Surfside Building Collapse

President Biden met with Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and pledged more help with the Surfside condo disaster. DeSantis said the federal-state coordination has gone well.

Florida has created a new website that pools together federal, state and community efforts to help victims, families and first responders affected by the Surfside collapse, amid warnings of GoFundMe scams.

Officials leading the search and rescue operation said Thursday that several possible risks of collapse were observed overnight at the site.

As recently as last month, Surfside, Fla., officials were ordering changes at Champlain Towers South. But the demands never focused on the building's fundamental soundness.

It has now been nearly a week since rescue crews last pulled anyone alive from the rubble, but officials in Florida reiterated Wednesday they were not giving up hope.

It's been nearly a week since part of the building in Surfside, Fla., collapsed. "We still remain hopeful because that's who we are," says Leon Roy Hausmann, a representative of one rescue group.

Latin Americans are major buyers of South Florida condominiums and many feared lost in Surfside are from that region. Realtors and experts say it likely won't affect future interest.

Thunder and lightning storms interfere with searchers as they claw through debris in search of survivors. State officials say an extra federal team would help them deal with inclement weather.

About a block from the Surfside beachfront condominium tower that collapsed sits its sister building. It was erected a year later by the same company, using the same materials and a similar design.

Law enforcement in Surfside, Fla., is using DNA samples from family members to help identify the victims recovered from the rubble. "It's very emotional," police official Alfredo Ramirez III says.

"The concrete deterioration is accelerating," the Champlain Towers South's condo board president wrote as she asked for a $15 million special assessment for major structural repairs.

The Biden administration has provided assistance to rescue efforts through FEMA and the Army Corps of Engineers.