Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett said the remaining building demolition in the Champlain Tower area could turn on a “green light” to intensify search and rescue efforts, which were temporarily suspended Saturday afternoon.
Concerns that a tropical storm could lead to the collapse of Hurricane Elsa prompted the city to demolish the building, which could complicate the already difficult search-and-rescue operation.
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Burkett called the storm a “blessing in disguise” because the demolition of the building could give much-needed impetus to search and rescue efforts. No one has been rescued alive since the first hours after the fall.
“The building has been a problem since the beginning and we need to remove all the problems and all the barriers to getting everyone out of there,” Burkett said on the CBS show.Face to face with the people“” So when this building goes down, the green light comes on to move forward at full speed, which is the maximum power to get people out and reunite them with their families. ”
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All resources and tactics were already working at full speed, but rescue efforts were hampered by a number of obstacles, with occasional interruptions due to the weather and even stalled in areas where the fire had stopped.
The plan is to demolish the building “in a westerly direction,” which will prevent any damage or create problems with the existing rubble pile and give more access to the site.
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Burkett said the city is not worried about nearby buildings because of the precautions taken during the first disaster.
“These buildings were evacuated on the day of the accident, so there are no people living in those buildings facing south or north,” he said.
Burkett also praised Surfside’s support at the local, state and federal levels: he thanked Governor Ron DeSantis and President Biden for providing “what is needed.”