Shocking eighth day in Miami: Biden visits the zone 2:51
(CNN) -
With days of tireless efforts behind them, search and rescue teams face additional challenges with a storm on the horizon and the threat that the rest of the condo building in Surfside, Florida, will also collapse.
Rescuers have been combing up to 5 meters of concrete since part of Champlain Towers South collapsed early last Thursday.
So far, 18 people have been confirmed dead and the whereabouts of 145 are still unknown.
But concerns about the integrity of the parts of the building that are still standing could add another level of difficulty to painstaking recovery efforts.
A Florida woman saw a crack forming in her condo and told herself, "You have to run for your life."
Work was halted for much of Thursday as engineers assessed the structure that was still standing.
Access to the collapse zone was later restricted due to safety concerns, but engineers are conducting tests to expand the search to more areas as it is safe to do so, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said Thursday. in the evening.
"Our firefighters seemed very, very excited to get back there," she said, adding, "I am grateful for their hard work that allowed us to get back to work in search and rescue."
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Officials estimated that it could be weeks before the rest of the building is demolished.
However, state Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis said the demolition "could be sooner than we anticipated" due to the heavier equipment needed and potential complications from the weight holding the sections still in place.
The decision to demolish a building in Miami would depend on this 0:42
"The timing is yet to be determined, but to complete what is needed, to finish the mission, the building will have to go," he said.
"It's too risky."
Another hurdle is that Surfside is in the extended forecast cone for Tropical Storm Elsa.
Division Director of the Office of Emergency Management Charles Cirillo said the county faces the risk of heavy rain and high winds from Elsa from Sunday night to Monday morning.
Other buildings to evaluate
Teams working through the rubble have yet to find a single possible trigger for the collapse.
And while investigators investigate what caused the devastation, city officials are working to prevent damage elsewhere.
Federal agency to investigate the collapse of a building in Miami
The city of Surfside has requested that all buildings older than 30 years and more than three stories high begin examining their structures before the 40-year building recertification program, indicates a letter sent Thursday to homeowners.
Buildings will need to hire a registered structural engineer to perform a construction analysis and are also required to hire a registered geotechnical engineer "to perform an analysis of the underground foundations and soils."
Repairs at Champlain Towers South as part of the 40-year recertification process had just begun when the collapse occurred.
There have been some reports of wear and tear on the building in the years leading up to the collapse, and some officials and residents have accused managers of not having done enough to prevent the incident.
Search for people resumed in Miami building 2:21
A lawsuit against the Champlain Towers South condominium association alleges that Morabito Consultants, who conducted a structural analysis of the building in 2018, did not do enough to keep occupants safe by failing to examine the building's basement foundations.
The lawsuit was filed by attorneys for Harold Rosenberg's family, whose whereabouts are unknown.
Additionally, it alleges that after the 2018 report was completed, the condo association and Morabito Consultants should have submitted a written report to the City of Surfside certifying that the condo was structurally safe.
"The Morabito report did not certify that the building 'is structurally and electrically safe ... for continuous occupancy,'" the suit says.
Another lawsuit filed against apartment association after Miami's deadly collapse
"Instead, in an apparent attempt to eliminate his flaws in the wake of this tragedy, defendant Morabito filed this report ... approximately 16 hours after the Champlain Towers South building collapse," the lawsuit states, referring to a document filed with the city. from Surfside on June 24.
The report was conducted by engineer Frank Morabito for the building's condo association as part of Champlain Towers South's 40-year recertification effort.
In a statement to CNN, a spokesperson for Morabito Consultants said: “While we cannot comment on active or pending litigation, the firm's 2018 report for the Champlain Towers South Condominium Association offered detailed findings and recommendations regarding the Extensive and necessary structural repairs to the condo building.
We continue to work closely with investigating authorities to understand why the structure failed and we are praying for the families and loved ones of all who have been affected by this tragic event.
President Biden's emotional visit
On Thursday, US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden met with search and rescue personnel, first responders and some of the families of the 145 people still missing.
Joe Biden: We are here for you, as a nation 1:23
"Unfortunately, I have had many of these circumstances where I have met with families who have had a great loss," the president said after the three-hour meeting.
"And what amazed me about this group of people was their resilience, their absolute commitment, their willingness to do whatever was necessary."
He added: "I was impressed by his strength."
These are the challenges that rescuers face in the building that collapsed in Miami
But after the eighth day of searching, he also noticed the devastating understanding in the families.
"The families here are very realistic, they know that the more time passes ..." he said, his voice slurred.
He noted that FEMA staff and local first responders brought all the families of the missing to the site of the collapse for a closer look, describing painful details.
They are all realistic.
Everyone looks and sees those floors - they are literally feet - cement on cement on cement, ”he said.
That does not suggest that efforts should stop, he said.
Steve Rosenthal, whose condo was one unit from where the building collapsed, said Biden's visit to the survivors and families of the missing was "very uplifting."
There must have been 200 people in that room.
And he walked and talked to each person.
And while that person spoke to him, he listened.
And I am not adorning this at all.
If a person talked for six minutes, they would sit there and listen for six minutes, ”she told CNN's Poppy Harlow.
CNN's Theresa Waldrop, Steve Almasy, Hollie Silverman, Camille Furst, Rosa Flores Curt Devine, and CNN's Kristen Holmes contributed to this report.
Miami