Tuesday marked the fifth day of search and rescue efforts following the partial collapse of a 12-story residential building in the community of Surfside, Florida. The death toll rose to 11 after searchers found two victims on Monday. Rescue teams continue to race to find 150 people still missing.
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The Israeli delegation, which a team of Home Front Command specialists, is on-site, assisting the life-saving efforts by mapping out the disaster site and supporting the local rescue forces.
Israel's Consul General in Miami Maor Elbaz-Starinsky, who took office only a week before the disaster, has been working around the clock to assist the victims' families.
"Just telling you what I have been through in the last few days makes me want to cry," he said. "Two days ago, I had a very difficult meeting with families [of the victims]. This is an incredibly tragic event. It is hard to understand how this happened. It was a building in the United States, in a modern city, it simply collapsed in the middle of the night."
"I haven't been to the consulate since Wednesday, and my entire staff has been sent out to locations where they could be of help. One of the staff members is with the families at a hotel the whole time. Another one is with the American Jewish Committee.
"The Red Cross contacted me and said, 'This is a list of medications that people who have been left without a roof over their heads need.' I told them, 'Take my credit card and use it.'"
According to Elbaz, there were still difficult days ahead, with funerals and mourning.
"We are a beacon for those families, and not just for the Jews, but everyone. There is still hope, but very little of it, and I will not be the one to take it away from these families."
In the meantime, rescuers began to use heavy machinery to remove large concrete pieces. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Chief Alan Cominsky said his team had to proceed with caution, for "moving unstable structures could lead to a much worse result."
Families whose loved ones were in the building remain hopeful.
"We are just waiting for answers," said Dianne Ohayon, whose parents, Myriam and Arnie Notkin, lived in the building. "That's all we want. And right now, we don't have a single answer."
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