The investigation into the collapsed building in Miami advances: why there are fewer deaths than those feared

After the initial stressful moment, the South Florida community begins to see how to move forward after the Surfside tragedy.

South Champlain Tower collapsed beyond the past June 24 at 1:30 a.m. Nowadays, 96 people have been confirmed dead in the tragedy, and possibly two more are missing.

But as in any accident, the first few hours and even the first days are confusion e uncertainty. The authorities were not prepared for a tragedy of this magnitude, and the community certainly was not. Panic gripped everyone and created confusion.

At the beginning, and for weeks, there was talk of over 140 missing, who at one point were all deemed dead. We now know that the maximum balance could be 98 people died. How can there be such a miscalculation?

“The information was very fluid early on, and we had to answer all calls with questions at 311, ”Miami-Dade County Mayor said, Daniella Levine Cava.

No one knew for sure how many people were inside the 55 apartments that disappeared with the collapse.. Then the authorities set up an emergency line, 311, which anyone who thought they had an acquaintance living there could call. This is how the list grew exponentially.

Those who have responded to these calls say that with the despair all kinds of complaints arose. Someone called saying he virtually knew a young man because he played video games online every night, knew he lived on the beach and didn’t have it seen online for three days, assuming had been under the rubble. This person immediately entered the list of the missing, and little by little the police officers determined if this was indeed what had happened or if this person had nothing to do with the Champlain Tower.

Like this case, there were many, so much so that during this last week, when the last debris was collected, the list of missing was reduced considerably. There are two more people missing, who are known to be there, but whose deaths cannot be confirmed as their identities have not yet been verified by DNA tests..

And it is that over the days, the DNA tests become more complicated. From the Miami-Dade morgue, they confirmed that a almost a month After the tragedy, few tissues continue to be useful for testing. At this point what they have found are BONE. For ten days he had hoped to find people alive. Today everyone accepted that all 98 missing people are dead.

“It’s so disturbing for all of us because it’s over and we haven’t been able to get anyone out. I must say that we did not leave anything on the table. We did everything we could and everyone put their heart and soul into saving people, if they could have been saved, ”he said, crying. Charles Burkett, Mayor of Surfside.

As the toll of this tragedy draws in, now is the time to think about financial reparations for the victims and their families.

Where the building stood today, there is a wasteland, that in Miami-Dade, facing the beach, it has a value that would exceed $ 100 million. Insurance is already known to deliver $ 50 million.

So far there are 34 open trials, but many more are expected to emerge. Not everyone expects the same. Some want the money and leave, others want to rebuild their house in the same place. The decision will surely take years.

Between, little by little the community begins to rise. The Surfside Community Center, which has served as a gathering place for families of victims throughout this month, reopened this week for children to come and play. Among the tears that still flow in Surfside, little by little, laughter can be heard among the children.

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