news
World news
America
The disaster in Miami
"So many were left under the rubble, and God forbid": The Israeli who survived the disaster in Miami
Just a year ago, 67-year-old Moshe Candioti moved into a building that collapsed last month, claiming the lives of nearly a hundred people.
Now, with nothing left of his home, he recreates the moments of horror, noting the help he receives from all sides: "Reminiscent of the Yom Kippur War that restaurants offered us to eat and drink for free"
Tags
Building collapse
Miami
Yoav Itiel
Saturday, 17 July 2021, 02:23 Updated: 08:10
Share on Facebook
Share on WhatsApp
Share on general
Share on general
Share on Twitter
Share on Email
0 comments
Moshe Candioti, a 67-year-old Israeli citizen, lived on the fourth floor of a building that collapsed last month in the town of Surfside, Miami. Candioti, a divorced retiree and father of two grown children, lived in an apartment he purchased just about a year ago. Last night (Friday), the head of the district, Daniela Levin Cava, announced that the death toll had risen to 97, 90 of them had been identified and a message had been given to the relatives of 88 of them. "God saved me, because all those who lived in front of the sea collapsed with their apartments," Candyotti says.
He believes he was saved because he owned only half the amount that cost to purchase an apartment with a sea view. "They wanted 600,000, so I went for an apartment on the other side, on the road, for 300,000. Now that whole side collapsed and everyone died and on our side we stayed alive." He testifies that he is not a religious person, yet, "When I moved into the building I brought Lubavitch, who made me a house blessing with poetry and joy. I think that's why God left my house standing, and gave me time to run away from it."
"Not angry at anyone. Everything went, but I'm glad I'm alive and breathing and not injured and not broken. I got a small scratch from one big stone and that's it."
He further shares that the only item he will be missing from the apartment is a portrait of his mother: "It hurts me for one thing, many years ago I let one homeless painter draw my mother's figure from a photo I had. I hung it at home and every day I would look at it, and now "She's under the rubble. I have nothing left."
More on Walla!
Rescue efforts from building collapsed in Miami halted: "Zero chance of finding survivors"
To the full article
"Everything went, but I'm glad I'm alive and breathing."
Search and rescue teams in Miami (Photo: Reuters)
On June 25, at the time of the disaster, the 67-year-old was in bed.
He recovers that he felt "something like a snake between the mattress and my back", so he jumped out of bed and the floor began to shake.
Seeing large clouds of dust through his porch, he started running and left the apartment.
"I got off quickly in the elevator, got down and the exit door didn't open at first probably because the jamb was crooked, but I pushed with all my might and ran out. That's how I survived and so many people were left under the rubble."
"I was left with nothing. Then came the Red Cross, followed by all sorts of other organizations, and brought so many things that now my closet is fuller than I had before. It reminded me of the Yom Kippur War that people would give us, the soldiers, things and restaurants offered us "Eat and drink for free. When there is trouble, people get better, and when there is not, people become cold."
IDF delegation stands for a minute of silence at the disaster site, July 7 (Photo: Reuters)
"So far I'm at the Marriott Hotel arranged for us. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has arranged for us $ 2,000 a month for a year and a half per tenant, so that we have until the insurance releases the value of the apartment. "But the luck is that it turns out that the land is worth $ 160 million, so thank God it will probably cover everything and I will get what I invested."
Candyuti has lived in Florida for many years.
"Someone came and bought all the apartments in the building where I lived, also on the sea. He paid a good price so we all agreed and then I bought the apartment in the building that collapsed," but he adds that he did not get to know the building's occupants well.
"Everyone with masks and barely saying hello to each other. Not so much talking," he notes.
"I was left with nothing."
The building that collapsed on the surfside (Photo: Reuters)
When he completed his military service in Israel, through the release grant, he purchased a one-way ticket for a trip to the United States.
So he started working in car body work in New York, and stayed to live in America so he spent most of his life there.
"I will always remain more Israeli," he emphasizes.
Near the building that collapsed, he found the Israeli consul in Miami, Maor Elbaz, who took office four days before the disaster.
The consul arrived at the scene, and remained in the area for two weeks to help the Jewish community and coordinate with the US administration.
Elbaz assisted Candiotti in issuing a new Israeli passport, although he was left without any reference to his identity.
"I told them the details I remembered. Next month I will come to visit Israel, Jerusalem. I will go to the grave of my brother who passed away last year and I could not come with all the restrictions because of the corona."
More than 100 people killed in floods in Western Europe 16.07.21
The invisible car stunt
A girl appeared in a dream and told about a hidden necklace - which was found ...
A report by the Birding Center of the Society for the Protection of Nature warns against ...
Who and what is Dosh Bug?
In the video: Bennett's recording is distributed online
The crisis in Lebanon is getting worse: the designated prime minister Hariri ...
Who Murdered Tair Rada and Kate Moss on the Runway |
Jordan...
Procedure for corona testing at Ben Gurion Airport
Debate in the Knesset Plenum on the Dayanim Law, July 15, 2021
Sergeant R., a fighter in an elite unit, saved a man from drowning in the Sea of Galilee ...
More than 20 people killed in floods in Western Europe ...
In video: Rescue efforts in Miami stopped (Photo: Reuters)
The circumstances of the collapse of the residence that was built about 40 years ago have not yet been completely clarified.
The investigation is being conducted by the United States Standards Institute and Technology - the federal agency authorized to conduct technical investigations into building failures, issue reports and offer recommendations for improving building regulations and standards - and with the assistance of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
A large team of engineers and other forensic experts from the institute and other federal agencies on the site conduct comprehensive tests, measurements, photographs and 3D imaging, and the collection and labeling of evidence, in order to gather as much data as possible to support the full investigation.
"This blow here scared me more than the war," Candiotti concludes, comparing the Yom Kippur War, which broke out during his regular service as a truck driver, to a disaster in his Florida apartment building.
Share on Facebook
Share on WhatsApp
Share on general
Share on general
Share on Twitter
Share on Email
0 comments
