SURFSIDE, Fla. — Kersi Asais and his young family look through the pictures, notes and Bible verses posted on a fence close to the condominium collapse.
"We came to pay our respects to our neighbors," he said. "It easily could have been us in that building."
He said these are the people he sees on the street, the bus or on the beach. Asais said Surfside is a small town and people quickly get to know each other.
"We need to cherish every moment of our lives, because it can be gone," he said. "I hope everyone watching this, following this tragedy, really understands that."
The fence is a gathering place for those who have lost family and friends and those who want to just pay their respects.
Maria Vazquez brought her daughter to the site.
"I want, especially my daughter, to feel empathy for those that are in need of prayer," she said.
Vazquez said she has a lot of pain in her heart. She posted a Bible verse for a friend of three people who are still missing.
"We're here to pray for all these souls, but probably God put this special verse for these people, these three people," she said.
Vazquez said by showing up at the fence, she is only trying to be obedient to what's in her heart and that's empathy.