November 24, 2021 • 25 mins
The shocking collapse of the Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Florida, destroyed a tight-knit community in an instant. As neighbors, the Estefans watched in horror as only 35 people were rescued from the rubble. In this powerful episode, the family pays tribute to the lives that were forever changed with stories of grief, survival, and love.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Bienvenidos Me and Gloria Stefan. Here you are listening to
Red Table Talk via Stephens Podcast, all your favorite episodes
from our Facebook watch show in audio in less than
twelve seconds. Oh my god, my parents apartments not a
(00:21):
deadly building collapse devastated our community. I lost my beautiful
neighworks on my friends. At the Red Table today we
are honoring the ninety eight souls who were taken. She
was the best little sister anyone could have. The thirty
five who survived the walls were all Cromlin Town. Please
(00:43):
get us out and all of the people, including our
first responders, whose lives were impacted by this tragedy. The
collapse of the Champlain Tower South in Serfside, Florida is
one of the most horrific scenes ever witnessed, and as
(01:05):
longtime Miami residents are, hearts are broken for our neighbors.
There are still many unknowns and it will be months
or years before we have answers. That's unbelievable, but building
doesn't just but for us, it was important to do
the show to honor the victims from our community who
will forever live in our hearts. The men, women and
(01:29):
children who died in the Surf Side building collapse came
to Champlain Towers South from all over the world. Each
life lost, an unfinished story could tragically short. Some, like
the bar family from Colombia, fourteen year old Valeria and
(01:50):
her parents Luis, Fernando and Catalina, were just passing through.
Others like ninety two year old Oriega, the old is
to perish, had lived there for years. The youngest victim
one year old a Shani Patel. She lived on the
third floor with her parents, Vishale and Bovna, who had
(02:12):
just announced they were expecting baby number two. Just a
few doors down, Julio and an Hila Velasquez had lived
in Unit three oh four for nearly a decade. Their
daughter Teresa, a DJ and trailblazing music industry executive, was
visiting them that night. I've never done a eulogy before,
let alone for three people at the same time. All
(02:35):
three were killed in the collapse and are survived by
Teresa's older brother, David. Thank you, Mom, Dad, and my
wonderful little sister for a lifetime of deep, deep joy. David,
thank you for being with us, and we are so
deeply sorry for the loss of your parents, Julio and
(02:56):
an Hila and your sister Teresa. How did you first
hear about the tragedy and when it happened? I got
a call from one of my parents best friends, who
you know, essentially just told me over the phone, it's
your parents building. The building fell down in him and
I was very confused for about a second there, stunned,
and then obviously you turn on the TV, you go
(03:17):
on Twitter, and there you go, oh my god. I
didn't take very long to figure out, Okay, I need
to get down to South Florida. I went ahead. I
booked a ticket for myself. My wife said, you know what,
you can't go on this alone is after a little bit,
so then I ended up booking a flight for her,
our three year old, and our nanny to help us,
because my wife's pregnant right now as well. So you
(03:38):
need a little thank you. And luckily my parents and
my sister were able to hear about that baby coming
since it was just a week and a half before that.
We had told them your sister had arrived in Miami
from Los Angeles just a few hours before the collapse,
and she would come to Miami often or she ended
up coming that night for any specific reason, one thing
(03:59):
that hasn't really had been reported. It was just that
the reason she was there was she had a good
friend who was a dentist in the area and she
had come in to get the second part of some
dental work. She was actually supposed to come in the
following week, but they had an earlier time available, so
she flew in that Wednesday night to go ahead and
(04:20):
get it done. Just horrible timing for me. It's it's
very hard to hear that she changed the appointment. The
fact that this just happened to happen was chance, and
it's unfortunate chance in this case. But at the end
of the day, it's the randomness of life. Your sister
touched so many people's lives. I know that she was
(04:41):
a strong force DJ too. Yes, she was the best
little sister anyone could have. She was the most talented
person I've ever been around, artist, musician. She was just
a force of nature and it was a privilege to
have her around. What do you think is the most
lasting lesson that you go from your dad and your mom.
(05:03):
From my dad, it's the ability for people to change.
My dad had a real temper problem and he really
resolved it. So for my dad, I really learned that
even if we're all fallible, we can change, we can
fix some of those things. And from my mom I
learned everything. Honestly. My mom was incredible. She was the
most altruistic person, honestly, I ever had in my life.
