Surfside one year later: First lady Jill Biden, Gov. Ron DeSantis attend Champlain Towers memorial

SURFSIDE — Family members of the 98 victims who died under the collapsed Champlain Towers South condos gathered Friday for the one-year memorial of the tragedy.

Flanked by first responders, police officers, and hundreds of community members, they shared testimonies of the hardest year of their lives.

“Exactly 365 days ago, my house collapsed with everything and everyone inside but me,” said Raquel Oliveira, who lost her husband Alfredo Loene and 5-year-old son Lorenzo Loene. "They didn't die. Their lives were interrupted.”

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The town of Surfside hosted Friday's memorial with the attendance of first lady Jill Biden, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. Members of the Israeli Defense Forces' National Rescue Unit, who helped in the recovery efforts, also attended the memorial held in a tent next to the rubble left.

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“We stand by you today and always,” Biden said during comments briefly interrupted by a standing ovation when she mentioned the firefighters “who spent weeks working to recover your loved ones.”

“If there is something strong enough to help us carry this burden of grief forward, something to break its gravitational pull, it’s love,” Biden said.

DeSantis recalled how he was awakened at 3 a.m. the day the building fell and slowly realized the immense scope of the disaster as he traveled to Surfside. He thanked first responders and noted that the state budget he recently signed contains $1 million for a memorial to the 98 people lost.

He also announced the street facing the tower will be renamed 98 Points of Light Road, in honor of the victims.

“It was a massive collapse,” DeSantis said. “Each unit represents a remarkable life and story and we want to make sure people understand that.”

The names of each of the 98 victims were read aloud during the ceremony and a dark blue net with those names now covers the wire fence guarding the hole where the beachfront condominium stood. Next to the tent, 98 light blue crosses were stuck to the sand.

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Oliveira recounted the moment she received a phone call from a friend at 4 a.m. a year ago.

”My first question, feeling fear in my whole body, was ‘Where is my son?,” she said in tears. “After that minute, my life turned into a succession of events on autopilot.”

Her husband and son were found two weeks after the collapse.

“Their bodies were decomposed,” Oliveira said. Their remains were later cremated in a paper box. “I still remember the smell coming out of the box.”

Twenty-seven days before the collapse, Raquel had celebrated Lorenzo’s fifth birthday in the same stone patio where the memorial was held.

“We cannot give up,” she said. “We need answers. We need justice.”

Surfside a year later: Rescue crews also honored

The disaster was the largest non-hurricane emergency response in Florida history. It drew rescue crews from across the U.S. and beyond to help local teams dig through the pile and search for victims. They also were honored Friday for their difficult work.

“Your dedication and selflessness were on display for the entire world,” said Levine Cava said. “Thank you for your heroic efforts.”

Before the public ceremony, there was a private torch-lighting 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.

Surfside a year later:

Martin Langesfeld lost his 26-year-old sister Nicole “Nicky” Langesfeld and her husband Luis Sadovnic in the collapse. At the event, he pleaded to local officials that they continue their investigation and not let the memory of their loved ones be forgotten.

"Please, help us in finding answers," said Langesfeld. "Pease, help us in working together with the developer who purchased this land. Let's find a way to incorporate a putting memorial on a portion of the site."

Only two teenagers and a woman survived the collapse, while others escaped from the portion of the building that initially remained standing.

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, with the probe entering a new phase this month to cut and drill into concrete and steel. Champlain Towers South had a long history of maintenance problems, and shoddy construction techniques were used in the early 1980s. Other possible factors include sea level rise caused by climate change and damage caused by saltwater intrusion.

Although the investigation is expected to take years, a judge approved a compensation settlement topping $1 billion Thursday for the victims.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

vpalm@pbpost.com

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: First lady Jill Biden, Gov. Ron DeSantis attend Surfside memorial