"Sometimes we cry," Israeli rescuer at Florida building collapse says "it's natural"
Record ID:
1624083
"Sometimes we cry," Israeli rescuer at Florida building collapse says "it's natural"
- Title: "Sometimes we cry," Israeli rescuer at Florida building collapse says "it's natural"
- Date: 29th June 2021
- Summary: SURFSIDE, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES (JUNE 29, 2021) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF COLONEL GOLAN VACH, COMMANDER OF THE ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES' NATIONAL RESCUE UNIT, THE ISRAELI RESCUE TEAM HELPING AT THE SITE OF THE COLLAPSED BUILDING, SPEAKING WITH THE SURFSIDE MAYOR (BLUE HAT) (2 SHOTS) CLOSE UP OF THE ISRAELI FLAG ON THE COLONEL'S UNIFORM SLEEVE THE COLONEL SHAKES HANDS WITH THE SURFSIDE MAYOR AND TURNS TO SPEAK WITH A WOMAN (SOUNDBITE) (English) COLONEL GOLAN VACH, EXPLAINING HOW THIS SITE IS DIFFERENT FROM MOST OTHER BUILDING COLLAPSES, SAYING: "It's a complicated site. Complicated collapse. We are looking for the bedrooms because people were sleeping. And the bedrooms were inside. Some of them inside the building and they were covered in about three or four meters of concrete. So to reach them, we have to penetrate meters of concrete. So it takes time." SURFSIDE, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES (JUNE 28, 2021) (REUTERS) VARIOUS VIEWS OF COLLAPSED BUILDING WITH CRANES AS SEEN FROM BOAT JUST OFF OF THE SHORE (3 SHOTS) SURFSIDE, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES (JUNE 29, 2021) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) COLONEL GOLAN VACH, EXPLAINING HOW HIS TEAM USES TECHNOLOGY TO HELP U.S. RESCUERS ISOLATE LIKELY LOCATIONS OF TRAPPED VICTIMS AND REMAINS BENEATH THE RUBBLE: "You have to understand where exactly were the bedrooms? So to do that we build 3-D models in Israel. And according to the finding and to the information that the family gives us, exactly where do they sleep? In the dining room? In the bedroom? You can build the layers and then you 'smash' the layers according to the situation right now. So our purpose is to get the first responder to understand where exactly is he digging? So this is accurate rescue efforts." SURFSIDE, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES (JUNE 27, 2021) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF COLLAPSED BUILDING (5 SHOTS) SURFSIDE, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES (JUNE 29, 2021) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) COLONEL GOLAN VACH, SAYING: "One of the most difficult and a complicated situation that I have ever seen. Because of the pancake. There is a package. A pancake is not rare but the distance between the floors is minor. But I must say that every day we found new spaces, new tunnels, and we get into the site from below, from the sides, from above. We're trying to find new places to penetrate and to find... you know, maybe there is a confined space that somebody (is) left and somebody is alive in there." SURFSIDE, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES (JUNE 27, 2021) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF THE ABANDONED BALCONIES OF THE PARTIALLY COLLAPSED BUILDING (3 SHOTS) SURFSIDE, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES (JUNE 29, 2021) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) COLONEL GOLAN VACH, EXPLAINING HIS TEAM'S INTERACTION WITH FAMILIES OF THE MISSING, SAYING: "First of all, transparency. They understand the situation. We are almost six days from the collapse. That minor chances, but I would not say that there are no chances. People were found worldwide in history of collapse. We are trying to recruit them (families) by let them announce and inform us exactly where their relatives were so we can search them accurately. We are with them. We explain them everything. And when we will enter heavy machines, just in the perimeter, we will explain what is the purpose of this phase. And we are 24/7 with them." SURFSIDE, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES (JUNE 28, 2021) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF ISRAELI SEARCH AND RESCUE TEAM ORGANIZING TO HEAD OUT (2 SHOTS) SURFSIDE, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES (JUNE 27, 2021) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF MIAMI DADE COUNTY CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATORS TRUCK AT SCENE OF COLLAPSE (2 SHOTS) SURFSIDE, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES (JUNE 29, 2021) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) COLONEL GOLAN VACH, SAYING: "Sometimes we cry. It's natural. We are working together. We talk every night. We do summaries every night with all the people we talk and we share and it gives us strength. And it's our job, finally." SURFSIDE, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES (JUNE 27, 2021) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF RED CROSS TRUCKS (2 SHOTS) SURFSIDE, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES (JUNE 29, 2021) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) COLONEL GOLAN VACH, SAYING: "It's important because we got a call. We got a phone call. And when you got a phone call from America, you arrive. We are very, very close to the families all over the world. And wherever they need us, we come. But I must say that there are no special reasons for us to be here. In any time, anywhere we stand on the side of America. Especially today." SURFSIDE, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES (JUNE 27, 2021) (REUTERS) FLOWERS AND SIGNS FOR VICTIMS ON A MAKE SHIFT MEMORIAL AT A GATE WITH VIEW OF THE PARTIALLY COLLAPSED BUILDING IN THE BACKGROUND
- Embargoed: 13th July 2021 20:20
- Keywords: Florida building collpase Golan Vach Israeli Delegation Commander Israeli rescue teams Surfside rescuers
- Location: SURFSIDE, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES
- City: SURFSIDE, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES
- Country: USA
- Topics: Disaster/Accidents,United States,Editors' Choice
- Reuters ID: LVA001EJGGZLZ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: AUDIO QUALITY AS INCOMING
Battle-hardened Israeli rescue workers also feel the emotional weight of the scenes of devastation at the Surfisde condominium collapse near Miami, their commander told Reuters on Tuesday (June 29).
"Sometimes we cry. It's natural. We are working together. We talk every night... We share and it gives us strength," Colonel Golan Vach, commander of the Israel Defense Forces' National Rescue Unit, the Israeli rescue team helping U.S. rescue workers, said.
Vach heads a 15-person search-and-rescue team from Israel that has joined the phalanx of local firefighters and other specially trained experts combing the rubble for survivors where a residential high-rise collapsed near Miami last Thursday, killing at least nine people with about 150 still missing as of Sunday.
Vach says the Surfside collapse is one of the most difficult and complicated he has ever seen because the floors of the 12-story condo have collapsed on top of one another, like a stack of pancakes.
"A 'pancake' is not rare but the distance between the floors is minor," Vach said.
The Israeli rescuers come from the Israeli Defense Forces, the country's military, including about 10 reserve officers from the Home Front Command, along with Foreign Ministry personnel, the IDF said in a statement.
More than two dozen of the missing were Jewish and had links to Israel, according to an Israeli official.
When it comes to collapsed buildings, there is a cadre of international rescue workers willing to cross borders at a moment's notice. Many from the Miami-Dade County team have experience abroad themselves, notably during a devastating earthquake that struck Haiti in 2010.
A Mexican rescue team is also at the Surfside disaster site. The Israelis come trained by war. The Mexicans, by natural disaster.
The cooperation reflects the international nature of the Miami area, which is home to both Jewish and Latin American diasporas.
The exact roles of the Mexican and Israeli teams have not been detailed. Local officials say they have plenty of help on hand and are rotating the rescue teams to keep personnel fresh. If nothing else, the international presence is symbolic and may offer some solace, particularly to the local Jewish community.
(Production: Julio-Cesar Chavez, Arlene Eiras, Mana Rabiee) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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