(05:23):
She was basically the role model that I tried to
live up to today. She's the beacon for me for
how one should behave with other people and what people
should do to serve others. See, and that's a beautiful
thing that she's left in your life, which you will
in turn share with your children and with everyone that
surrounds you. From my mom, there was nothing more important
than family unity and really trying to help each other
(05:45):
out and being there for folks. So quite frankly, anything
anybody can do around making sure that they're, you know,
there for people and and live for others as best
as possible, I think is honoring my family and their legacy,
and you know what they hold for me. Thank you
so how much, David. We're praying for you and your
family and everyone that has had so much loss. Thank
(06:06):
you so much. Zulia Tau lived only two floors above
David's family, and she was one of the few who
survived the collapse. Welcome, Sulia. We are happy to have
you here with us as letting less, okay, letting them being.
I want everybody to understand what we talk about. They
(06:28):
have to forgive my accent, but your accent is perfect.
I have the same one. Don't worry to talk about accent.
I wish I could hear my dad, uh, Sulia. Take
us back to the night when this happened. Well, I
usually got to sleep late because I love to read
before I sleep, so I wasn't mat pajama already. I
(06:52):
did my prayers, which I do every night, and all
of the sudden I heard pick pays and I say,
how strange, and the building shook. I went to the
bedroom and instead of picking all my glasses, I picked
up a flashlight and then I say, I have to
(07:14):
get out of here. I put my house cold on
top of my pajama and I have a table next
to the door. So happens that night before I left
my tours right there, so I just grabbed my purse.
When I opened the door, the dos was covering the
whole hallway, and I heard people screaming and all of
(07:37):
the sun, and I say, Suleier, you have to keep
your calm. If you don't keep your calm, you're never
gonna be able to get out of here and see
your daughter and your family again. So you say you
might die. Exactly were you afraid or were at that
moment you were focusing on? I say, something terrible have happened.
(08:00):
I don't know what. I don't have time to think
about it. Now I have to go. The surprises when
I opened the door and I saw outside that part
of the building was not there anymore. They walls were
all crumbling down. It was no way out, and I
could not comprehend what was happening. I met some neighbors,
(08:21):
a couple that I didn't know, and another gentleman that
lived there. People left doors opened. So what we did.
We entered an apartment and we went to the balcony.
I realized I didn't have my glasses, and then I asked,
should I go from my glasses? Oh? My neighbors say,
don't you there because we don't know what's gonna happen.
(08:42):
That was a good call, yes, And then we saw
that the fire department was coming rescue people, the police.
Everybody was coming and delayed it. I was there with me.
We all started calling them, please get us outs. How
long from the moment you left here Apartment two, when
you got taken from that felt like years? I'm sure
(09:04):
here is footage of the firefighters with the ladder climbing
to that balcony, I imagine, And you know the fire
department also shared never before release photographs of you getting
onto that truck. I guess that's you with your purse.
What did you have in that purse? I have my wallet,
(09:25):
my flashlight, clinics. Was there anything important enough to you
in that apartment that you are hoping that maybe they
can get from the rubble that day? I know moved
to a place to try to get special items. I
lived twenty two years there, so everything that was my home.
(09:45):
I have pictures from when I was a little girl,
but material things, I keep it in my memory and
they are not important. I have very sad, I'm very
happy memories because I lost my beautiful neighbors and my
friends that they were with me for so many years.
(10:07):
We won't be able to see him, to go to
the pool with them, to talk to ask him about
their families. That's just what is very, very difficult. Each one.
It was precious and I have a prayer for them
every night, every night since then. The los Anos were
(10:28):
good friends of you. They were friends of mine before
we moved to the building, and their son Serrho, when
I got out of the building, that was the first
goal I received. Fifteen minutes later, say he was right there.
The first thing he told me when he called me said, Sulia,
I lost mom and dad. I couldn't believe what was happening.
(10:52):
Los Ano was in Champlain Towers East right across the
street when he heard the thunder's rumble. His parents, Gladys
and Antonio, lived on the ninth floor of the South Tower.
From his balcony, he could see a hole where their
apartment once stood. We're so sorry for your loss. The
(11:15):
one thing that we need to keep celebrating is life
and love. You saw your parents building collapse up here.
Still you reached out to Sulia. What was going through
your mond? Because I can't even fathom what that is like.
That night, we had a great dinner. My mom cooked
(11:40):
one of my favorite desserts, like time to go to
my apartment, gave a kissing, hug to my mom, went
over to my dad's recliner, kissed him on the head.
(12:02):
Oh my god, I see it and I left. I
went to my apartment, went to bed, and at one
we hear our door shake, impact glass doors. We thought
it was like a tornado. And when I opened the door,
oh my god, the building isn't there. And my wife
(12:23):
starts screaming, what do you mean, what do you mean?
