Collapse: Disaster in Surfside Treefort Media

Buildings don’t just fall, for no reason, in the middle of the night. But, at 1:22 am on June 24, 2021, a 12-story wing of the Champlain Towers South condo partially pancaked to the ground — a catastrophe so rare, it’s difficult to find an equivalent in modern history. Collapse: Disaster in Surfside investigates whether the tower was doomed from the moment it was built, who is potentially to blame, and what’s being done to make sure this never happens again. We hear the tragedy unfold in real-time, through 911 calls, police body cam footage, fire rescue dispatch audio, interviews with survivors, eyewitnesses, and family members. The developing story is tracked by the Miami Herald reporters covering this unthinkable event in their own backyard. Narrated by journalist Paul Beban.
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For many residents of Champlain Towers South, life or death hinged on where their apartments were located: a few feet down the hallway made the difference. In the second episode of Collapse: Disaster in Surfside, we remain at the scene. The reality of the tragedy is beginning to sink in as search and rescue teams, journalists and the world struggle to comprehend how and why this apartment building filled with sleeping families was reduced to rubble. There are so many questions, and no answers at this point. Fears that the remainder of the condo could fall any minute are compounded by a dramatic race to find survivors. Narrated by journalist Paul Beban.
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Behind closed doors in the “family reunification center,” an emotional scene plays out in the days following the collapse. The third episode of Collapse: Disaster in Surfside takes us inside the large room at the Grand Beach Hotel that is away from the media frenzy, but not far from where Champlain Towers South once stood. Over the next two weeks, first responders from Miami Dade Fire Rescue update the loved ones of those still missing on the state of the search. Using live-stream Instagram video and rare documentary footage, we go inside that room where emotions are raw, nerves are fractured, and hope is waning. Narrated by journalist Paul Beban.
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Despite round-the-clock search teams since the collapse of Champlain Towers South, there have not been any signs of life from the rubble. Conditions in the debris are getting more difficult and dangerous with each passing day. In the fourth episode of Collapse: Disaster in Surfside we’re still in the private briefing room as families wait in anguish for word of their loved ones. The heartbreaking shift from search and rescue to search and recovery is made and President Biden arrives to support and mourn with the families, behind closed doors. We also hear from the Miami Herald’s investigative team as they start to turn up clues about what went wrong at Champlain Towers South. Why did the building come down? Who’s responsible? And are others in danger? Narrated by journalist Paul Beban.
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In the only video of the disaster, an entire wing of Champlain Towers South seems to suddenly crash to the ground without warning. But the video doesn’t tell the whole story. The collapse sequence actually took a full seven minutes to unfold, culminating in what was caught on camera. The fifth episode of Collapse: Disaster in Surfside is the first of a two-episode investigation into exactly what happened during those seven minutes, reconstructed through the eyes and ears of key witnesses: a security guard, a tourist, a family of night owls, a couple coming home from dinner, a woman with a guardian angel and a model who watched the structure cave in around her. Split-second decisions meant the difference between life and death. Narrated by journalist Paul Beban.
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The clock continues to count down on the final seven minutes between when the pool deck came crashing down, and the catastrophic crumbling of the tower above. In the sixth episode of Collapse: Disaster in Surfside, we learn how a woman who narrowly escaped from the 6th floor credits divine intervention, and how a fateful phone call from the 4th floor fits into the timeline of the collapse sequence. The Herald’s reporters continue to walk us through the investigation, and we shift to questions about the original design of the building, as well as the bitter legal battle that has followed in the wake of its stunning, sudden, and tragic failure. Narrated by journalist Paul Beban.
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