HERE IN SURFSIDE OR MIAMI AGAIN.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THAT
REPORT.
AND JOINING US NOW THE MAYOR OF
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, DANIELLA
LAVENE CAVA.
DAN
DANIELLA, ILL ASK YOU THE SAME
QUESTION.
WHERE DOES THE STATUS OF THE
HOPE FOR ANY CHANCE OF SURVIVAL
STAND AT THIS POINT?
>> WE ARE STILL IN SEARCH AND
RECOVERY AS YOU KNOW AND THEYRE
WORKING AROUND THE CLOCK, THE
BEST TEAMS IN THE WORLD,
STARTING WITH OUR VERY OWN.
SO THEY STILL HAVE THE
ANTICIPATION THAT THEY MAY BE
ABLE TO FIND SOME PEOPLE.
>> AND WHAT NOW OF THE EFFORTS
TO MAINTAIN THE, I GUESS,
CONFIDENCE IN THE SURROUNDING
BUILDINGS, ESPECIALLY BUILDINGS
THAT MIGHT HAVE SIMILAR DATES OF
CONSTRUCTION OR SIMILAR
CONTRACTORS OR SIMILAR
INSPECTION REPORTS, WHATS THE
PROCESS TO MAKE SURE THE
COMMUNITY IS SAFE?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
WERE ALL SO CONCERNED AND AT
THIS TIME THE BUILDING THAT IS A
SISTER BUILDING JUST TWO
BUILDINGS TO THE NORTH HAS BEEN
INSPECTED INITIALLY BY THE
SURFSIDE BUILDING INSPECTOR WHO
FINDS NOTHING IMMEDIATELY OF
CONCERN BUT THEYRE GOING TO
PURSUE WITH A MORE DETAILED
ENGINEERING STUDY.
THE RESIDENTS THERE HAVE BEEN
OFFERED A VOLUNTARY EVACUATION,
AND AS OF LAST EVENING THERE
WERE TWO, I BELIEVE, WHO HAD
SOUGHT OUTSIDE HOTEL ROOMS.
SO WERE GOING TO DO IN
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY A DEEP LOOK AT
ALL THE BUILDINGS 40 YEARS PLUS.
BUT LETS BE CLEAR HERE, THIS IS
A CITY PROPERTY, OBVIOUSLY ON
THE OCEAN, MIAMI-DADE COUNTY IS
RESPONSIBLE FOR EVERYTHING
OUTSIDE OF THE CITIES, WERE
GOING TO DO OUR PART AND WERE
URGING THE CITIES, LIKE
SURFSIDE, TO DO THEIR PART.
>> SO MAYOR CAVA, WHAT DO YOU
NEED FROM THE STATE GOVERNMENT,
WHAT DO YOU NEED FROM THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT?
HOW CAN THEY ASSIST YOU IN THIS
PROCESS?
ITS OBVIOUSLY JUST TOO LARGE OF
A CHALLENGE FOR ANY TOWN, ANY
CITY TO TAKE CARE OF ITSELF?
>> SO I GOT THE CALL FROM
PRESIDENT BIDEN THE MORNING OF
THIS TRAGEDY OFFERING WHATEVER
HELP I NEEDED.
I SAID PLEASE SEND FEMA AND HE
APPROVED IT THAT DAY.
SO WE ARE MOVING FORWARD WITH
THE FULL FEDERAL AGENCY SUPPORT.
WE ALSO HAVE OUR STATE
DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT ON SITE.
WE HAVE RESCUE WORKERS FROM ALL
OVER THE STATE, ALL OVER THE
WORLD HERE ON SITE SWAPPING OUT
WITH OUR MIAMI-DADE COUNTY
RESCUE FIRST CLASS WORKERS RJ
MADAME MAYOR, ITS JONATHAN
LEMIRE, I WANTED TO ASK YOU IF
YOU COULD WALK US THROUGH THE
TIMETABLE AS TO WHAT TODAY LOOKS
LIKE, THE NEXT COUPLE DAYS LOOK
LIKE, I KNOW YOU SAID THE SEARCH
AND RESCUE OPERATION ARE UNDER
WAY, HOW IS IT DONE WITH PIECES
OF THE RUBBLE BEING REMOVED, I
KNOW IT HAS TO BE DONE CAREFULLY
RISKING COLLAPSE, BUT OBVIOUSLY
THERE ARE PLACES ON THE SITE
THAT CANT BE ACCESSED YET.
