As officials prepared to demolish the rest of the Surfside condominium Saturday, the search for survivors was stopped because of incoming Tropical Storm Elsa, according to Reuters.
“We don’t have a specific time for the demolition,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, Reuters reported. She said necessary preparations for the demolition, including “drilling into columns,” make the site unsafe to continue search and rescue.
Just out of Surfside:
“Between 10 pm on Sunday, July 4, 2021, and 3 am on Monday, July 5, the vacant Champlain Towers South (8777 Collins Ave.) structure that remains standing will be demolished.” https://t.co/z9J8uWjb2P pic.twitter.com/EbFaf6jurG
— Vaughn Hillyard (@VaughnHillyard) July 4, 2021
“We are moving as quickly as possible,” Cava said, according to Reuters. “We are still hopeful we can do the demolition before the storm.”
“As of this time we will not need to evacuate any (nearby) buildings,” she said, according to Reuters.
According to fire officials, the 12-story Champlain Towers South condo complex in Surfside will be removed using explosive charges, not a wrecking ball, according to Reuters. Officials said contractors inspected the site Saturday to devise a plan, according to Reuters. (RELATED: Firefighter Finds His Own Daughter’s Body In Collapsed Surfside Condo)
In a news conference Saturday, officials found two more dead people, bringing the total to 24 deceased.
Miami-Dade Fire Chief Alan Cominsky said the demolition of the rest of the towers had to occur as soon as possible because Elsa could reach Southern Florida Monday. “We’d have no control of where it lands,” he said, according to Reuters.
