On day 14, ten more bodies recovered from the debris in Surfside, Florida. This leaves 94 people unaccounted for. Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava made the heartbreaking announcement through tears today as she thanked rescue crews for their hard work:
“Our first responders have searched that pile every single day as if they’re searching for their own loved ones. I just came from greeting the team that’s going out at noon. Our Miami-Dade County Task Force One members who’ve been here since the beginning. they could go home, but they’re still here.
We’re so grateful to these everyday heroes. They’re superheroes. We’ve called upon them to do something extraordinary and I am in endless awe of their grace, their passion and their dedication.”
Mayor Daniella Levine Cava walks away from the news conference this morning, as she is overcome with emotion. For 14 days she has announced one death after another. 46 bodies have been pulled from the rubble in Surfside, dozens are still missing. @wsvn pic.twitter.com/fClp2N4Cx1
— Andrew Scheinthal (@AScheinthalNews) July 7, 2021
During this morning’s news conference Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Chief Alan Cominsky was asked if they have seen no indication that anyone survived the initial collapse. He replied, “No, we have not.”
Then, according to the AP, late Wednesday came news that they were “switching from rescue to recovery mode, signaling the effort to find survivors was all but over.”
The news followed increasingly somber reports from emergency officials, who indicated they had been preparing families for the worst outcome.
Miami-Dade Assistant Fire Chief Raide Jadallah told families at a private briefing Wednesday afternoon that the emergency crews would remove the rescue dogs and sound devices, but otherwise would continue to search through the rubble for the bodies of their relatives.
The Miami Herald reports on Governor Ron DeSantis’ comments today about rescue teams and community support:
“It’s going to be a deep wound for a long time,’‘ he said. “But as tragic as it’s been, I think the outpouring of support has shown a lot of great parts of our community.”
He said the members of the rescue teams from across the country “are leaving a very impressive legacy.”
“They get very invested in it and, so to see that, and to see that that singularity of purpose, has really been heartening. … I don’t think the state’s ever going to quite be the same.”
Watch more from the CBS affiliate in Miami above.