Distraught family says missing loved ones' landline has called at least 20 times from the rubble at Champlain Towers South



Florida family members say that they have received no fewer than 20 phone calls from their loved ones' landline since the deadly collapse of Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Florida, nearly a week ago.

Arnie Notkin, 87, and his wife, Myriam, 81, lived on the doomed building's third floor, and their loved ones say that they began receiving the calls roughly 18 hours after the building partially collapsed.

Eleven people have died as a result of the disaster, and approximately 150 people remain missing at the time of this reporting as search and rescue enters its seventh day.

What are the details?

Dianne Ohayon told the New York Post that calls from her parents have yet to subside.

"They're coming in every day," she told the outlet. "The last one I have knowledge about was Monday morning, a call came in at about 5:30 a.m. It was static. It's the same thing every time. ... There's nobody on the line and it's just static. And we wait and we just hang up because nothing changes."

The landline, according to Ohayon, was next to her parents' bed.

Her nephew, Jake Samuelson — the Notkins' grandson — reached out to an area detective to determine why the calls keep coming in.

Samuelson told the station that when the first call came in, the family sat in stunned silence.

"We were all sitting there in the living room ... and we were just shocked and we kind of thought nothing of it because we answered, and it was static," he said. The day after the deadly collapse, he said the family received 15 more calls.

Ohayon said that her nephew and the rest of the family are hoping to find answers.

"My nephew went on camera to try and find answers, raise awareness and maybe find out if other family members in the building were also receiving calls," she said. "We were just not understanding what these phone calls were meaning. Maybe they were calling for help. We don't know what they mean."

The investigation into the eerie calls continues, and Ohayon said that the family is just waiting for more information on the source of the disturbing phone calls.

A Saturday report from WPLG-TV noted that calls to the Notkins' number that day were met with a busy signal.

"The days are long, but we're still hopeful and we're just waiting," Ohayon added. "Every day is the same process."

Woman inside Surfside's Champlain Towers recalls horrific moment when she realized something was majorly wrong: 'It was infernal'



A survivor from the Surfside, Florida, building collapse disaster says that she didn't know how she was able to escape the tragedy that has claimed at least four lives at the time of this reporting.

What's a brief history here?

A portion of Champlain Towers South collapsed early Thursday morning, its twelve stories pancaking straight down to the ground below.

At the time of this writing, there are at least 159 people who are missing and could potentially still be inside the rubble.

First responders and rescuers continue to comb the debris for any signs of life as the rescue effort enters its third day.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) declared a state of emergency on Thursday for the area.

What are the details?

Florida survivor Iliana Monteagudo told the New York Post's Lorena Mongelli that the incident was more terrifying than anyone could imagine.

Monteagudo, who lived on the building's sixth floor, said that she awakened in the middle of a night to hear strange noises.

"She initially believed they came from the open sliding door to the oceanfront balcony," Mongelli wrote.

The actual source of the sound was not as innocuous.

"I ran and tried to close [the sliding door], but I couldn't," she said. "I imagine it was because it was unlevel already because of all the movement. I heard a crack, and when I looked, I saw a crack traveling in the wall two fingers thick. Something told me, you need to run."

Monteagudo said that she immediately listened to her instinct and was able to escape with her life.

"Two more minutes, no, no," she recalled. "Not even one. There was no more time. ... When I was running down the stairs, I went from six, to five, and then to four, I heard a tremendous noise. It was infernal. The building was falling."

Monteagudo added, "I don't know how I managed to escape."

Monteagudo said that when she emerged from the front of the building, she was in complete darkness. There was smoke and water everywhere, she added, but she immediately began praying.

"God, help me, I want to see my children," Monteagudo recalled saying. "God, please help me, don't let me die like this."

Building security quickly followed her out and advised that they believed an earthquake had struck.

"[W]e need to go," Monteagudo recalled them saying.

"I lost everything now," she said. "I have nothing. But I have my life, and that's all that matters. With life, there is hope we can start again. ... I just pray for all the others that might be trapped."

Monteagudo was unhurt during her escape from the doomed building, having sustained just two bruises while in flight.

What else?

On Saturday, The Guardian reported that engineers had significant concerns over "major structural damage" during a 2018 inspection.

"A Maryland-based consultant found evidence of a failing concrete slab on the pool deck and 'abundant cracking and crumbling' to an underground parking garage during a 2018 inspection," the outlet reported.

The recommended repair work, according to a report from The New York Times, was never completed.

"The structural report was conducted by Morabito Consultants, which was contracted by the condominium's owners' association to assess the structural integrity of the oceanside complex of 136 apartments," the report continued. "It warned that 'the waterproofing below the pool deck and entrance drive as well as all of the planer waterproofing is beyond its useful life and must be completely removed and replaces."

The report, according to The Guardian, also warned, "The failed waterproofing is causing major structural damage to the concrete structural slab below these areas. Failure to replace the waterproofing in the near future will cause the extent of the concrete deterioration to expand exponentially."

The reason for the collapse remains unknown at the time of this reporting.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said that the county did not know of the report.

“We are obviously very interested in all of the evidence that's coming to light and we're going to be including it in what happens after the rescue. In the meantime we're taking actions to make sure that other buildings are safe," Cava said.