SURFSIDE (Florida) Kymany Roberts gave a parking spot to a woman the day after the terrible condo collapse in Miami Beach. She said she had three relatives among the missing. The car sat there for several days without moving.He said that he saw her crying on the news the next day as he was walking his dog near his house, just blocks from where it occurred. Because there is nothing you can do, it just touches you. He knows that there is nothing anyone can do. He will continue to reach out to her to see how she's doing.For the close-knit Surfside community, this is how it has been, will be, and will remain. The search and rescue operations continue round the clock, in the rain and heat, as well as as as more debris is removed from the rubble. The slow and painful release of information about those who were inside has left the community in limbo. It is half hopeful, half sad. 18 people are now dead, including children, while 145 are still unaccounted for almost a week after the building collapsed on June 24.No official message has been given by an authority voice to start grieving this massive, collective loss. Do you refer to the missing as were or are they? Are they or were? It is unclear how or when to begin mourning. This tragedy will define their community for many years to come, all agree.It could happen even in the most unlikely of places. It could happen to anyone. Iraida Guedes was a bank executive returning to the town after a day of mourning. Right? It's been just a few days.The community is not giving up on the missing, and people speaking with BuzzFeed News still have hope.Idalmis Alvarez is a nurse assistant who lives just blocks away from the building. She described her neighborhood as in mourning. She was optimistic that someone would be found alive as of Tuesday. Many disasters around the globe have seen days pass before they find someone. Alvarez in Spanish said, "I can't believe this could be different." A woman walking by overheard the conversation and offered her agreement to make a few comments about God's power and His goodness.Officials promised that no one would be forgotten and that search and rescue efforts will continue. There are two types of rescue dog teams still working in the rubble: one is searching for the living, the other for the dead. Many rescue workers continue to go in, working in shifts. Cameras are being pushed into voids. Family members are receiving daily briefings. There is no timetable. We will keep going, as long there are signs of possibility. This is what Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said to BuzzFeed News. We are not ready to abandon our search and rescue efforts.The whole community is on edge and living in close quarters, carrying heavy emotional burdens.Nearby neighbors built a memorial at 88th and Harding. There were photos, flowers, candles, thank-yous, and stuffed animals. In the distance, you can see heavy machinery. This is where Jim Kostecky dropped off flowers Tuesday for a friend who was missing. Kostecky was in town to conduct business and said that he still believes there is hope. It's more about giving everyone a proper send off. ... I wish everyone could find closure so that the town can heal and move forward.The memorial can still be accessed, but the area surrounding it has grown since its first construction. There are many other areas on the beach where people gather, such as places of worship or beachfront vigils. Another chain-link fence is located outside the perimeter. There are more flowers, more photos, and more prayers. One woman, leaning over yellow tape towards a photograph, said, "Oh my God, it's unbelievable." That's my doctor.Another woman, who didn't know anyone in the building personally, had just left the same spot in tears.Amber Jamieson contributed reporting.
