Florida officials are moving up plans to demolish the remaining portion of Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Florida. There are worries that the building will come down on its own and that it could crumble on top of the pile where victims remain. With Hurricane Elsa potentially bringing strong winds and rain to South Florida, the timeline was accelerated. The Miami Herald reports:
The rescue efforts have been complicated by stormy weather and unstable conditions at the site — including shifting rubble, the threat of falling debris and fear that the remaining standing portion of the tower could topple, putting crews at risk. Levine Cava on Friday signed an order for the demolition of the building.
Governor Ron DeSantis said, “If the building is taken down, this will protect our search and rescue teams, because we don’t know when it could fall over. And, of course, with these gusts, potentially that would create a really severe hazard.”
Gov. DeSantis says state's mission is to demolish the partially collapsed condo building in Surfside, Florida "as soon as possible.”
Officials say once everything is ready, it can be “brought down within 36 hours” https://t.co/3yv7Gh4Zoo pic.twitter.com/6a4gOEIljR— CBS News (@CBSNews) July 3, 2021
Due to safety concerns, people will not be able to get any possessions out of the building before it’s destroyed. Rescuers also have not been able to get to any of the animals that were left behind. According to The Herald, “Dahlia Kanes, director of Miami Coalition Against Breed Specific Legislation, said it is believed that about five dogs and cats, a guinea pig and some parakeets are still in the building.”
Two more bodies were found Saturday bringing the death toll up to 24. 124 people are still missing.
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