CAN YOU WALK US THROUGH WHAT THE
NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS AND DAYS
LOOK LIKE THERE AT THE SITE?
>> 24/7, AROUND THE CLOCK
WORKING PAINSTAKINGLY SIFTING
THROUGH RUBBLE, ENLARGING THE
TRENCH THAT WAS CREATED THAT
GOES THROUGH THE RUBBLE SO THAT
WE CAN ACCESS MORE AREAS OF THE
PILE, CONTINUING WITH THE DOGS,
THE SONAR, THE CAMERAS, CRANES
ON SITE REMOVING DEBRIS BIT BY
BIT.
ITS A PAIN STAKING PROCESS AND
ONE THAT REQUIRES INCREDIBLE
ENDURANCE BY THE MEN AND WOMEN
DOING THE WORK.
AND ALL OF US HERE WAITING AND
WATCHING STILL FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION.
WE BROUGHT THE FAMILIES ON
SITE -- WELL, JUST NORTH OF THE
SITE TO HELP THEM TO UNDERSTAND
THE OPERATION.
AND WHILE EXTREMELY EMOTIONALLY
DRAINING, IT WAS ALSO SO
IMPORTANT FOR THEM TO UNDERSTAND
THE SCOPE, THE SIGNIFICANCE OF
THE EFFORT AND THEY -- THEYRE
GRATEFUL THEY HAD THAT
OPPORTUNITY.
I UNDERSTAND THATS VERY UNUSUAL
IN A TRAGEDY OF THIS SORT TO
BRING THE SURVIVING FAMILY
MEMBERS TO VIEW THE SITE, BUT WE
FELT IT WAS SO VERY IMPORTANT TO
HELP THESE FAMILIES PROCESS
WHATS GOING ON.
>> PROCESS.
MAYOR, IM WONDERING HAD YOU
RECEIVED, HAD YOUR OFFICE
RECEIVED ANY WARNINGS ABOUT
STRUCTURAL DANGERS FOR ANY
BUILDINGS IN THE AREA AT ALL
OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS.
>> ABSOLUTELY NOT.
NO.
>> WHAT WERE --
>> FIRST OF ALL AGAIN THIS WAS
THE CITY PROPERTY SO THE CITY
WAS THE ONE THAT WOULD HAVE
RECEIVED ANY INFORMATION.
OBVIOUSLY WERE LOOKING AT WHAT
WE CAN CHANGE FOR THE FUTURE.
WE WANT TO BE SURE THAT
BUILDINGS ARE INSPECTED
ADEQUATELY, THAT THE INFORMATION
IS HIGHLIGHTED, TIMELY,
APPROPRIATELY, THAT ACTIONS ARE
TAKEN AND WERE GOING TO BE
LOOKING AT THAT AT THE COUNTY
LEVEL, OF COURSE, AND I KNOW AT
THE STATE AND FEDERAL LEVELS AS
WELL.
>> MADAME MAYOR IN THE
DISCUSSIONS AFTER THIS COLLAPSE,
HAVE YOU OR OTHER PEOPLE
EXPRESSED CONCERNS WITH
BUILDINGS BUILT BEFORE HURRICANE
ANDREW AND BEFORE THOSE BUILDING
CODES WERE REALLY TOUGH ERIE, PA
FOR FLORIDA?
>> THIS IS SOMETHING WELL BE
LOOKING AT AND WE HAVE ONE OF
THE TIGHTEST, STRONGEST BUILDING
CODES ANYWHERE BECAUSE OF
HURRICANE ANDREW AND WHAT YOU
LEARNED.
YOU LEARN FROM EVERY INCIDENT
AND THIS IS IM SURE GOING TO BE