Mayor of Miami cries for support for the victims of the collapse: death toll rises to 46 2:13
(CNN) -
With long hours, bad weather, imminent danger and even a loss within their own community, first responders have continually returned to the site of the building collapse in Miami, Florida.
As of Tuesday afternoon, there were about 200 search and rescue personnel at the scene.
Almost two weeks after the collapse of the Champlain Towers South condominium building, which created a six-foot pile of concrete, rescue teams used heavy machinery only when they were convinced it was safe.
Each piece of rubble was methodically analyzed.
Rescue efforts have seen only brief interruptions: a break for the demolition of the remaining structure and two hours due to a thunderstorm, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava told reporters on Tuesday.
Otherwise, Florida Fire Chief and Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis said Thursday that "operations never stop at the scene."
Rescue crews are working 12 hours a day at the Surfside condo site.
Crew members work 12-hour shifts, with many not going home at the end of the day, instead sleeping in tents to stay focused on rescuing people, the crew chief said last week, Scott Dean.
In those shifts, they have withstood winds of up to 48 km / h as Tropical Storm Elsa approached the state, intense heat and the threat of another landslide before the rest of the structure was demolished.
Unless winds reach 72 km / h, crews in Miami will continue to search the rubble of the collapse amid severe weather.
Although no major injuries have been reported among first responders, several have suffered dehydration, said Miami Dade County Fire Chief Alan Cominsky.
There have also been several cases of covid-19 among search and rescue operations in Surfside.
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And even for teams that have prepared to respond to the worst case scenario, there is no training of any kind that can ease the emotional burden of working through devastation.
Collapsed building in Miami: who are the victims identified so far?
Ahead of President Joe Biden's visit last week, Patronis said he planned to ask the "best mental health experts in the country" to help treat post-traumatic stress disorder among response teams.
They have been working in conditions that more closely resemble a war zone than a normal search and rescue mission, Patronis said.
Grieving for those lost in the landslide has become a part of the effort, said Capt. Ignatius Carroll, a public official with Florida Special Group 2.
When a body is found, there is a pause and a moment of respect is paid.
Rescuers search for victims in a collapsed condo building in Miami, Florida.
And as difficult as it may be to think that someone has lost a brother, sister, parent or child, teams remain motivated to continue to aggressively search for survivors, authorities said.
"It's hard not to put yourself in that situation, not to put yourself in the position that these families are in," Miami-Dade Fire Captain Eddy Alarcón said last week.
"We started to think about it that way: What would I do? How hard would we work to save our family members if something like this happened?"
For a lifeguard, it did happen.
Stella Cattarossi, the 7-year-old daughter of a Miami firefighter, was found dead in the rubble along with her mother, Graciela Cattarossi.
Her father was not among those working on the rescue when she was found Thursday night, Cominsky said.
Corpse of a firefighter's daughter found 3:13
"We were able to give the father the opportunity to say goodbye and we gave him peace of mind, as well as the family," Carroll said.
"That's the goal we have with everyone out there in the pile trying to do their best in the search effort: reunite families with their loved ones."
CNN's Natasha Chen, Rosa Flores, Gregory Lemos, Amanda Watts, Claudia Domínguez, Melissa Alonso contributed to this report.
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