SURFSIDE, FLA. (WSVN) - Jenny Urgelles said she has not heard from her parents who live in the Champlain Towers South Condo building that has partially collapsed.
She spoke to 7News over the phone Thursday afternoon to share her concern for her parents, Mercy and Ray Urgelles.
“I was texting my mom yesterday, and then, I called my dad yesterday,” Urgelles said. “My mom was at work. My dad was running errands. Everything was fine. This morning, I just happened to wake up at like 5:30, and I saw I had a text message from a friend letting me know the news, asking if that’s the building my parents live in.”
Urgelles then tried to call her parents after she read a news article about the partial building collapse.
“I called them. Both their phones went straight to voicemail,” Urgelles said. “Then, I called the next person that I knew that has an apartment there. Family friends of mine that I’ve known them forever, so I called them, and they picked up. They told me the news. Like everyone else at the time, they don’t know much, either. I was on the line with my brother, as well. He’s in Germany now, so he’s having to fly back home.”
Those who live at the Champlain Towers South Condo are being asked to complete a Wellness Check Form as part of Miami-Dade County’s efforts to ensure all tenants of the building are located.
“I’m really, really hoping they’re just under the debris, and they’re maybe unconscious or maybe they just need medical attention, obviously,” Urgelles said. “I’m holding onto hope. I really am. I’m hoping that even if it takes them a couple hours, a couple days, they do find them, and I’m very just desperate to know what’s happening.”
She then spoke about the damage resulting from the partial collapse and her previous experiences walking through the hallways and using its amenities.
“It’s just crazy to see the place that you– I mean, I walked there, and I drove in there, and I went to the pool there,” Urgelles said. “All these things, I did all those things every day, and the conditions of which they’re at now, it’s baffling. It’s insane to see it the way it is now. I have no words.”
“If anyone sees them, whether they made it out of the rubble, or they’re just, like, unconscious or they’re just not aware of their surroundings and they see them, please — or anyone that you see in that area that seems like they may need help — offer your help and be there for them,” Urgelles said.
Families of loved ones can call 305-614-1819 to account for their relative’s whereabouts.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.