo collapse says survivors and the families of victims will not be asked to donate their property. "These victims who...

Concrete Concerns Lead to Miami Building's Evacuation

Deterioration sparked worry three weeks after nearby condo building's collapse

(Newser) - Residents of an 82-year-old, two-story apartment building in Miami Beach have been ordered to evacuate because of concrete deterioration nearly three weeks after the deadly collapse of Champlain Towers South in nearby Surfside. The city of Miami Beach ordered the evacuation of Devon Apartments on Monday and is giving residents...

Binx the Cat Found 16 Days After Surfside Condo Collapse

'A small piece of good news': Kitty has been reunited with family

(Newser) - In what WSVN calls a "miracle" for one of the families affected by the tragedy in Surfside, Fla., a cat that lived in Champlain Towers South has been found alive, more than two weeks after the condo collapsed. "After 16 long and extremely difficult days, I'm happy...

Condo Searchers Carry On Through Rain, Wind

4 more bodies found, bringing total to 32

(Newser) - The discovery of four more victims in the rubble of a collapsed Florida condominium building raised the death toll to 32, officials said Tuesday as a ramped-up search effort faced new threats from severe weather with Tropical Storm Elsa. Lightning forced rescuers to pause their work for two hours early...

Condo Collapse Puts Spotlight on SF's Leaning Tower

Engineer says building is safe amid repairs

(Newser) - The deadly collapse of the condo building in Surfside, Fla., has some fearing a similar disaster in San Francisco, where the tilting 58-story Millennium Tower is still without a fix. The city's tallest residential building has sunk 18 inches and leaned several inches, prompting cracks in the foundation and...

Teen Rescued From Rubble Sorry for Missing Practice

After miraculous recovery, her first thought was of volleyball

(Newser) - When 16-year-old rising volleyball star Deven Gonzalez was pulled from the rubble of her Miami condo building, her initial reaction amid the shock was to tell firefighters that she had to compete in a major tournament in a few days. The teen's world revolved around volleyball. She played beach...

Video Shows Demolition of Surfside Tower

The rest of the Florida condo building that collapsed is brought down

(Newser) - As Tropical Storm Elsa moves toward Cuba and, soon after that, Florida, what remained of the Champlain Towers South in Surfside was demolished late Sunday. Officials had worried the rest of the building, which partially collapsed June 24, could be brought down by the storm in the wrong direction , on...

New Wrench at Condo Scene: a COVID Outbreak

At least 6 firefighters helping search and rescue efforts at Surfside collapse site have tested positive

(Newser) - As people get ready to celebrate the holiday weekend with barbecues and other get-togethers, a COVID outbreak at the site of the South Florida condo collapse reminds us that the pandemic isn't over just yet. Six firefighters helping out at the scene in Surfside have tested positive, Miami-Dade Fire...

Condo Inspector Under Microscope for What He Knew, and When

Surfside's ex-head building inspector told residents in 2018 the condo seemed to be 'in very good shape'

(Newser) - The difficult work continues for search and rescue teams sifting through the rubble where a Florida condominium complex collapsed last week, which has left at least 20 dead and 128 missing as of Friday morning, per the AP . Now, records show that the former chief building inspector in the city...

Most Condo Board Members Quit After 2019 Repairs Dispute

Plus, a chilling video, taken moments before Surfside building's collapse

(Newser) - As the search for survivors continues in Surfside, Fla., now with the help of robots , records show that five out of the seven members of the Champlain Towers South condo's board quit in the fall of 2019 after infighting over a report indicating structural damage. After that 2018 report...

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