THE PEOPLE HERE TELL ME THEY
ARE ACUTELY AWARE OF THE
GROWING NUMBER OF CASES IN THE
COUNTY AND STATEWIDE, AND THEY
ARE NOT TAKING CHANCES.
>> WE WILL GO BACK TO THAT
STORY IN A MOMENT BUT WE DO
BREAKING NEWS WITH MAYOR LEVINE
CAVA AND WE WILL LISTEN.
>> THIS IS THE SITE OF AN
WOULD BECOME THE LARGEST NON-
HURRICANE RELATED EMERGENCY
RESPONSE IN THE HISTORY OF OUR
STATE.
IN THE 33 DAYS SINCE, FIRST
RESPONDERS FROM ACROSS MIAMI-
DADE, THE STATE, THE COUNTRY,
IN THE WORLD HAVE WORKED
TIRELESSLY TO RECOVER VICTIMS
FROM THE COLLAPSE AND TO BRING
CLOSURE TO THE FAMILIES AND
LOVED ONES.
THIS IS OF THE ONES WE LOST.
TODAY, I CAN REPORT THAT
BECAUSE OF THE SUSTAINED HEROIC
EFFORTS, THE LAST REMAINING
MISSING PERSON HAS NOW BEEN
ACCOUNTED FOR AND IDENTIFIED
AND THE FAMILY NOTIFIED.
98 VICTIMS HAVE NOW BEEN
IDENTIFIED INCLUDING 97 VICTIMS
WHO WERE RECOVERED FROM THE
COLLAPSE AND ONE PERSON WHO
PASSED AWAY IN THE HOSPITAL.
98 FAMILIES HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED.
ALL 97 PEOPLE FOR WHOM WE HAVE
MISSING PERSONS REPORTS HAVE
BEEN RECOVERED AND A TOTAL OF
242 PEOPLE ARE ACCOUNTED FOR.
ALTHOUGH WE HAVE IDENTIFIED ALL
OF THE VICTIMS THAT WERE
REPORTED MISSING, THE MIAMI-
DADE POLICE DEPARTMENT
CONTINUES THE ONGOING SEARCH
AND RECOVERY EFFORT ON THE
EVIDENTIARY PILE TO ENSURE THAT
ALL IDENTIFIABLE HUMAN REMAINS
ARE RECOVERED.
NOTHING WE CAN SAY OR DO WILL
BRING BACK THESE 98 ANGELS WHO
LEFT BEHIND GRIEVING FAMILIES,
BELOVED FRIENDS, LOVED ONES
ACROSS THIS COMMUNITY AND
ACROSS THE WORLD.
BUT WE HAVE DONE EVERYTHING
POSSIBLE TO BRING CLOSURE TO
THE FAMILIES, AND I AM
ESPECIALLY PROUD THAT THROUGH
THESE TIRELESS EFFORTS, WE WERE
ABLE AT LAST TO BRING CLOSURE
TO ALL OF THOSE WHO REPORTED
MISSING LOVED ONES.
OUR COMMUNITY AND THE WORLD ARE
DEEPLY GRATEFUL TO THE FIRST
RESPONDERS, ESPECIALLY THE MEN
AND WOMEN OF THE MIAMI-DADE
FIRE RESCUE DEPARTMENT, MIAMI-
DADE POLICE DEPARTMENT, AND ALL
THE LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENTS, WHO
WERE AN INTEGRAL PART OF THIS
OPERATION AND ALSO OUR NATIONAL
AND INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS.
FOR THE PAST 33 DAYS, THEY HAVE
SEARCHED THE RUBBLE AS IF THEY
WERE SEARCHING FOR ONE OF THEIR
OWN.
EVEN NOW TEAMS FROM MIAMI-DADE
CONTINUING TO SIFT THROUGH
MILLIONS OF POUNDS OF DEBRIS,
CAREFULLY AND METICULOUSLY
SEARCHING FOR REMAINS AND ANY
PERSONAL ITEMS THAT WILL HELP
BRING CLOSURE TO THE FAMILIES.
