Officials overseeing the search and rescue efforts at the Champlain Tower in Surfside are keeping a close eye on the tropical storm that formed earlier today. They are now making plans in case the site needs to be evacuated.
Hurricane forecasters say the storm located east of the Windward Islands is expected to speed up. It’s still not clear what track it will follow. Officials told WLRN they are now calculating how much time they’d need if they have to evacuate.
The plans have been complicated by the instability of the rubble pile that caused rescuers to pause their work.
“I couldn’t pinpoint it to one specific incident just last night, as we’re actively producing our search and rescue efforts, our monitors went off, where we’re monitoring the cracks.”
Alan Comisky is the Miami-Dade County Fire Chief.
“We had three that signal there there was some expansion or whatever with those cracks. So immediately were moved as was as it was shifting, as I mentioned, with that column, six to 12 inches.”
An official says the threat posed by the rubble pile and the remaining structure would likely lead to the evacuation of surrounding buildings. Rescue workers staying in tents would be moved to a safer location. Command trailers that were set up a safe distance from the site may also need to be moved.
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