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Champlain tower south video7/23/2023 Search and rescue operations were briefly suspended Thursday after engineers noted shifting on the debris pile that posed a danger to the rescue crews, officials said. Plans to demolish the remaining portion of the building were announced late in the week as rescuers continued to scour the debris for victims. The potential for weather-related issues at the collapse site influenced authorities’ decisions on the ground, and Levine Cava said Saturday officials were hopeful the demolition could be done before the area felt Elsa’s impacts. ![]() Forecasters say the storm’s center will not directly impact Surfside, though the city could be affected by its outer bands, with wind gusts and rain starting in the area as early as Monday morning. “We’re preparing for the risk of isolated tornadoes, storm surge, heavy rainfall and flash flooding,” DeSantis said, adding the state has “begun executing contingency plans for the Tropical Storm Elsa and Surfside co-response.”Ī tropical storm warning has been issued for the Florida Keys and a tropical storm watch is in effect for parts of southwest Florida as far north as Tampa Bay.Įlsa was a Category 1 hurricane Friday and early Saturday, but weakened to a tropical storm as it took aim at the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for 15 counties Saturday – including Miami-Dade County – because of Tropical Storm Elsa. “We want to make sure that we control which way the building falls and not a hurricane, so all of this together I think ended up being a good thing,” Burkett said.ĭemolition plans and a race against the stormįlorida Gov. “It appears as though the approaching storm may have been a blessing in disguise for us in that it initiated the demolition discussion,” he said.īurkett said he hopes the demolition will eliminate a potentially dangerous threat to workers and possibly open up an estimated third of the remaining pile to search and rescue teams. And this rescue effort, as far as I’m concerned, will go on until everybody is pulled out of that debris.”īurkett said at Sunday’s briefing his team was tasked with altering their operational approach around the collapsed structure as Tropical Storm Elsa moved closer. “It is absolutely not a recovery effort,” Burkett said, later adding, “There is nobody in charge really talking about stopping this rescue effort. “We just miss them so much already, we wish this tragedy didn’t happen, and will always remember them,” Mejias said.Ī family of four, a 60-year love story, a young man with muscular dystrophy: What we know about the collapse victimsĪppearing on Sunday’s “Face the Nation” on CBS, Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett underscored that authorities are still working with the mindset that this remains a rescue effort. Cattarossi’s body was found Thursday night. Nicole Mejias told CNN on Saturday that five of her family members were in the Champlain Towers South building when it collapsed, including 7-year-old Stella Cattarossi, the daughter of the Miami firefighter. Those who died include 4- and 10-year-old sisters, an elderly couple and the daughter of a firefighter. There are 121 people who remain unaccounted for. The demolition team continued its preparations Sunday – the 11th day since approximately 55 of the building’s 136 units collapsed early June 24, killing at least 24 people. Officials have been racing against Tropical Storm Elsa, which is tracking toward South Florida with heavy rain and sustained winds of 60 mph. The demolition was planned to be confined to the immediate area around the building, but nearby residents were asked to stay indoors as a precautionary measure, the mayor said, citing the dust and other particles that will be an “unavoidable byproduct” of the demolition. She called the method of demolition “energetic felling,” describing it as a process that “uses small, strategically placed explosives and relies on gravity to bring the building down in place.” “As soon as the building is down and once the site is deemed secure, we will have our first responders back on the pile to immediately resume their work,” Levine Cava said Sunday night. so engineers could secure the site and prepare for the demolition, which officials said was crucial to allowing authorities to continue to look for survivors safely, eliminating the threat posed by the part of the structure that was still standing. ![]() ![]() Search efforts at the partially collapsed building were paused Saturday around 4 p.m. ![]() The damaged remaining structure at the Champlain Towers South condo building collapses in a controlled demolition, Sunday in Surfside, Florida.
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