My parents apartments not there? Oh my god. Put on sneakers,
ran down the collins. I knew my parents were gone.
I know. I had no hope. I called my brother.
The police kept pushing us further away, and from there
(12:44):
I called my son. He was asleep and I told
them come to the beach Alas building collapse, okay, no reaction,
no nothing cause me about a minute two later, just striving.
That was I dreaming, Did you call me? Yes, Hawaii dead?
(13:10):
The building collaps? What do you mean? My son was
scared because nobody knows why it collapsed, and wearing another
and I said, I'm not leaving. My parents are there.
From my apartment, I could see where they had set
up the triosh for a glimmer hope, maybe I would
(13:31):
see that in there earlier stand the pull up their bodies.
That's what I called Sulia, And within a couple of
hours I found her. Sergio, Sulia, can you describe the
moment when you guys saw a sh other. I saw
her at the reunification center. She was asking and I say, no,
(13:54):
that's not possible. Only thirty five people made it out,
and you are one of them. Julia. Yes. And I
know that among all this pain, it was that that
you didn't want to talk to your daughter the night
this happened. She did not want to scare whatever. And
I'm gonna call her because it's six's going to get off,
(14:14):
She's going to hear the news, and then she's gonna
get scared. Give me your phone, open the phone and
let me call her. And I spoke to Natalie, and
when she heard my voice, Sergio, what happened. Don't worry.
Your mom is okay. Don't worry. When you turn on
the news, you're gonna see that the building collapsed. Your
mom is safe, my house, how about your parents okay? Well,
(14:39):
processing the shock of losing his parents, Sergio focused on
helping Sulia. He took her in and gave her a
place to stay until her daughter arrived. Your spirit comes
out through your body and your clothes. Say to you,
I mean, honestly, you're like this light comes from you.
(14:59):
And the fact that you were focusing on other people
at this moment when you yourself were going through such
a horrendously painful and difficult moment, speaks volumes about who
you are in the legacy that your parents just left
in you tell us about your parents. The perfect American dream.
(15:24):
My parents knew each other for sixty eight years. My
dad was dating my mom. He got out of Cuba.
He came he couldn't find a job here when to Orlando,
lived with his cousin like most immigrants that we all
gone through that share similar stories, and when he saved
up enough money, he sent for my mom to get married.
(15:47):
My mom came from Cuban and her wedding dress because
she couldn't bring many Yes, it wouldn't let you bring
once the wedding dress away. She wore it wow, so
my dad wouldn't see the wedding dress. She didn't allow
my dad to go pick and seven days after she
got here, they got married and their honeymoon was in
(16:08):
South Beach Oh, what a beautiful couple that pictures my
parents fifty five warning anniversary, I took them to a
by lobster House and Key West, so I get to
spend a lot of time with them. But see how
beautiful that is. You spent lots of lots of time.
There's a big lesson to lean from this, because you know,
we don't think about it, and then we shouldn't spend
(16:29):
every day thinking about what disaster can befall less so
we can spend every day as if it's our last.
We have our destiny and we have to accept it
and try to get comfortable with today. It's the only
day we have. We have to make the best out
of it. Your parents left you a mom. Yes, I know,
(16:50):
Zuli since am eighteen, sir, here's another song that I
have to me. Family is very important, and my daughter
and her husband have being my support. They have console
me in the weak moments and they are my love.
I have a grandson that is nineteen years old. But
when he was about three years old, he used to
(17:13):
come to visit because they live in han Alabama, and
we used to go to the beach and he started
picking up shells and the first time that he picked
three little shells. He gave it to me and those
three childs were in a little box that I saved
(17:35):
with a little note the date that we have picked
those shells. And I wish I could have those shells.
I have a grandson, and I know exactly how you feel.
Love is the most important thing. And I know there
are a lot of people that love you, Sulia, but
there's one of them that has waited some months to
be able to give you a hug. Yeah, Sulia, you
(17:57):
deserve isn't much more? No, I can't believe it. Yes,
my dear, he's my joy on pride. See, these are
the moments that, through so much pain, we have to
celebrate life. How do you feel having your Lala right
next to you? That's just so great? With COVID and
(18:19):
everything that happens. I didn't get to see her for
a whole summer. Did you find out? That night? My
dad actually woke me up and around six am in
the morning, he was like, listen, you just need to
know your grandmother is okay, but her building collapsed and
we're leaving in an hour for the airport, and we
(18:41):
need you to hold down the ford at home, and
I was like, go, I didn't understand it. None of
the buildings just don't collapse. I partly wish that I
was in Miami when this happened, so I could just
be there firsthand to really help her through this. I'm
happy you weren't, because chances are you might have been there.
