The Collapse of Champlain Towers South: Oh the Humanity
I am beginning to write this piece at precisely 4:09 PM EDT on Sunday June 27. It has been about 63 hours since the Champlain Towers South collapsed in Surfside, Florida. The latest update, issued ten minutes ago by our local NPR station (WLRN) - shows at least 9 deaths and at least 156 unaccounted for. Specialized rescue crews from all up and down the beach and as far away as Mexico and Israel (פיקוד העורף pekud ha-oref “The Home Front Command”) are continuing to work at a breathless, nonstop pace, using heavy equipment, highly trained rescue K-9s and EMTs from virtually every part of Florida. I know one of these EMTs quite well; I performed her wedding, her father’s funeral and tutored several members of the family for becoming b’nai mitzvah. I cannot imagine the level of adrenaline flowing through her veins.
Camera crews, local, national and even international reporters are on the scene, along with an occasional visit from our governor, our two senators. a host of local elected officials and civil engineers, as was well as Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, whose congressional district includes Surfside. The Biden Administration has weighed in, declaring a “State of Emergency,” and unlocking the key to millions upon millions of FEMA dollars. Even Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has thanked the president for the extreme alacrity with which he has set the trusty wheels of government in motion.
It is now 5:10 PM, EDT. The numbers have yet to change, but already there are at least two law suits which have been filed, a full-blown conspiracy theory blaming the tragedy on the recently-deceased software pioneer (and world-class screwball) John McAfee for the tragedy, and numerous suggestions from construction engineers as to what possibly went wrong and who was ultimately to blame for it. Champlain Towers South is, when compared to, say, New York’s Dakota (1881) or Hollywood’s Chateau Marmont (1926) an architectural newbie: it was completed a mere 40 years ago. However, the land upon which it sits (a man-made spit of sand) is far less structurally amendable than Manhattan’s rock-hard 72nd Street or Hollywood’s far more tractable Sunset Blvd.
Questions about the long-term problems of a twelve-story building erected on sand - especially in an era of rising tides) abound. Then too, there are all those questions about how often a tower on Collins Avenue should be inspected by civic engineers. But all this for the future. Today - and tomorrow and the day after - can and must deal with checking out not only the structural safety and integrity of the North Tower but all those condos and apartments stretching from Surfside to Miami Beach and from Hollywood north to Boca Raton and Palm Beach. Surfside is a unique bit of heaven a few feet from the Atlantic Ocean. A high percentage of its inhabitants are Orthodox Jews, many of whom are originally from Russia . . . as well as South America (notably Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay). This is the place where many have purchased winter homes, have created innumerable shuls and synagogues as well as a plethora of kosher restaurants. One is just as likely to hear Russian, Yiddish or Hebrew spoken on its streets as Spanish or English. Personally, I spent a couple of semesters lecturing on American and International politics (on behalf of Florida International University) in the Surfside City Hall chambers. The city leaders were kind enough to lure my students to class by providing them with first-class lunches. For the most part, these men and women were well-educated, deeply engaged, and always ready to be both challenged and challenging.
Unlike with many disasters - whether of natural, manmade, political or idiopathic character - it is next to impossible to know precisely what to do . . . how to play a part in the solution without at the same time playing the simplistic - though well-intentioned - fool. Within the past 65 hours (it is now 6:15 PM EDT) we have all heard the words “our thoughts and prayers are with them.” While “thoughts and prayers” are certainly both welcome and understandable, in the long-run they accomplish more for those who read or hear about disaster than those who actually suffer or undergo it. (I wrote about this in March 2019 at the time of the Christchurch, New Zealand, disaster. You may want to check it out).
What is far more important in these early hours and days of the Surfside disaster is good old-fashioned cash. Many of the people who have managed to survive the collapse will need places to stay as well as food and transportation. Then too, it is highly likely that those in the North Tower are going to have to move lest their homes come falling down. They too will need financial assistance. Prayers and wishes are certainly meaningful. Attempting to assess blame and lodge legal claims – although understandable, lack immediacy. Making contributions for those in need is what we call in Hebrew תיקון עולם - literally, “Repairing the world.” It is one of the highest and most important of all Divine Commandments, and that which is most important at a time like this. This is not an act meant to be directed to Jewish people alone, but rather to all of G-d’s creatures who are suffering from disaster. Please, I beg you: take it upon yourself and - along with your thoughts and prayers - to make a tangible contribution to the families and survivors of the Champlain South Towers. Therefore, I urge everyone reading this essay to contact one of the many agencies whose sole purpose is to get assistance to these people. Here are a few of the best and most honest:
The Miami Heat and several local organizations have launched a hardship fund for the victims: supportsurfside.org
The Chesed Fund: The Shul of Bal Harbour created a central fund that will be donated as needed to victims and their families. Click here to donate to the Miami Tragedy Central Emergency Fund.
The Greater Miami Jewish Federation launched an emergency fund for families and individuals for short-term and long-term needs. Click here to make a monetary donation online.
Those in need of crisis counseling and housing assistance can call 211.
Members of the clergy are on-site at the Surfside Community Center. To reach a chaplain, email rabbiklein@gmjf.org.
Once again, please consider making a tangible contribution to the families and survivals of the Champlain South Towers.
Thank you.
Copyright©2001 Kurt F. Stone