Tropical Storm Elsa Nears Florida As Crews Prepare To Demolish Remains Of Condo

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Crews are preparing to demolish the rest of the condo building that partially collapsed in Surfside, Fla., as a storm approaches.

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Michael Reaves/Getty Images

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By evening, tropical storm watch was in effect for portions of the Florida Keys. According to Saturday forecasts, the Miami-Dade area was not in the storm’s direct path, but the mayor urged residents to be prepared.

Levine Cava has not given an exact time, but said the rest of the building could be brought down as soon as Sunday.

The mayor had previously said that the demolition could take weeks. But Levine Cava said on Saturday that officials were concerned wind could topple what’s left of the building.

«It is all of our fervent desire that this can be done safely before the storm so that we can direct the demolition, Levine Cava said. «And this demolition would be one that would protect and preserve evidence and allow the maximum search and rescue activity to continue.

Gov. Ron DeSantis also expressed concern over the storm affecting the continued response at the site of the collapse.

«If the building is taken down, this will protect our search and rescue teams because we don’t know when it could fall over and, of course, with these gusts potentially, that would create a really severe hazard, DeSantis said.

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The Associated Press reports that, as a Category 1 hurricane, Elsa blew off roofs, snapped trees and destroyed crops in the eastern Caribbean, where officials closed schools, businesses and airports. It was the first Category 1 storm to hit Barbados in over 60 years.

With Elsa weakened for now, heavy rains are expected to move across southern Haiti and Jamaica until at least Sunday, bringing possible flash flooding and mudslides. The rain will then hit the Cayman Islands and Cuba starting on Sunday, with mudslides and flooding likely in Cuba.