And you're here now so you can make new memories.
(19:02):
And your homework is to find three shows and a
box and start over. Exactly. Is there anything that you
all want to say to each other, you know after
going through an experience like this, that maybe you haven't
had the chance to yet. I'm so thankful to you
for being there for her because I wasn't able to.
(19:24):
And everybody else who is there for her in the
middle of a moment where you could have been selfish,
said he. I think you really paid it forward and
change people's lives. And as humans, that's the big picture.
No matter what we're facing, we need to unite in
the face of anything that happens and take care of
each other. One group that would like to reach out
(19:46):
and really think this Metro date Police. Yes, the way
they put this together, it was amazing. I was fortunate
enough to get my parents out quickly. They called me
to go to where the reunification center was, Deacon Priest,
Christian pastors, Red Cross, somebody from the corner's office. We're
(20:07):
all there together for the morning and to get everybody ready.
They gave us all the information that they have found
my parents, that they had identified it through the DNA.
Asked me, do you have any questions? And I had
to say yes, can I have open cask? And Carlos
(20:30):
from the corner's office that was in the room and goes,
Mr Lano, I was there when your parents came in
last night. We found them together asleep in their bed,
and he goes, based on the condition they're in, you
can have open casket, and do you know what I
have to ask that question? I had to go buy
clothes for my parents. Everything's gone. Did that help you?
(20:54):
As difficult as it was to see them, because I
was able to say goodbye and give them a kiss.
To the whole world that prayed for our beautiful city
and the people that we lost and their families, we
want to thank you so much, and we want to
thank the first responders of all ranks who risked their
(21:16):
own lives searching for survivors, and I know that you
all must have been so thankful when you saw that
ladder coming up to that balcony, and with so much
compassion and love that they come and help in the
worst time. It's unbemievable. Sulia. We arranged something special, yet
(21:39):
another surprise, Julia, for you and for all of us.
Do you mind coming with us for a moment any
you said that you would love to meet up with
some of the people that rescued my Sulia, Please meet
Lieutenant Jennifer Curlin, Firefighter Gabriel Arias, and truck operator Christius
(22:02):
Bless you. Thank you for the job you do. Thank you.
That's there's the girls Ni drama. You imagine walking and
Carlin seven on one sturdy in the morning and if
my jama Julia, we live in Miami Beach. I've seen
(22:22):
way stranger than that, people walking pajamas. Nothing surprises us.
We went through your mind when you turn that corner
and you saw that building as rub I mean, I'll
be honest, twice six years, I've been on plenty of
calls where I said I could get hurt that night,
I thought, well, it's to be it. We have to
(22:45):
be very methodical because of the danger of that building
coming down. There's the collapse zone, which is supposed to
be one and a half times a building, but that
goes out the window because you have all these people
on the balconies shouting, please please help us, and to
see their faces and they're just this wide eyed panic
and the moment they stepped into the bucket, the relaxed.
(23:09):
That's something that a lot of firefighters don't get. I
haven't gotten to save a lot of people because they
just weren't survivable. Much like our members who were working
on the pile, they didn't get that opportunity those days
and days and weeks. It's heavy on the heart. It
really is, you know, helpful to us to just be
able to meet you and see that we actually were
(23:30):
able to help you guys. But we're hoping that from
this we move forward and try to offer more of
that kind of help to the first responders. I would
say to anybody out there that has a first responder
as a family member, if you notice changes in their behavior,
if they're irritable withdrawn, those are the clear signs and
(23:51):
symptoms of PTSD. The good thing about this experience was
it really put a spotlight on first respondermental health and
a lot of our guys checking on each other, just
keeping an eye out on your your friends, family members
who are first responders, and you know, just being able
(24:11):
to lend them a hand if they need it. Thank
you the job the first responders did. I was there.
I saw you guys picking the people. Yeah, I'm glass
that I got the opportunity to to do something life changing.
We need to be here for each other and just
live each day like it's our last. Thank you, Thank
(24:33):
you very and you know you're gonna relax and you
don't have to be an attention pocket than I pray
for you every night. I will take your prayers every
last month. In honor of the victims and their families,
the survivors and the first responders, the Glorious Stephan Foundation
(24:54):
will be adding fifty dollars to the six hundred thousand
that has already been raised with the Surf Side Tower
Collapsed program by the South Florida nonprofit Global Empowerment Mission
or GEM. To learn more, visit Global Empowerment Mission dot org.
