Having been desperate for progress in the search for those missing in that Florida building collapse, families today endured another day of wrenching wait as the slow search continues. Today, the death toll rose to 10 as one more body was recovered from the rubble.
{SOT}
Daniella Levine Cava, Miami-Dade Mayor:
This morning, we did recover another body. That bring the count to 10.
Voiceover: Another piece of excruciating news from Miami-Dade’s mayor, as one more body was recovered from the rubble in the rescuers’ around-the-clock search for those unaccounted for.
Daniella Levine Cava, Miami-Dade Mayor:
The total number of those accounted for is now 135. And the total unaccounted: 151.
Voiceover:
Have learned of that update, relatives of those missing, according to Miami-Dade’s mayor, have become either more hopeful, or desperate, as many of those missing are still entombed in the heap of rubble.
Daniella Levine Cava, Miami-Dade Mayor:
Families, because of the process we have gone through, are coming to their own conclusions. Some are feeling more hopeful, some, less hopeful, because we do not have definitive answers. We give them the facts. We take them to the site. We show them the operation. We show them where the pancake is. We show them where the tunnel is.
Voiceover:
Florida’s governor today vowed to keep on supporting the families who have been traumatised.
Ron Desantis, (R) Governor of Florida:
Those recovery efforts from the family, of helping them get back on their feet, helping them cope with trauma, that’s going to be ongoing.
Voiceover:
Earlier, authorities have asked relatives of those unaccounted for to leave DNA samples, so as to help rescuers identify some of the body remains that are found in the debris.
Israeli rescuers are working alongside FEMA specialists to help with the rescue effort.
Hoping to set the record straight, officials have been meeting frequently with relatives of those unaccounted for to keep them updated with the latest. Relatives have been wound up as no one has been found alive despite the nonstop and gargantuan rescue effort.
Meantime, a report that earlier revealed some of the possible reasons why the partial collapse happened has now stirred up a hornet’s nest. Residents of Champlain Towers North, which was built by the same company, are complaining and worrying about their safety. Some said it is prudent to stay away for a while, while some decided to stay put.
A transition from search-and-rescue work to a recovery operation is now being considered, but experts say it will take a lot of time for officials to mull things over, before deciding whether to switch.
Dave Downey, former Miami-Dade Fire Chief:
It’s an incredibly dangerous fight. We’ve got a lot of rescuers working, we’ve got a lot of equipment, including heavy equipment, moving about. And, you know, part of our challenge now is trying to control that rescue operation.
Voiceover:
The building collapse came just days before a deadline for condo owners to start paying for repairs that had been recommended in 2018 by a report that warned of purported “major structural damage” in the building.
All’s well that ends well. Relatives are hoping, rescuers will never call it quits despite no breakthroughs yet in the search, because the reward could be huge, as long as they remain determined to search for any survivors and hopeful that miracles will happen.
Comments