Collapsed Florida apartment will be demolished before the storm, search for restoration Reuters

Francisco Alvarado

Surfside, Fla. (Reuters)-Preparations for demolition work is underway on Sunday before Tropical Storm Elsa may reach a partially collapsed apartment in the Miami area. 24 people have been confirmed dead in the apartment.

The search and rescue of 121 missing persons has been suspended.

The Mayor of Miami-Dade County, Daniella Levine Cava, told reporters on Sunday: “Our priority is that the building should collapse as quickly as possible whenever it happens.” “We don’t know. The specific time of the demolition.”

She said that once the building collapses, rescue work will resume, and pointed out that 11 days have passed since the collapse.

As of Sunday afternoon, Tropical Storm Elsa was leaving the Cuban coast with winds of 60 miles per hour (95 km/h). After crossing Cuba late on Sunday and Monday, the storm is expected to approach western Florida on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Officials said that in the wreckage of the Champlain Tanan complex in Surfside, workers were drilling into pillars and placing small explosives on the pillars to bring the wreckage of the building to a small area.

The mayor said that residents of nearby buildings do not need to evacuate, but should stay indoors and turn off the air-conditioning due to dust.

Unlike the usual fireworks and flag waving parties, the waterfront community in the area plans to hold a more low-key event on July 4. Miami Beach canceled Independence Day celebrations.

Investigators have not yet determined what caused the 40-year-old complex to collapse on June 24. An engineering report in 2018 found structural flaws, which are now the focus of investigations including grand jury inspections.

Officials said that after engineers discovered serious concrete and electrical problems, they notified all residents of another building, Crestview Towers in North Miami Beach, to leave immediately.

Arthur Sorey, City Manager of North Miami Beach, stated that the move was considered urgent due to Elsa’s intervention, adding that the owner of the building had not yet begun the mandatory mandatory 40 years after its completion. Sexual safety re-certification process.

“This is definitely not an easy decision,” Solé said. “It’s the right thing to do this at these times. It’s uncertain what the storm will happen.”