FLORIDA DISASTER
Searching for Victims
Jewish community and Israel respond to condo collapse.
FAYGIE HOLT JNS
The collapsed portion of the Champlain Towers South condominium in Surfside, Fla.
MIAMI-DADE FIRE RESCUE/TWITTER/JNS
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hile the wait continues for word on those missing after Champlain Towers South, a condominium in the heavily Jewish area of Surfside, Fla., partially collapsed on June 24, area Jewish groups stepped in to offer support to the community and to family members who have arrived to the area seeking news. As of Monday morning, nine people had been confirmed dead, and the number of people unaccounted for had risen to 150, after 55 of the 130-plus units collapsed without warning. The missing include citizens of other countries and residents of other cities. Israel Consul General to Miami Maor Elbaz-Starinsky posted on Twitter before dawn on Friday: “We arrived at the scene 24 hours ago and haven’t left since. The team of
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@IsraelinMiami is doing its utmost to help the community, the authorities and the families.” Earlier, he had posted a tweet saying, “We are stronger together. We’ll be around as long as it takes, supporting and in solidarity with this amazing community and people. Our friendship is solid and everlasting.” Starinsky also put up photos of himself with members of Hatzalah of South Florida, the Jewish volunteer emergency-services organization that has been on seen since word got out that the building collapsed. President Joe Biden made an emergency declaration on Friday giving FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security the power to coordinate disaster-relief efforts. He also spoke with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who said that the he and the White House are “step-
ping up to help people who are in need.” Hatzalah is currently mandating a shift schedule to allow its members to get some rest. “A lot of our people devote themselves to the community, and if we don’t limit their shift, they will work day and night,” said Andre Roitman, a Hatzalah of South Florida’s coordinator. “We have 70 members in South Florida and are maintaining eight to 10 members at night and 20 to 25 responders during the day.” Roitman, who himself had been working 20 straight hours and has a missing friend in the building, said Hatzalah’s role has evolved over the last day and half, divided by phases. In phase one — in the immediate aftermath of the collapse, as people were being removed from the building — they were triaging and providing medical care.
Phase two the next morning had Hatzalah treating or referring people who were evacuated from nearby buildings; some were complaining they had missed their daily medicine or were not otherwise feeling well. They are now in phase three, said Roitman, with members divided — some on site and others stationed at the family reunification site, treating people there. “As the anxiety goes up and family members crowd into the center, you see people who are fainting, having chest pains or dizziness,” he said. “Patient care is focused not only on medical side, but the mental and psychological well-being of the family members.” AIDING RESPONDERS The Jewish Federation of Greater Miami and its partner organizations, Jewish Community
