North Bay Village police chief finds signs of hope after mother is victim of building collapse

SURFSIDE, Fla. – North Bay Village announced on Saturday that Police Chief Carlos Noriega’s mother Hilda Noriega was among the more than 150 people who have been unaccounted for since the Champlain Towers South collapse on Thursday in Surfside.

Noriega arrived with first responders to find his mother’s apartment was gone. He felt grief when he saw the pancaked concrete. He told his family that amid the heartbreak, he noticed he was stepping on an envelope and he picked it up.

“On the outside, it was addressed to Hilda and the card had butterflies on it and it was a birthday card signed by her prayer group,” said Sally Noriega, Hilda Noriega’s daughter-in-law.

The family’s matriarch had recently turned 92. Friends also found a precious family photograph showing Chief Noriega as a little boy with his parents.

Noriega’s 36-year-old son, Michael Noriega, said his grandmother had just received the birthday card during a brunch. He said they were in disbelief. The debris had the belongings of dozens of residents who had trusted they were safe to go to sleep in the 12-story building.

The unlikeliness of the finding had to mean something, he said, so the Noriega family agreed that it was a message.

“It means to not give up hope. It means to have faith,” Michael Noriega said. “To me, it means that whether my grandmother is here with us or not that we should feel comfort in our sorrow.”

The collapse was haunting because Hilda Noriega was preparing to move out of Champlain Towers South. Records show Hilda and Joseph Noriega purchased Unit 602, a two-bedroom apartment, in June 2000. Joseph Noriega died in 2016. The unit was up for sale.

“It’s really hard to think that my grandmother is underneath all of that rubble and we don’t know if she is alive or not,” Michael Noriega said. “When I arrived, I just fell on my knees.”

Family reunification center

The town was hosting those who are waiting for information about unaccounted relatives after the partial collapse at Champlain Towers South at the community center at 9301 Collins Ave. On Friday, they moved the relatives to the Grand Beach Hotel Surfside at 9449 Collins Ave. Levine Cava said relatives had two daily briefings.

For information or to report the status of a loved one who is unaccounted for, call 305-614-1819 or 305-993-1071.

Complete coverage

• HOW TO HELP: Here’s a list of resources to support those impacted by building collapse
• Photos: Loved ones name those they say are missing
• Photos: Building in Surfside partially collapses
• Hotline and wellness form for residents and families

Coverage on Friday

• Champlain Towers South resident survives by climbing through rubble in the dark with her dog
• Teen identified after being pulled from rubble in Surfside, family confirms mother is among those dead
• Man who lives in condo looks out, tells wife ‘My parents’ apartment isn’t there’
• Surfside collapse: Family reunification center moving from community space to hotel
• First lawsuit filed after partial building collapse in Surfside
• Smoke billows out from Champlain Towers South collapse site
• Surfside officials discuss aftermath of building collapse: ‘Terrible tragedy’ to change recertification
• Israel sends help to Surfside’s Jewish community
• Amid anguish after building collapse, memorial, prayer circle help some cope with Surfside tragedy

Coverage on Thursday

• Officials fear there will be many casualties after Surfside building ‘pancaked’ during collapse
• Surveillance video captures eerie moments as part of Surfside condo crashes down
• Man says all he saw was ‘white clouds of dust’
• Father remains missing; wife and daughter hospitalized after Surfside building collapse
• Surfside condo that collapsed was going through a recertification process
• After Surfside collapse do you need to worry about your building?
• Officials fear there will be many casualties after Surfside building ‘pancaked’ during collapse
• Geologist warned of instability in Surfside