A portion of the 12-story Champlain Towers South tower in Surfside collapsed at 1:22 a.m. on Thursday, June 24, 2021. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue officials said 55 units in the 136-unit tower collapsed to the ground. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun Sentinel)

SURFSIDE — The tragedy that transfixed the world took 98 lives and our sense of security.

It was a year ago on June 24 when Champlain Towers South came tumbling down at 1:22 a.m.

In the dawn light, the 12-floor tower at 8777 Collins Avenue looked like it belonged in some far-off war zone, torn open by a bomb. But this was no war zone. It was sunny Surfside, a small beachfront town between Miami and Fort Lauderdale, where people settled to raise families or retire.

The victims ranged in age from 1 to 92.

Sunbeams and rain, light and air fill the empty space where they once slept.

A bunk bed hangs in balance after the partial collapse of the 12-story Champlain Towers South condo at 8777 Collins Ave. in Surfside. The tower collapsed at 1:22 a.m. on Thursday, June 24, 2021. (Susan Stocker / South Florida Sun Sentinel)

The tower, a condo with 136 units built in 1981, was home to dozens of families. A place where they made meals and memories, shared triumphs and sorrows, laughed and cried.

Then one summer night, with seemingly no warning, the floors holding up 55 units pancaked, triggering the crushing cascade of concrete. A body falling amid the layers stood almost no chance.

Those lucky enough to be in the section that remained standing escaped. One family ran for their lives from what they thought was the end of the world.

Rescue crews work in the rubble at the Champlain Towers South condo in Surfside on June 25, 2021, the day after the building collapsed. Video released by a team of federal investigators shows evidence of extensive corrosion on the lower floors. (Gerald Herbert/AP)

As news spread, the rest of us watched in horror. We watched on TV screens, computer screens, cell phones. In disbelief, we asked: How could this happen in America? How could this happen in the 21st century? How could I have survived if I’d been in the building?

The fall of Champlain Towers has left a legacy beyond the missing landmark that once helped define the town’s oceanfront skyline.

Search and rescue operations resume as members of a team from Pennsylvania comb through the mangled wreckage on July 5, several hours after the demolition of the Champlain Towers South complex the night before. Teams from around the nation came to help in the rescue effort, setting up tents in a nearby park where they slept in between shifts. (Carl Juste/Miami Herald/TNS)

For many of us, it has instilled an unwelcome sense of fear and dread that we may not be safe in our own buildings, the places we call home, the places we expect to remain standing no matter what.

For those left behind — and those who came to the rescue — it has left an imprint so deep that they are still grappling with PTSD a year later. For some, it’s a trauma that could last a lifetime.

Firefighters rescue Jonah Handler from the wreckage after the collapse of Champlain Towers South in Surfside on June 24. Jonah, then 15, survived a fall from the 10th floor. His mother survived the collapse only to die later at the hospital. (Reliable News Media/Special to the Sun Sentinel)

Fifteen-year-old Jonah Handler was pulled alive from the rubble and twisted rebar. A miracle, some called him.

His mother would survive the fall only to die later at the hospital.

Jonah still has a strong bond with the crew that rescued him that day. The bond, his father says, is one that goes beyond friendship.

A member of the Israeli search and rescue team, left, salutes in front of the rubble that once was Champlain Towers South during a prayer ceremony on July 7, 2021 in Surfside. Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava thanked the battalion for their “unrelenting dedication" and the elite team headed home after an emotional sendoff. (Jose A Iglesias/AP)

Rescuers came from far and wide to help local crews. Israel, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Indiana, Virginia.

The world watched with hope as they climbed the knolls of debris and broken furniture searching for survivors. And then, sadly, for bodies.

A memorial banner with the names of all 98 people killed in the Surfside building collapse hangs on a fence in the now empty lot on June 17, 2022. Surfside officials say they have a permanent memorial planned. (Mike Stocker / South Florida Sun Sentinel)

One of the victims, Edgar Gonzalez, 44, lived with his wife and two daughters on the ninth floor. One daughter left the condo just two hours before the collapse. His wife and younger daughter were injured in the fall but survived. Another victim, Cassie Stratton woke up to a shaking building minutes before the collapse. The 40-year-old model and actress called her husband, who was away on a business trip. She told him she could see a sinkhole where the pool deck should be. Then the line went dead.

The last victim to be recovered, Estelle Hedaya, was found in the rubble on July 20, nearly one month after the collapse.

Toby Fried, worried about her missing brother Chaim "Harry" Rosenberg and niece Malki Weiss, speaks on the phone outside the Surfside Community Center on June 25, 2021, the day after the Surfside building collapse. Both were later identified as victims of the disaster. (Amy Beth Bennett / South Florida Sun Sentinel)

Families of those killed are in line to collect millions from a $1 billion settlement from insurance companies, developers of a neighboring building next door and several contractors and consultants who had been sued by the victims’ attorneys. But 98 people are gone forever — and no amount of money will ever bring them back.

The town has promised to remember the 98 lives that ended that day. Time will not erase their memory, Surfside has vowed.

This mournful spot is all that remains of Champlain Towers South, a 12-story tower that once helped define the oceanfront skyline of Surfside. The tower collapsed on June 24, 2021, taking the lives of 98 people. The town of Surfside has promised to create a permanent memorial in honor of the victims. (Mike Stocker / South Florida Sun Sentinel)

Families who lost loved ones will gather at the site Friday to pay tribute to their lives and memories on the anniversary of the collapse.

A commemorative torch will be lit that day.

The torch will remain lit for nearly one month to represent the time it took for the last victim to be recovered from the mangled wreckage.

The damaged Champlain Towers South condo falls in a controlled demolition around 10:30 p.m. on Sunday July 4, 2021. The demolition was crucial to allow rescue crews to continue to look for survivors safely, eliminating the threat posed by the part of the structure that was still standing. A billionaire developer from Dubai plans to buy the site for $120 million. (John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel)

A permanent memorial for the victims is planned, Surfside officials say. For now, a memorial banner displaying the names of those who died in the collapse hangs near the site.

As one woman whose parents died in the collapse put it, they must be honored and remembered always and forever.

Susannah Bryan can be reached at sbryan@sunsentinel.com or on Twitter @SunSentinel.com