There are numerous laser guided measuring devices located in and around the remaining structure of the collapsed condominiums in Surfside, Florida. Overnight those devices detected significant movement in the remaining building as well as large cracks developing in the underground garage area.
As a result rescue and recovery workers were pulled from the building as engineers contemplate how to move forward.
(Herald) […] Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Chief Alan Cominsky confirmed the development during a press briefing on Thursday morning. The agonizing decision, he said, was made just after 2 a.m. Cominsky described the threat of a large concrete column hanging over a subterranean parking area, which has moved six to 12 inches. He added that crews were also alerted to widening cracks and “slight movement” in a concrete slab on the southern side of the building.
High-tech monitors aimed at the tenuous pile of debris were responsible for making rescue workers aware of the dangerous shifts. Moments later, they were forced to lower cranes and pull back crews under the darkness of the early morning. (link)
Before the efforts were suspended the recovery workers had pulled more bodies from the rubble. 18 bodies have now been recovered and 145 people remain missing. These unfortunate developments occur as the installed occupant of the White House arrived to thank first-responders and rescue workers for their efforts.
Biden met with around 50 uniformed first responders in a hotel ballroom. “I just wanted to come down and say thanks,” he said, as his monitor Jill Biden stood closely behind him in case her dementia patient started to lose more marbles. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis told the visiting entourage “We thank you for the support, there’s been no bureaucracy. What we need now is we need a little bit of luck, a little bit of prayer.”
The instability of the rescue site provided serendipitous cover for the DC crowd to avoid going to the horrific site of the building collapse. FEMA personnel, The Red Cross, people with the State of Emergency Response Team, and teams from Israel and Mexico are on-site helping with rescue efforts.
Additionally, Tropical Storm Elsa is anticipated to move close to the South Florida area this weekend and early next week [NHC SITE]. In addition to the instability of the rescue site, the weather has been an ongoing battle.
What I want to know: one news story said that someone escaped from the second floor when the building started shaking and was helped by firefighters. Were rescue people on the scene before the collapse? If so this seems a very relevant fact that nobody is highlighting. It was an afterthought comment in a CNN article, I think. I was astonished when I read it. Has anyone else seen any information about people fleeing before the collapse and aid by first responders?