Thanks for listening. To join the Red Table Talk family
and become a part of the conversation follow us at Facebook,
(25:17):
dot com, Forward Slash, red table Talk, Stefens. Red table
Talk via Stefans is a production of Westbrook Studios in
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more podcasts from my Heart, visit the I Heart Radio app,
Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
Bienvenidos Me and Gloria Stefan. Here you are listening to
Red Table Talk via Stephens Podcast, all your favorite episodes
from our Facebook watch show in audio in less than
twelve seconds. Oh my god, my parents apartments not a
(00:21):
deadly building collapse devastated our community. I lost my beautiful
neighworks on my friends. At the Red Table today we
are honoring the ninety eight souls who were taken. She
was the best little sister anyone could have. The thirty
five who survived the walls were all Cromlin Town. Please
(00:43):
get us out and all of the people, including our
first responders, whose lives were impacted by this tragedy. The
collapse of the Champlain Tower South in Serfside, Florida is
one of the most horrific scenes ever witnessed, and as
(01:05):
longtime Miami residents are, hearts are broken for our neighbors.
There are still many unknowns and it will be months
or years before we have answers. That's unbelievable, but building
doesn't just but for us, it was important to do
the show to honor the victims from our community who
will forever live in our hearts. The men, women and
(01:29):
children who died in the Surf Side building collapse came
to Champlain Towers South from all over the world. Each
life lost, an unfinished story could tragically short. Some, like
the bar family from Colombia, fourteen year old Valeria and
(01:50):
her parents Luis, Fernando and Catalina, were just passing through.
Others like ninety two year old Oriega, the old is
to perish, had lived there for years. The youngest victim
one year old a Shani Patel. She lived on the
third floor with her parents, Vishale and Bovna, who had
(02:12):
just announced they were expecting baby number two. Just a
few doors down, Julio and an Hila Velasquez had lived
in Unit three oh four for nearly a decade. Their
daughter Teresa, a DJ and trailblazing music industry executive, was
visiting them that night. I've never done a eulogy before,
let alone for three people at the same time. All
(02:35):
three were killed in the collapse and are survived by
Teresa's older brother, David. Thank you, Mom, Dad, and my
wonderful little sister for a lifetime of deep, deep joy. David,
thank you for being with us, and we are so
deeply sorry for the loss of your parents, Julio and
(02:56):
an Hila and your sister Teresa. How did you first
hear about the tragedy and when it happened? I got
a call from one of my parents best friends, who
you know, essentially just told me over the phone, it's
your parents building. The building fell down in him and
I was very confused for about a second there, stunned,
and then obviously you turn on the TV, you go
(03:17):
on Twitter, and there you go, oh my god. I
didn't take very long to figure out, Okay, I need
to get down to South Florida. I went ahead. I
booked a ticket for myself. My wife said, you know what,
you can't go on this alone is after a little bit,
so then I ended up booking a flight for her,
our three year old, and our nanny to help us,
because my wife's pregnant right now as well. So you
(03:38):
need a little thank you. And luckily my parents and
my sister were able to hear about that baby coming
since it was just a week and a half before that.
We had told them your sister had arrived in Miami
from Los Angeles just a few hours before the collapse,
and she would come to Miami often or she ended
up coming that night for any specific reason, one thing
(03:59):
that hasn't really had been reported. It was just that
the reason she was there was she had a good
friend who was a dentist in the area and she
had come in to get the second part of some
dental work. She was actually supposed to come in the
following week, but they had an earlier time available, so
she flew in that Wednesday night to go ahead and
(04:20):
get it done. Just horrible timing for me. It's it's
very hard to hear that she changed the appointment. The
fact that this just happened to happen was chance, and
it's unfortunate chance in this case. But at the end
of the day, it's the randomness of life. Your sister
touched so many people's lives. I know that she was
(04:41):
a strong force DJ too. Yes, she was the best
little sister anyone could have. She was the most talented
person I've ever been around, artist, musician. She was just
a force of nature and it was a privilege to
have her around. What do you think is the most
lasting lesson that you go from your dad and your mom.
(05:03):
From my dad, it's the ability for people to change.
My dad had a real temper problem and he really
resolved it. So for my dad, I really learned that
even if we're all fallible, we can change, we can
fix some of those things. And from my mom I
learned everything. Honestly. My mom was incredible. She was the
most altruistic person, honestly, I ever had in my life.