I ALSO WANT TO THANK THE
INCREDIBLE LEADERSHIP THAT HAS
HELPED DRIVE THIS OPERATION
SINCE THE BEGINNING AND MIAMI-
DADE FIRE RESCUE DIRECTOR ALAN
KAMINSKI AND ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
AND THE MIAMI-DADE POLICE
DIRECTOR FREDDIE RAMIREZ.
THE CHIEF PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICER
JD PATTERSON AND EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT DIRECTOR AND
DIVISION DIRECTOR.
AND ALSO THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY,
THE COUNTY, THE STATE, AND
FEDERAL LEADERS WHO STOOD WITH
US FROM THE VERY BEGINNING.
THIS TRAGEDY AT SURFSIDE WILL
BE SOMETHING THAT LIVES WITH
ALL OF US FOREVER, AND THE
TRAGEDY THAT BEFELL ONE SMALL
CLOSE KNIT COMMUNITY BUT THAT
WAS KNIT TOGETHER BY ALL OF US
SO MANY LIVES AND IT OFFERS A
POWERFUL AND LASTING REMINDER
OF HOW DEEPLY CONNECTED WE
TRULY ARE.
AND THIS IS IN THE BEST OF
TIMES AND THE WORST OF TIMES.
IT IS ALSO MY HOPE THAT THROUGH
THIS TRAGEDY THE BONDS WE HAVE
BUILT WILL GROW STRONGER JUST
AS THE STORIES OF ALL OF THOSE
WHOSE LIVES WERE TAKEN TOO SOON
WILL NEVER BE FORGOT
THROUGH THIS DISASTER, THIS
COMMUNITY SHOW THE WORLD WHO WE
ARE AND WE SHOWED THROUGH THE
COUNTLESS PRIVATE BUSINESSES
THAT SPRING INTO ACTION TO
DONATE MEALS AND MORE WEEK
AFTER WEEK AND THROUGH THE
ACTIONS OF YOUNG CHILDREN WHO
BROUGHT FOOD AND CARDS OF
THANKS TO THE FIRST RESPONDERS,
AND ESPECIALLY THROUGH THE
CEASELESS EFFORTS OF THOSE
FIRST RESPONDERS AND EVERY
PUBLIC SERVANT WHO STEPPED UP
TO SUPPORT THE FAMILIES THAT
WERE IMPACTED WITH GREAT CARE
AND COMPASSION.
WE SAW AND OVERWHELMING
OUTPOURING OF GENEROSITY AND
LOVE FROM PEOPLE AROUND THE
WORLD WHO SHARED THEIR TIME AND
TREASURE AND PRAYERS WITH US
FOR THIS LAST MONTH AND WE HAVE
SEEN THE VERY BEST OF OUR
COLLECTIVE HUMANITY IN THE
WORST OF TIMES.
SO PLEASE, ONCE AGAIN, JOIN ME
IN PRAYING FOR ALL OF THE
FAMILIES MORNING LOVED ONES AND
AND TOGETHER I PRAY WE CAN
BEGIN THE LONG PROCESS OF
HEALING AND BEGIN TO FIND LIGHT
IN THE DARKNESS.
GOD BLESS.
>> THAT WAS MAYOR LEVINE CAVA
GIVING US THE LATEST UPDATE ON
THE SURFSIDE BUILDING COLLAPSE.
REMAINING MISSING PERSON HAS
BEEN IDENTIFIED AND THAT
PERSON'S FAMILY HAS BEEN
NOTIFIED BRINGING US TO A TOTAL
OF 98 VICTIMS AND 97 RECOVERED
FROM THE RUBBLE AND ONE DIED AT
THE HOSPITAL AFTER 33 DAYS OF
SEARCH AND RESCUE AND THEN
SEARCH AND RECOVERY AT THE SITE
IN SURFSIDE.
SHE SAID IN THIS MONTH WE HAVE
SEEN THE BEST OF HUMANITY IN
THE WORST OF TIMES.