TO THOSE WHO LOST LOVED ONE AND
PRAYERS FOR THOSE WHO HES IN
HEALING.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH.
>>> JOINING US NOW IS THE MAYOR
OF SURFSIDE FLORIDA, MR. MAYOR,
GOOD MORNING TO YOU.
>> GOOD MORNING.
>> THIS IS JUST UNFATHOMABLE,
THE IMAGES WERE SEEING IN YOUR
COMMUNITY.
CAN YOU GIVE US ANY LATEST
INFORMATION ON THE NUMBER OF
INJURIES, ANY FATALITIES THAT
MAY HAVE BEEN, HAPPENED HERE
THIS MORNING?
>> YES.
MY POLICE CHIEF HAS TOLD ME THAT
WE TRANSPORTED TWO PEOPLE TO THE
HOSPITAL THIS MORNING AT LEAST,
AND ONE HAS DIED.
WE TREATED TEN PEOPLE ON THE
SITE, AND WE HAVE 15 FAMILY
UNITS UP IN OUR COMMUNITY
CENTER, WHICH WERE GOING TO BE
RELOCATING INTO HOTELS SHORTLY.
>> AND WHATS THE STATUS OF THE
RESCUE OPERATION?
WE SAW A MASSIVE RESPONSE BY THE
FIRE DEPARTMENT THERE LOOKING
FOR PEOPLE, LOOKING FOR
SURVIVORS.
IS THAT ONGOING?
>> IT IS.
IT WAS -- IT WAS ONGOING IN THE
MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT.
WE WERE HERE, I THINK IT WAS A
LITTLE AFTER 2:00, AND THE DOGS
CAME IN.
DOGS HAVE BEEN GOING OVER THE
DEBRIS, AND JUST TRAGICALLY,
THERE HASNT BEEN ANY HITS FOR
THE DOGS AND THATS A GREAT
DISAPPOINTMENT.
APPARENTLY, WHEN THE BUILDING
CAME DOWN IT PANCAKED.
SO THERES JUST NOT A LOT OF
VOIDS THAT THEYRE FINDING OR
SEEING FROM THE OUTSIDE, WHICH,
AGAIN, IS, THATS A TRAGEDY.
THEY DIDNT -- YOU
A LITTLE CONCERNING TO GO INSIDE
THE BUILDING IN THE MIDDLE OF
THE NIGHT, BUT THE MIAMI-DADE
FIRE DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN
AWESOME.
THEYVE GOTTEN IN THERE AND
THEYRE IN THERE RISKING THEIR
LIVES.
WE DONT KNOW IF THE REST OF
THAT BUILDINGS GOING TO COME
DOWN.
JUST LIKE THE TRADE CENTER
THING.
THEY RAN RIGHT INTO ITTING
LOOKING FOR PEOPLE.
I THINK THEY DID FIND A
GENTLEMAN IN THERE AND BROUGHT
HIM OUT, WHICH WAS AMAZING.
SO RIGHT NOW WERE KIND OF
WAITING FOR THE SUN TO COME UP
SO WE CAN START DOING WHATEVER
WE CAN DO TO SEE IF THERES
ANYBODY ELSE WE CAN SAVE.
>> MAYOR, YOU BROUGHT UP
SOMETHING REALLY IMPORTANT.
YOURE WONDERING HOW SOUND THE
REST OF THE BUILDING IS.
WE SAW PEOPLE BEING PLUCKED FROM
THEIR BALCONIES.
I GUESS MY QUESTION IS WAS THE
BUILDING AT FULL CAPACITY?
WERE ALL OF THE 130-PLUS UNITS
OCCUPIED?
>> THE BUILDING MANAGER, WEVE
SPOKEN TO THE BUILDING MANAGER,
AND THERE WERE, THE BUILDING WAS
NOT -- IT WAS NOT LOWLY
OCCUPIED.
I THINK THERE WERE QUITE A FEW
PEOPLE IN THERE.
SO THATS ANOTHER TERRIBLE
THING, BUT, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, I
THINK -- APPARENTLY THE, THE
DESTRUCTION THAT HAPPENED AT THE
BACK OF THE BUILDING DIDNT SORT
OF FLOW INTO THE FRONT OF THE
BUILDING AND ALLOWED PEOPLE TO
WAKE UP AND MAKE THEIR WAY DOWN
THE STAIRS AND OUT OF THE
BUILDING.
WERE THANKFUL FOR THAT.
>> MR. MAYOR, WERE LOOKING AT
THE IMAGES.
THEY REALLY ARE DEVASTATING, BUT
WHAT HAPPENED?
I NOI THEKNOW THE BUILDING WAS B
YEARS AGO.
DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT MAY
HAVE CAUSED THIS?
HAVE RESIDENTS GIVEN YOU ANY
INDICATION?
>> ROOF WORK WAS GOING ON.
SO WE KNOW THAT -- THAT THAT WAS
HAPPENING, BUT YOU WOULD NEVER
EXPECT THAT TO BE THE ISSUE.
I THINK THAT THIS IS A
CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF THAT
BUILDING, AND WE NEED TO TRY TO
UNDERSTAND WHAT HAPPENED.
AND WE JUST -- YOU KNOW, ITS
VERY EARLY RIGHT NOW.
SO ITS VERY DIFFICULT FOR US TO
IMAGINE WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED
BUT OBVIOUSLY THE FOUNDATION
SOMEHOW WAS UNDERMINED AND THE
WHOLE THING CAME DOWN.
I MEAN IT LOOKS LIKE A BOMB WENT
OFF, BUT WERE PRETTY SURE A
BOMB DIDNT GO OFF.
SO ITS SOMETHING ELSE.
>> WOW.
ALL RIGHT.
WE WISH YOU THE BEST OF LUCK AND