(05:23):
She was basically the role model that I tried to
live up to today. She's the beacon for me for
how one should behave with other people and what people
should do to serve others. See, and that's a beautiful
thing that she's left in your life, which you will
in turn share with your children and with everyone that
surrounds you. From my mom, there was nothing more important
than family unity and really trying to help each other
(05:45):
out and being there for folks. So quite frankly, anything
anybody can do around making sure that they're, you know,
there for people and and live for others as best
as possible, I think is honoring my family and their legacy,
and you know what they hold for me. Thank you
so how much, David. We're praying for you and your
family and everyone that has had so much loss. Thank
(06:06):
you so much. Zulia Tau lived only two floors above
David's family, and she was one of the few who
survived the collapse. Welcome, Sulia. We are happy to have
you here with us as letting less, okay, letting them being.
I want everybody to understand what we talk about. They
(06:28):
have to forgive my accent, but your accent is perfect.
I have the same one. Don't worry to talk about accent.
I wish I could hear my dad, uh, Sulia. Take
us back to the night when this happened. Well, I
usually got to sleep late because I love to read
before I sleep, so I wasn't mat pajama already. I
(06:52):
did my prayers, which I do every night, and all
of the sudden I heard pick pays and I say,
how strange, and the building shook. I went to the
bedroom and instead of picking all my glasses, I picked
up a flashlight and then I say, I have to
(07:14):
get out of here. I put my house cold on
top of my pajama and I have a table next
to the door. So happens that night before I left
my tours right there, so I just grabbed my purse.
When I opened the door, the dos was covering the
whole hallway, and I heard people screaming and all of
(07:37):
the sun, and I say, Suleier, you have to keep
your calm. If you don't keep your calm, you're never
gonna be able to get out of here and see
your daughter and your family again. So you say you
might die. Exactly were you afraid or were at that
moment you were focusing on? I say, something terrible have happened.
(08:00):
I don't know what. I don't have time to think
about it. Now I have to go. The surprises when
I opened the door and I saw outside that part
of the building was not there anymore. They walls were
all crumbling down. It was no way out, and I
could not comprehend what was happening. I met some neighbors,
(08:21):
a couple that I didn't know, and another gentleman that
lived there. People left doors opened. So what we did.
We entered an apartment and we went to the balcony.
I realized I didn't have my glasses, and then I asked,
should I go from my glasses? Oh? My neighbors say,
don't you there because we don't know what's gonna happen.
(08:42):
That was a good call, yes, And then we saw
that the fire department was coming rescue people, the police.
Everybody was coming and delayed it. I was there with me.
We all started calling them, please get us outs. How
long from the moment you left here Apartment two, when
you got taken from that felt like years? I'm sure
(09:04):
here is footage of the firefighters with the ladder climbing
to that balcony, I imagine, And you know the fire
department also shared never before release photographs of you getting
onto that truck. I guess that's you with your purse.
What did you have in that purse? I have my wallet,
(09:25):
my flashlight, clinics. Was there anything important enough to you
in that apartment that you are hoping that maybe they
can get from the rubble that day? I know moved
to a place to try to get special items. I
lived twenty two years there, so everything that was my home.
(09:45):
I have pictures from when I was a little girl,
but material things, I keep it in my memory and
they are not important. I have very sad, I'm very
happy memories because I lost my beautiful neighbors and my
friends that they were with me for so many years.
(10:07):
We won't be able to see him, to go to
the pool with them, to talk to ask him about
their families. That's just what is very, very difficult. Each one.
It was precious and I have a prayer for them
every night, every night since then. The los Anos were
(10:28):
good friends of you. They were friends of mine before
we moved to the building, and their son Serrho, when
I got out of the building, that was the first
goal I received. Fifteen minutes later, say he was right there.
The first thing he told me when he called me said, Sulia,
I lost mom and dad. I couldn't believe what was happening.
(10:52):
Los Ano was in Champlain Towers East right across the
street when he heard the thunder's rumble. His parents, Gladys
and Antonio, lived on the ninth floor of the South Tower.
From his balcony, he could see a hole where their
apartment once stood. We're so sorry for your loss. The
(11:15):
one thing that we need to keep celebrating is life
and love. You saw your parents building collapse up here.
Still you reached out to Sulia. What was going through
your mond? Because I can't even fathom what that is like.
That night, we had a great dinner. My mom cooked
(11:40):
one of my favorite desserts, like time to go to
my apartment, gave a kissing, hug to my mom, went
over to my dad's recliner, kissed him on the head.
(12:02):
Oh my god, I see it and I left. I
went to my apartment, went to bed, and at one
we hear our door shake, impact glass doors. We thought
it was like a tornado. And when I opened the door,
oh my god, the building isn't there. And my wife
(12:23):
starts screaming, what do you mean, what do you mean?
My parents apartments not there? Oh my god. Put on sneakers,
ran down the collins. I knew my parents were gone.
I know. I had no hope. I called my brother.
