A two-story building that was abandoned and whose demolition had been approved, collapsed in the early hours of this Thursday in Little Havana, in Miami, due to the intense rains and winds of the last two days.
Although no injuries were reported in the incident, two neighboring families were displaced.
Part of the debris from the collapse fell on the roof of a home next to the building that collapsed, although the family residing in that house managed to get out safely. Another family was evacuated through the back of the damaged structure.
The incident occurred at 1790 3rd Street and 18th Avenue in Little Havana, Miami.
Neighbors living in the area explained in statements to the local press that the surprising collapse occurred around 3:00 am, when they heard a loud noise, as if it were a bomb.
A woman of Hispanic origin claims that she lived for 14 years with her family in the house that collapsed -which had been built for more than 90 years- and feels lucky to have left the house in time.
“Thank God I was able to get out of there three months ago, my children, my husband and I are fine, we are all fine,” she explained.
Neighbors in the area informed the authorities that a homeless person used to sleep in the abandoned building.
For several hours, rescue teams continued searching through the rubble with canine units and machinery, but they assured that they found no mortal remains.
Iggy Carroll, spokesperson for the Miami firefighters, indicated that after carrying out due checks, they concluded that the two-story house was abandoned at the time of the collapse.
The intense rains and bad weather that has affected South Florida since Tuesday night have left significant flooding and damage in Miami-Dade and Broward counties.
The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for most counties, which remained in effect until 6 a.m. Thursday.
This Wednesday the waves reached up to 10 feet high, while 30 mile per hour winds affected businesses near the beaches, which had to close as a precautionary measure.
Images spread on social networks have provided clear testimony of the meteorological hell that residents of South Florida have experienced in recent hours, where some drivers were even trapped inside their vehicles.
The bad weather is expected to persist in the early hours of this Thursday, although weather conditions will improve towards the second half of the day.
