Скачать или смотреть Surfside local reacts to condo demolition plan

(3 Jul 2021) Demolition workers will bring down the remainder of a partially collapsed condo building in South Florida ahead of an approaching storm that has heightened concerns that the structure could crumble dangerously on its own, officials said Saturday.
With Tropical Storm Elsa looming in the Caribbean and forecast to move toward the state in the coming days, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the building in Surfside is structurally unsound, and demolishing it is the prudent thing to do.
Stephen Sanderson lives in Surfside with his wife and two sons and said his family had been near the condo just days before it fell.
Sanderson said he is glad officials are moving forward with the demolition at an accelerated pace.
"I think it's a good example of there's too much government bureaucracy that's intrinsic within our system anyway, especially in emergency situations," Sanderson said. "It shouldn't be weeks to do something. You've got to cut red tape right away. And it shouldn't have taken the storm because we have our rescue workers there and it was shifting."
Concerns had already been mounting over the past week that the damaged structure was at risk of failure, endangering the crews below and complicating the search.
The long-term forecast track for Elsa shows it heading toward Florida as a tropical storm by Tuesday morning with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph, though some models would carry it into the Gulf or up the Atlantic Coast. Weather officials warned that it could bring heavy rain and gusty winds to the Miami area.
"Well, Mother Nature is going to come in and do it without us,"  Sanderson said. "And that would be a disaster because now you have no control on where it goes and you have damage to -- further damage to property, further damage to the town, and most importantly, taking more lives."
The demolition would temporarily suspend the search, but officials hope not for long. Some families had asked to be able to return to the building to retrieve personal belongings, but they will not be allowed to do so.
"It's been confusing and it's really heartbreaking for the families involved emotionally," Sanderson said. "You know, they're told one thing one day and then another thing the other day. And it's tough. But this is a tough process and it's devastating for everybody."
The confirmed death toll from the collapsed 12-story Champlain Towers South, meanwhile, rose to 24 with the discovery of two more bodies in the rubble, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said. There were 121 people still unaccounted for Saturday afternoon.

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