The police kept pushing us further away, and from there
(12:44):
I called my son. He was asleep and I told
them come to the beach Alas building collapse, okay, no reaction,
no nothing cause me about a minute two later, just striving.
That was I dreaming, Did you call me? Yes, Hawaii dead?
(13:10):
The building collaps? What do you mean? My son was
scared because nobody knows why it collapsed, and wearing another
and I said, I'm not leaving. My parents are there.
From my apartment, I could see where they had set
up the triosh for a glimmer hope, maybe I would
(13:31):
see that in there earlier stand the pull up their bodies.
That's what I called Sulia, And within a couple of
hours I found her. Sergio, Sulia, can you describe the
moment when you guys saw a sh other. I saw
her at the reunification center. She was asking and I say, no,
(13:54):
that's not possible. Only thirty five people made it out,
and you are one of them. Julia. Yes. And I
know that among all this pain, it was that that
you didn't want to talk to your daughter the night
this happened. She did not want to scare whatever. And
I'm gonna call her because it's six's going to get off,
(14:14):
She's going to hear the news, and then she's gonna
get scared. Give me your phone, open the phone and
let me call her. And I spoke to Natalie, and
when she heard my voice, Sergio, what happened. Don't worry.
Your mom is okay. Don't worry. When you turn on
the news, you're gonna see that the building collapsed. Your
mom is safe, my house, how about your parents okay? Well,
(14:39):
processing the shock of losing his parents, Sergio focused on
helping Sulia. He took her in and gave her a
place to stay until her daughter arrived. Your spirit comes
out through your body and your clothes. Say to you,
I mean, honestly, you're like this light comes from you.
(14:59):
And the fact that you were focusing on other people
at this moment when you yourself were going through such
a horrendously painful and difficult moment, speaks volumes about who
you are in the legacy that your parents just left
in you tell us about your parents. The perfect American dream.
(15:24):
My parents knew each other for sixty eight years. My
dad was dating my mom. He got out of Cuba.
He came he couldn't find a job here when to Orlando,
lived with his cousin like most immigrants that we all
gone through that share similar stories, and when he saved
up enough money, he sent for my mom to get married.
(15:47):
My mom came from Cuban and her wedding dress because
she couldn't bring many Yes, it wouldn't let you bring
once the wedding dress away. She wore it wow, so
my dad wouldn't see the wedding dress. She didn't allow
my dad to go pick and seven days after she
got here, they got married and their honeymoon was in
(16:08):
South Beach Oh, what a beautiful couple that pictures my
parents fifty five warning anniversary, I took them to a
by lobster House and Key West, so I get to
spend a lot of time with them. But see how
beautiful that is. You spent lots of lots of time.
There's a big lesson to lean from this, because you know,
we don't think about it, and then we shouldn't spend
(16:29):
every day thinking about what disaster can befall less so
we can spend every day as if it's our last.
We have our destiny and we have to accept it
and try to get comfortable with today. It's the only
day we have. We have to make the best out
of it. Your parents left you a mom. Yes, I know,
(16:50):
Zuli since am eighteen, sir, here's another song that I
have to me. Family is very important, and my daughter
and her husband have being my support. They have console
me in the weak moments and they are my love.
I have a grandson that is nineteen years old. But
when he was about three years old, he used to
(17:13):
come to visit because they live in han Alabama, and
we used to go to the beach and he started
picking up shells and the first time that he picked
three little shells. He gave it to me and those
three childs were in a little box that I saved
(17:35):
with a little note the date that we have picked
those shells. And I wish I could have those shells.
I have a grandson, and I know exactly how you feel.
Love is the most important thing. And I know there
are a lot of people that love you, Sulia, but
there's one of them that has waited some months to
be able to give you a hug. Yeah, Sulia, you
(17:57):
deserve isn't much more? No, I can't believe it. Yes,
my dear, he's my joy on pride. See, these are
the moments that, through so much pain, we have to
celebrate life. How do you feel having your Lala right
next to you? That's just so great? With COVID and
(18:19):
everything that happens. I didn't get to see her for
a whole summer. Did you find out? That night? My
dad actually woke me up and around six am in
the morning, he was like, listen, you just need to
know your grandmother is okay, but her building collapsed and
we're leaving in an hour for the airport, and we
(18:41):
need you to hold down the ford at home, and
I was like, go, I didn't understand it. None of
the buildings just don't collapse. I partly wish that I
was in Miami when this happened, so I could just
be there firsthand to really help her through this. I'm
happy you weren't, because chances are you might have been there.
And you're here now so you can make new memories.
