Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava told reporters Friday morning that 159 people are still unaccounted for, and there are 4 confirmed deaths in the Surfside building collapse.
The building collapse is said to have occurred at around 2:00 am Thursday morning.
On Friday, President Biden approved a FEMA Emergency Declaration For Florida.
FEMA announced federal emergency aid has been made available to the state of Florida to supplement state and local recovery efforts to the emergency conditions resulting from the Surfside Building Collapse beginning on June 24, 2021 and continuing.
The president’s action authorizes FEMA to coordinate all disaster relief efforts, which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, authorized under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety and to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in Miami-Dade County.
Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment, and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency. The Individuals and Households Program under the Stafford Act and assistance for debris removal and emergency protective measures, including direct federal assistance, will be provided.
Governor DeSantis hosted a press conference on the site Thursday to provide an update about the disaster and ongoing state response efforts.
“They are in search and rescue mode, they are trying to identify survivors. I know they have made contact with some and they are they’re doing everything they can to save lives and that is ongoing and they’re not going to rest,” said DeSantis.
We will update this story as details are released.
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