Demolition crews move in at condo tower amid storm fears
Source: AP
By REBECCA SANTANA and BOBBY CAINA CALVAN
SURFSIDE, Fla. (AP) Rescue crews made way for demolition teams at the site of a collapsed South Florida condo building as officials shifted their focus to bringing down the unstable remainder of the structure ahead of a tropical storm.
The search and rescue mission was suspended Saturday afternoon so workers could begin the precarious business of boring holes to hold explosives in the concrete of the still-standing portion of the Champlain Towers South tower in Surfside, Miami-Dade Assistant Fire Chief Raide Jadallah told relatives awaiting word on missing loved ones.
Jadallah said the suspension was a necessary safety measure because the drilling could cause the structure to fail. If that were to happen, he said, Its just going to collapse without warning.
But in a video stream of Jadallahs closed-door briefing to relatives of the missing, one of them was heard calling it devastating that the search was on pause. She asked whether rescuers could at least work the perimeter of the site so as not to stop the operation for so many painful hours.
Members of the South Florida Urban Search and Rescue team walk near the Champlain Towers South condo building, where scores of victims remain missing more than a week after it partially collapsed, Saturday, July 3, 2021, in Surfside, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/fl-state-wire-surfside-building-collapse-storms-business-96030f2bf7cedd81ee5043e4568971b3
Ligyron
(7,632 posts)But thats pretty rare I think. Still it must be devastating for the families.
drray23
(7,627 posts)so suppositly it won't collapse on top of the debris field .
Politicub
(12,165 posts)The tower being demolished will be removed quickly. That way, theyll be able to get to the collapsed building from the side.
The people who were evacuated from the standing tower will not be able to retrieve any personal items or pets. They have their lives, but its still sad.
XanaDUer2
(10,664 posts)but imagine if that standing part fell on rescuers. Their safety has to be considered.
Someone may be alive, but it's very unlikely. I hope mental health counselors are helping relatives start to accept this is no longer rescue, but recovery.
Sad all around
oldsoftie
(12,534 posts)Such a shame for everyone
when I see how flat the pile is, I fear bodies are between the slabs.
Chainfire
(17,536 posts)people who are trying to recover dead bodies. Where is may be imperative to work with the damaged building looming over you for a rescue mission, that risk doesn't need to be taken for the recovery of bodies. The demolition should speed up the process and help families to closure sooner. I suspect that starting tomorrow we will see much more aggressive methods of moving the debris from the original collapse. It is time.
bucolic_frolic
(43,158 posts)Politicub
(12,165 posts)didnt have time to grab much of anything, including pets. Its so sad.
No one is being allowed in to retrieve anything because its so unsafe.
NH Ethylene
(30,811 posts)And not being able to get them.
Scruffy1
(3,256 posts)Going into an unsafe structure and drilling the holes, setting the explosives and wiring the whole thing up is some hairy stuff. I've done
dynamiting, but never with a million pounds ready to come down on my head.