The Florida building collapsed as the storm approached to demolish the Weather News

Two other bodies were unearthed from the rubble of a 12-story apartment building near Miami, which partially collapsed last month.

The remains of a 12-story building in South Florida that partially collapsed in the middle of last month will be dumped on Sunday, local officials said, as an incoming storm threatens to dump the structure.

Two other bodies were unearthed Saturday from the wreckage of Champlain Towers South in Surfside, near Miami, bringing the officer death toll to 24. Search and rescue operations have continued as 124 people have yet to be found after the tower collapsed.

Miami-Dade Fire Chief Alan Cominsky told reporters that demolition of what stood in the towers needed to be done first. Elsa tropical storm is scheduled to arrive in South Florida on Monday.

“We wouldn’t control where it lands,” he said.

Elsa fell on Saturday from a Category 1 hurricane to a tropical storm with a maximum sustained wind of 110 kmph (70 mph) as it passed through the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

The runway of long-term forecasts showed it was heading for Florida as a tropical storm by Tuesday morning, although some models would take it to the Gulf or the Atlantic coast. Weather officials warned that it could bring heavy rain and high winds to the Miami area.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the Surfside building is “shaken” and “structurally unsuitable” and that it is prudent to demolish it.

“If the building is demolished, that will protect search and rescue teams because we don’t know when it could fall,” DeSantis said at a news conference. “And, of course, with these waves, that would pose a serious risk.”

Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava signed an order to demolish the building immediately and officials said it could happen as soon as Sunday.

“Our passionate desire is to do that before the storm,” Levine Cava said. “Yes, we are concerned that tropical storms may affect the stability of the building by strong winds.”

Firefighters said the building would be removed in a controlled manner using explosive charges, not a crash ball or other methods. Contractors were inspecting the site on Saturday to come up with a plan, officials said.

It’s still unclear what caused the building to collapse last month, though researchers have found evidence water damage and structural corrosion so severe that the building ownership association estimated it would cost $ 15 million to repair.

The president of the Champlain Towers South condo association told residents in April that buildings were needed to solve structural problems, the Wall Street Journal reported this week.

A 2018 report released after the building collapsed also showed that he was an engineer has found evidence of significant structural damage under the pool cover and in the “damaged concrete” underground parking lot.

Engineer Frank Morabito warned that the waterproofing placed under the pool cover had failed due to a major design flaw.