FLORIDA – Monday marks three years since the tragic collapse of the Champlain Towers South building in Surfside, which claimed the lives of 98 people.
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At 1:22 a.m., the exact time of the collapse, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Chief Ray Jadallah read aloud the names of all the victims. “Reading out the 98 names — it’s not just names,” he remarked. “These are extended family that we made over the past three years.”
Later, at 9:45 a.m., a memorial flyover took place, with a Miami-Dade Police Department helicopter circling the site of the collapse. This was followed by a remembrance ceremony led by Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett, and included a prayer service by a rabbi to mark the third anniversary.
“It feels unreal that it’s already been three years. You never expect to be in this position, seeing these things on camera. You see these tragedies occur, and you never expect your family to go through something like this,” said Martin Langesfeld, who lost his 26-year-old sister, Nicole, and her husband in the collapse. “Nikki to me was everything,” he continued. “I would go to her for answers. She was my role model, and Louis was the man she chose to be with for the rest of her life. I saw him as an older brother as well.”
On this third anniversary of the Surfside collapse, we remember the 98 lives taken too soon. Our hearts are with the families who lost loved ones and the survivors who continue to heal. We also honor our first responders for their bravery. Together we remain #SurfsideStrong. pic.twitter.com/gfy2fABsFQ
— Daniella Levine Cava (@MayorDaniella) June 24, 2024
Mike Noriega, who lost his grandmother in the collapse, expressed similar sentiments. “To fathom that this woman, who was the matriarch of our family, was underneath there — that was almost impossible to accept. It couldn’t be true, but it was,” he said. “A building on flat land where there are no earthquakes collapses in the middle of the night? That should never happen.”
To honor their loved ones, the victims’ families lit a torch at 1:22 a.m.
While a final determination is still years away, a preliminary report from investigators last year identified a severe strength deficiency in the building’s pool deck, likely due to a design flaw from its construction in the early 1980s.
The site has since been sold to a billionaire developer from Dubai, who plans to build a new tower on the property. This decision has not been well received by some of the victims’ families, who are advocating for a permanent memorial on the same site.
Town officials are considering placing the memorial on public land adjacent to the property, with the final location and design yet to be announced.
Today, on the third anniversary of the Champlain Towers collapse in Surfside, we remember & honor the lives lost, & the families forever changed by this tragedy. #MDFR will always keep those impacted in our hearts as we carry on with our duty to serve & protect our community. pic.twitter.com/m5FlKIp8To
— Miami-Dade Fire Rescue (@MiamiDadeFire) June 24, 2024