SURFSIDE, Fla. — Families of the victims in the condo building collapse are still waiting for answers.

One of them is Maggie Ramsey.

What You Need To Know

  • Magaly Delgado, 80, lived in Champlain Towers South for 11 years

  • Her daughter, Maggie Ramsey, is in Surfside awaiting news of survivors

  • Nearly 150 people are still missing

  • Maggie lost her father to COVID-19 last year and didn’t get to say goodbye

Her mother, Magaly Delgado, 80, lived in the Chaplain Towers South for 11 years.

When Maggie heard about the collapse, she didn’t know it was her mother’s building. She called her to talk about it but didn’t get an answer.

Then she realized it was her mother’s building.

“I felt disbelief. Surreal. Emptiness. Voids. Not knowing what to think,” Maggie said.

She also felt if there’s someone who can survive, it’s her mother, who even at the age of 80 is always fiercely independent.

“Strong character,” Maggie said. “She was born in Cuba, came here in 1961. Worked all of her life. Believed in her independence. When she got divorced from my dad 11 years ago, went back to her maiden name. She was living her best life.”

Now, she’s one of nearly 150 victims still missing.

As Maggie waits for answers on her mother, she’s still grieving the loss of her father to coronavirus last year.

“I lost my dad to COVID in August,” Maggie said. “I did not get to hug him or say goodbye. I just lost my mother potentially. And I’m not getting to hug her. How does this happen where lives are taken like this? It’s just surreal.”

That how is the big question.

Maggie tells me her mother never complained about anything in the building but did notice some shaking when a nearby tower was constructed. Other residents observed the same.

But the answers to those questions have to wait, as families continue to hold out hope.

“Yes, there may still be a miracle,” Maggie said. “But it turns into, God, please let me find her.”