As search and rescue continues, local rabbis and volunteers assist survivors
Updated on Friday, June 25, at 4:16 p.m.
At least four person were killed and 159 people, including children and the elderly, may be trapped in the rubble after a 12-story, 136-unit oceanfront condominium tower in Surfside, Fla., partially collapsed at around 1:30 a.m. on Thursday. Miami-Dade county police said Friday that as of now 159 people who were assumed to be in the building when it collapsed have not yet been accounted for.
A massive search-and-rescue operation involving hundreds of emergency workers from around the Miami-Dade area was underway throughout Thursday night and Friday and will continue for weeks to come, experts said. According to Raide Jadallah, assistant chief of the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, 35 people were rescued from the building and two people from the rubble.
Those who have been pulled from the rubble of the Champlain Towers at 8777 Collins Ave. have been rushed to local hospitals, including a boy of about 10 years of age. Evacuees from the area were taken to a local community center, where Chabad-Lubavitch rabbis and volunteers from The Shul—a major Chabad-Lubavitch center only blocks away on Collins Avenue—were on hand to provide comfort and support.
“There are few words that could give anybody consolation because you are dealing with an unimaginable, horrific tragedy that struck in the middle of the night,” said Rabbi Sholom Ber Lipskar, executive director and rabbi of The Shul. He added that “we live with consistent and constant hope … but at the same time, we have to get used to the fact that the soul has eternal existence.”
A member of the Chabad-Lubavitch community who is at the scene urged people to pray, noting that there are many people who are unaccounted for. “This is a tragedy,” he said, asking that his name not be used. “There are many Jewish people still unaccounted for and we should pray. The problem is it’s very difficult to access the building and get to the back” where the collapse happened.
Barry Cohen, a resident of the building, told reporters that “at first it sounded like a crash of lightning, thunder. “But then it just kept on steadily for at least 15 to 30 seconds, just kept on going and going and going,” he added.
Cohen says he was rescued from his apartment in a crane operated by firefighters.
Hotline Established, Psalms Requested
In an email to community members, The Shul noted that a hotline has been set up for family members looking for information, which has since reverted to the main line at 305-868-1411. Hatzalah South Florida has established a command center on the scene and is working closely with local rescue and law enforcement agencies.
The Shul is also serving as a collection point for needed materials, including: blankets, pillows, snacks, fruit, games, drink, phone chargers and more for those who were displaced by the building collapse. The Shul has set up a fund to help the victims and families impacted.
There is a request that Tehillim (Psalms) Chapter 20 and Chapter 119 be said for those unaccounted for. The following names have been received thus far.
Ariel Leib ben Ita
Chaim ben Sarah
Devorah bat Chaya
Esther bat Linda
Frankie ben Nancy
Gavriela bat Sarah
Ilan ben Kalman
Ita bat Miriam
Jay ben Nancy
Leible ben Feiga Rivka
Leib ben Shoshana
Lein ben Ilana
Malka bat Sarah Rochel
Michoel ben Hans
Moshe ben Toba
Moshe ben Shoshana
Nancy bat Sofia
Nicole bat Andrea
Ruth bat Sarah
Sara bat Ida
Tzvi Daniel ben Yehudit
Yehuda Aryeh ben Freida Rivka
Yisroel Tzvi Yosef ben Toba
This story will be updated throughout the day.
