BAY HARBOR ISLANDS, Fla. — At Church by the Sea in the Bay Harbor Islands, more than a five-minute drive from the collapsed Champlain Towers condo building, Charlie Newton bows his head in prayer for the missing and deceased.

Foremost in his opinion were Arnie and Myriam Notkin, an elderly couple who lived on the third floor and remained uninhabited after the breakup.

Arnie Notkin, former physical education teacher at The Fienberg-Fischer K-8 Center was a friend of his parents. When Newton grew up He and Notkin previously served on the board of directors of the Miami Beach Police Athletic League.

“Everybody knows Arnie Notkin,” says Newton, 50, of Surfside, Florida. “They may not know his wife, but they do know him. He asserts himself in people’s conversations. but he is very friendly He wasn’t arrogant or anything. He’s a very nice person and everyone likes him. He is always willing to put in the effort to help someone.”

A devoted physical education teacher, Miami Dolphins loves to introduce students to all sports.

“He likes teaching,” Newton says. “He likes to show you how to play certain things. when you are a teacher Whether you are a physical education teacher or a math teacher You love to share your knowledge.”

Inside the prayer room of the church office Worshipers lighted white candles in honor of the missing and the deceased, tears welling up in their sockets, some chanting “Grace”.

“I had to dig deep and try not to let my emotions take over me,” Newton said. “I tried to be strong for the people around me. I’m sure if someone lost it in there. We would all lose it.”

The death toll rose by just four, bringing the total to nine confirmed deaths. But after nearly four full days of search and rescue, More than 150 people are still missing, officials said.

‘He is a peacemaker. He is happy’: What We Know About Missing in Miami Condo Building Collapse

Before and after watching: Champlain Towers South, a partially collapsed Florida building.

For a small, intimate community, tragedy was hard to bear.

Waiting for the news of the disastrous disappearance is troubling even for those who are not related to them.

“Personally, I don’t know anyone in this building. But I’m good friends with a lot of people I know,” said Rev. Robert Asinger, “so it’s not just a building collapse. It’s about Bill or Fred or whoever it is. And it makes it very personal.”

The Reverend told nearly 40 worshipers that the church had opened a $20,000 relief fund.

“When Parkland happened and when Pulse happened, we prayed. But there is a distance,” says Rev. Barbara Asinger. “I think that’s how we survive as humans. We create distance because we hear so much these days. When you can’t do it anymore, you cry. You cry and you try to decide how to help.”

Sergio Lozano had dinner with his parents Gladys and Antonio Lozano as they bid farewell and retreated to their condominiums in different buildings. of the same building This is the Champlain Towers condo complex in Surfside.

Sergio Lozano startled loudly. Step out onto his balcony and be captivated by the breathtaking sight: the rising smoke and the night sky where his parents’ condo building used to stand.

“My wife is following me. ‘Cause she’ll help me bring in the patio furniture,” he told WPLG-TV in Miami. “And I told her, ‘Lola, the building isn’t there.’ She yelled and said, ‘What do you mean?’ I went to the apartment. ‘My parents’ aren’t there. It’s gone!'”

Family members of residents of the collapsed 12-storey building were staggered in and out of the family center on Sunday. trying to understand the tragedy Family members took DNA samples to identify relatives’ remains and gather information about the rescue.

Others were hoping the rescue team could still pull the survivors out of the rubble. Ashley Dean traveled from Louisiana to Surfside over the weekend to see if her sister Cassie Stratton survived. from the collapse or not

Stratton was on the phone with her husband, Michael, when the building shook and collapsed. Dean told the media. She screamed as she plunged to the earth. Stratton still wasn’t counted.

“It’s very painful, it hurts, it’s very confusing,” Dean told New Orleans’ WVUE-TV. “It’s almost unbelievable”

many years ago Antonio and Gladys Lozano quarreled over who would get first.

They eventually left together. An elderly couple celebrating their 59th anniversary next month. They died together in a building collapse.

The agency said Miami-Dade police recovered their bodies a day apart in the rubble of a southern condominium building.

Finding the Power of Prayer

At the back of the church, the church office in the Bay Harbor Islands, a lit candle is placed on a wooden table. before Becky Bosch will leave the room. Most of them were lit by a weak light.

“It affects you. Even if you don’t know the people who live there,” says Bosch, 52, from Surfside, “I live in that building. I sent my son out when he was little to meet a friend there. I lived across the street from there on day 90. It’s a very peaceful corner, very beautiful.”

As the attempt to retrieve the survivors from the ruins continues Her son found strength in prayer.

“I knew the whole community wanted to be there,” said 22-year-old Aaron Bosch. “I knew everyone wanted to be there collecting rubble. But it’s not that easy. I think the best we can do right now is to pray.”

Sergio Lozano said his parents will celebrate their 59th anniversary on July 21 and have known each other for more than 60 years. The son said his parents were joking that no one wanted the other person to die first because they didn’t want to be separated.

Sergio said that if he had to find solace If they don’t survive the collapse, they will “go together and go fast,” according to WPLG-TV.

Contributors: Emily Bloch, USA TODAY; related news agencies

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