Text by Hollie Silverman, Melissa Alonso and Dakin Andone
Search and rescue operations at the site of a partial building collapse in Surfside, Florida, remained paused Sunday as authorities prepare for the likely demolition of what's left of the Champlain Towers South condo building.
"As soon as the preparation is ready, the site is secured and the team is ready to go, we will begin the demolition," Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said in a news conference Sunday morning. She said the "top priority is that the building come down as soon as possible ... and as safely as possible."
Search efforts paused Saturday around 4 p.m. so engineers could secure the site and prepare for the demolition, which officials have said is crucial to allowing authorities to continue to look for survivors safely, eliminating the threat posed by the part of the structure that's still standing.
The demolition team continued preparations Sunday morning, racing against Tropical Storm Elsa, which is tracking toward South Florida with heavy rain and sustained winds of 60 mph.
Officials did not provide a timeline for the demolition in a news conference Sunday morning -- the 11th day since approximately 55 of the building's 136 units collapsed early June 24, killing at least 24 people. As of Sunday, 121 people were still unaccounted for.
Those who died include 4- and 10-year-old sisters, an elderly couple and the daughter of a firefighter.
Nicole Mejias told CNN on Saturday that five of her family members were in the Champlain Towers South building when it collapsed, including 7-year-old Stella Cattarossi, the daughter of the Miami firefighter. Cattarossi's body was found Thursday night.
"We just miss them so much already, we wish this tragedy didn't happen, and will always remember them," Mejias said.
Appearing on Sunday's "Face the Nation" on CBS, Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett underscored that authorities are still working with the mindset that this remains a rescue effort.
"It is absolutely not a recovery effort," Burkett said, later adding, "There is nobody in charge really talking about stopping this rescue effort. And this rescue effort, as far as I'm concerned, will go on until everybody is pulled out of that debris."
Demolition plans and a race against the storm
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for 15 counties Saturday -- including Miami-Dade County -- because of Tropical Storm Elsa.
"We're preparing for the risk of isolated tornadoes, storm surge, heavy rainfall and flash flooding," DeSantis said, adding the state has "begun executing contingency plans for the Tropical Storm Elsa and Surfside co-response."
A tropical storm warning has been issued for the Florida Keys and a tropical storm watch is in effect for parts of southwest Florida.
Elsa was a Category 1 hurricane Friday and early Saturday, but weakened to a tropical storm as it took aim at the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Forecasters say the storm's center will not directly impact Surfside, though the city could be affected by its outer bands, with wind gusts and rain starting in the area as early as Monday morning.
The potential for weather-related issues at the collapse site is influencing authorities' decisions on the ground. "We're still very hopeful that we can do the demolition before the storm," Levine Cava said Saturday night. "We are proceeding as quickly as we possibly can."
Plans to demolish the remaining portion of the building were announced late in the week as rescuers continued to scour the debris for victims.
Search and rescue operations were briefly suspended Thursday after engineers noted shifting on the debris pile that posed a danger to the rescue crews, officials said. After operations resumed later that day, authorities confirmed a demolition would likely be necessary to keep rescue crews and the collapse site safe for further searches.
Sunday, the condominium board for Champlain Towers East, a sister building of Champlain To...