Surfside survivor recalls harrowing escape from collapsed building

On June 24, Zulia Taub watched her life crumble to the ground.

Surfside building survivor Zulia Taub had called Apartment 506 in the Champlain Towers South home for more than two decades. On June 24, she watched her life crumble to the ground. The 82-year-old said she was at her apartment when she thought she’d heard thunder. “I heard a terrible noise and the building shook. ... I grabbed a flashlight and I grabbed my purse,” said Taub. “I went to the staircase and to my surprise that part of the building was not there anymore and I saw rubble and I saw people crying.” Taub said a group of neighbors crowded onto another person’s apartment balcony where they were eventually rescued by the fire department.