(19:02):
And your homework is to find three shows and a
box and start over. Exactly. Is there anything that you
all want to say to each other, you know after
going through an experience like this, that maybe you haven't
had the chance to yet. I'm so thankful to you
for being there for her because I wasn't able to.
(19:24):
And everybody else who is there for her in the
middle of a moment where you could have been selfish,
said he. I think you really paid it forward and
change people's lives. And as humans, that's the big picture.
No matter what we're facing, we need to unite in
the face of anything that happens and take care of
each other. One group that would like to reach out
(19:46):
and really think this Metro date Police. Yes, the way
they put this together, it was amazing. I was fortunate
enough to get my parents out quickly. They called me
to go to where the reunification center was, Deacon Priest,
Christian pastors, Red Cross, somebody from the corner's office. We're
(20:07):
all there together for the morning and to get everybody ready.
They gave us all the information that they have found
my parents, that they had identified it through the DNA.
Asked me, do you have any questions? And I had
to say yes, can I have open cask? And Carlos
(20:30):
from the corner's office that was in the room and goes,
Mr Lano, I was there when your parents came in
last night. We found them together asleep in their bed,
and he goes, based on the condition they're in, you
can have open casket, and do you know what I
have to ask that question? I had to go buy
clothes for my parents. Everything's gone. Did that help you?
(20:54):
As difficult as it was to see them, because I
was able to say goodbye and give them a kiss.
To the whole world that prayed for our beautiful city
and the people that we lost and their families, we
want to thank you so much, and we want to
thank the first responders of all ranks who risked their
(21:16):
own lives searching for survivors, and I know that you
all must have been so thankful when you saw that
ladder coming up to that balcony, and with so much
compassion and love that they come and help in the
worst time. It's unbemievable. Sulia. We arranged something special, yet
(21:39):
another surprise, Julia, for you and for all of us.
Do you mind coming with us for a moment any
you said that you would love to meet up with
some of the people that rescued my Sulia, Please meet
Lieutenant Jennifer Curlin, Firefighter Gabriel Arias, and truck operator Christius
(22:02):
Bless you. Thank you for the job you do. Thank you.
That's there's the girls Ni drama. You imagine walking and
Carlin seven on one sturdy in the morning and if
my jama Julia, we live in Miami Beach. I've seen
(22:22):
way stranger than that, people walking pajamas. Nothing surprises us.
We went through your mind when you turn that corner
and you saw that building as rub I mean, I'll
be honest, twice six years, I've been on plenty of
calls where I said I could get hurt that night,
I thought, well, it's to be it. We have to
(22:45):
be very methodical because of the danger of that building
coming down. There's the collapse zone, which is supposed to
be one and a half times a building, but that
goes out the window because you have all these people
on the balconies shouting, please please help us, and to
see their faces and they're just this wide eyed panic
and the moment they stepped into the bucket, the relaxed.
(23:09):
That's something that a lot of firefighters don't get. I
haven't gotten to save a lot of people because they
just weren't survivable. Much like our members who were working
on the pile, they didn't get that opportunity those days
and days and weeks. It's heavy on the heart. It
really is, you know, helpful to us to just be
able to meet you and see that we actually were
(23:30):
able to help you guys. But we're hoping that from
this we move forward and try to offer more of
that kind of help to the first responders. I would
say to anybody out there that has a first responder
as a family member, if you notice changes in their behavior,
if they're irritable withdrawn, those are the clear signs and
(23:51):
symptoms of PTSD. The good thing about this experience was
it really put a spotlight on first respondermental health and
a lot of our guys checking on each other, just
keeping an eye out on your your friends, family members
who are first responders, and you know, just being able
(24:11):
to lend them a hand if they need it. Thank
you the job the first responders did. I was there.
I saw you guys picking the people. Yeah, I'm glass
that I got the opportunity to to do something life changing.
We need to be here for each other and just
live each day like it's our last. Thank you, Thank
(24:33):
you very and you know you're gonna relax and you
don't have to be an attention pocket than I pray
for you every night. I will take your prayers every
last month. In honor of the victims and their families,
the survivors and the first responders, the Glorious Stephan Foundation
(24:54):
will be adding fifty dollars to the six hundred thousand
that has already been raised with the Surf Side Tower
Collapsed program by the South Florida nonprofit Global Empowerment Mission
or GEM. To learn more, visit Global Empowerment Mission dot org.
Thanks for listening. To join the Red Table Talk family
and become a part of the conversation follow us at Facebook,
(25:17):
dot com, Forward Slash, red table Talk, Stefens. Red table
Talk via Stefans is a production of Westbrook Studios in
partnership with I Heart Radio's Michael Dura podcast Network. For
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