The Florida disaster collapsed on Sunday before it was stormed, with Reuters set to resume

By Francisco Alvarado

SURFSIDE, Florida (Reuters) – Partially dropped weight in Miami, 24 people will be confirmed dead on Sunday night before tropical storm Elsa arrives, authorities said.

The search and rescue of 121 missing people has been suspended.

“The demolition will take place tonight from 22:00 to 3:00 (0200-0700 GMT),” Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine told reporters on Sunday.

After the building disappeared, he said rescue efforts would be resumed, and said 11 days had passed since the collapse.

As of Sunday afternoon, tropical storm Elsa was on the Cuban coast with winds of 60 kilometers per hour (95 km / h). After crossing Cuba on Sunday and Monday, the storm was expected to approach western Florida on Tuesday or Wednesday.

In the rubble of the Champlain Towers South complex in Surfside, workers were digging in columns where small loads of explosives would be placed to remove the remains of the building in a small area, officials said.

Residents in nearby buildings do not need to be evacuated, but they would have to stop inside and turn off the air because of the dust, the mayor said.

Instead of the usual fireworks and flag-waving festivities, the surrounding beach communities have organized more modest events for July 4th. Miami Beach canceled Independence Day celebrations.

Investigators have not determined what caused the 40-year-old complex to collapse on June 24. A 2018 engineering report found structural deficiencies that are the focus of the consultations that included the jury’s review.

All residents of another building, Crestview Towers in North Miami Beach, were told on Friday that engineers had to find serious concrete and electrical problems and leave immediately, officials said.

With the move deemed urgent by Elsa’s approach, North Miami Beach city manager Arthur Sorey said the building’s owners had not yet begun the process of building a new mandatory safety certification after 40 years of construction.

“It’s definitely not an easy decision,” Sorey said. “It’s the right thing to do right now. We don’t know what will happen to the storm.”