Surfside: President Joe Biden on Thursday offers convenience to sinking and federal support for sustainable efforts to look for lost and rebuilt after the collapse last week from a Florida coastline.
Biden, responding to what appeared to be the deadliest disaster from his presidency, was to survey destruction and meet with the first respondent to hunt for survivors between debris in Surfside.
But underlining the dangers that were still present in the search, the work was stopped before Biden arrived because of concerns about the stability of the part still standing.
Biden and his wife Jill arrived in Florida a week after the collapse of the 12th floor of the South Beachfront Condominium tower killed at least 18 people and left 145 missing.
Hundreds of first respondents and search and rescue personnel have struggled to find pancaged debris for potential life signs.
No one was saved since the first hour after collapsing.
“It lives and dies,” Biden said about the direction of the collapse.
“We can do it, only simple actions everyone who does what needs to be done, makes a difference.” The President said he believed the federal government had “strength to take 100% of the cost of” search and cleaning and urgent local officials to switch to Washington for assistance.
“You all know it, because many of you have passed too,” said Biden.
“There will be a lot of pain and anxiety and suffering and even the need for psychological assistance in the days and months that follow.
So, we won’t go anywhere.” Biden was briefed about the situation with Florida GOV.
Ron Desantis and Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava.
The Mayor salts respect to the effort to cross the party lane in the time “a great disaster that has never happened before” and added that the integrated government and community response “is what gives us hope.” Desantis, a Presidential Candidate of the Republic of 2024 who reportedly, told Biden that “cooperation has become great,” said that the government had “not only supported at the federal level, but we did not have bureaucracy.” As Biden promised federal assistance, he touched his desantis hand to underline the point.
Then, the President is expected to meet with the first respondent who has worked all the time at rescue efforts that have stretched into the second week in the middle of heat and frequently oppressive humidity and summer storms.
He was also expected to meet for several hours with family members from those affected by collapse before commenting Thursday afternoon.
White House spokesman Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden aims to “offer comfort and show unity” with his visit to the site.
Some public figures were strongly connected to sadness as Biden, who lost their first wife and baby girl in a car collision and then a adult son for brain cancer.
In the first months of his tenure, he had drawn empathy to entertain those who had lost loved ones, including more than 600,000 who had died in Pandemic Covid-19.
Biden has received routine updates on collapsing buildings.
He also sent the Fema Deanne Criswell administrator to the area to tour the site earlier this week with Desantis.
The White House stressed that being careful to coordinate with officials in the field to ensure that Biden visits did nothing to divert attention from search and rescue efforts.
“They want us to come today,” Jean-Pierre said.
Biden has supported the investigation into the causes of collapse, and on Wednesday, the National Institute of Standard and Technology, which sent a team of scientists and engineers to the site, launching an investigation.