SURFSIDE, Fla. — On the 14th day of searching, 10 more victims and additional human remains were recovered from the rubble of what was once Champlain Towers South, Miami-Dade Fire Chief of Operations Ray Jadallah told families in a private briefing Wednesday.
The rescue effort is not slowing, despite the number of days passed since the condominium's sudden collapse in the early hours of Thursday, June 24.
The death toll in the Surfside collapse now stands at 46, the most victims found in any 12- or 24-hour period. Jadallah said families of 32 of the victims have been notified.
Since the demolition of the remaining part of the building Sunday night, 22 victims have been recovered from the rubble, and officials have said the demolition of the remainder of the collapsed apartment building allows rescue workers to search a wider area. Significant removal of the pile has allowed rescuers to get into areas they couldn’t access before.
Even so, Jadallah said rescuers equipped with cameras have yet to identify any voids, or spaces, in the rubble during initial searches of the new areas.
He added, however, that rescuers will continue searching the new areas and are still committed to their rescue mission. There are still 94 people missing in the rubble, and while several of the nine search grid sections have been “de-layered,” there are still other areas to be cleared.
“Remember that we’ve been in a search and rescue since Day One,” Jadallah told the families Wednesday.
Fire Chief Alan Cominsky said during a briefing with reporters there were no work pauses in the rescue mission Wednesday, a welcome change from two lightning delays Tuesday.
When asked if the continued rescue effort gives families a false sense of hope, Cominsky said no.
“Obviously it’s been very difficult. ... We have been exhausting every effort,” he said. “That is where we are right now, exhausting every effort.”
A choked-up Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava spoke through tears at the briefing.
“Our first responders have truly searched that pile every single day since the collapse as if they were searching for their loved ones,” she said.
CHAMPLAIN NORTH GETS A CLOSER LOOK
Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett said crews are still investigating the sister condo building, Champlain Tower North, using ground radar and other technology to assess the structural integrity of the building, which was built around the same time by the same developer with the same types of materials.
He said the town plans to work with the north building to do a deep-dive on the structure, which has 24 units fewer than the 12-story south tower did. They were built one year apart and from the outside seemed of similar design.
Many residents were concerned enough about the south tower tragedy to move out, but some were not.
The north condo’s management company went door to door last week to survey residents. About half of the building’s 113 units are unoccupied as second homes. Of the units that are occupied, half of the residents have left on their own accord, while the other half have stayed.
The Miami Foundation is providing resources to relocate those families since they do not qualify for federal aid.
Surfside Vice Mayor Tina Paul said Wednesday that several condo owners have reached out to her with concerns about structural integrity of their own buildings, unrelated to the sister Champlain Tower condos. The town will be assisting in advanced geotechnical surveys to look at structural integrity, she said.
DESANTIS COMMENDS RESCUE TEAMS
At a news conference on Tropical Storm Elsa in Tallahassee on Wednesday, Gov. Ron DeSantis spoke of the determination of the rescue teams and the outpouring of 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.”
———
(Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times Tallahassee Bureau Chief Mary Ellen Klas contributed to this report.)
