President Biden Consoles the Families of the Victims of the Champlain Towers South Condominium that collapsed on June 24, 2021
July 1, 2021
WASHINGTON (AGN.News) — President Joe Biden and First Lady, Dr Jill Biden visits Surfside, Florida to meet with the families of the victims of the Champlain Towers South condo building that collapsed on June 24, 2021.
What happened at Champlain South Towers
On June 24, 2021, at approximately 1:25 a.m. EDT, Champlain Towers South, experienced a sudden partial collapse within 14 seconds.
Champlain South Towers is a 12-story beachfront condominium with a penthouse and an underground garage in Surfside, Florida, a town of 6,000 residents. To date, twenty-two people have been confirmed dead, and 11 injured. Rescue efforts are underway around the clock in an effort to rescue any survivors.
President Joe Biden and First Lady, Dr Jill Biden visited with the families of the victims today. 126 people remain missing as rescue operations continue. 35 people were rescued from the uncollapsed portion of the building.
What happened at Champlain South Towers
Champlain South Towers is located at 8777 Collins Avenue, also called Florida State Road A1A, in the Surfside community just north of Miami Beach, Florida.
Its close proximity to the ocean are leading some structural experts to believe the towers, built in 1981, experienced, over time, long-term degradation of reinforced concrete support structures in the underground garage due to water penetration from the ocean.
Also, corrosion of the reinforcing steel used to build the supports on the bottom or garage level is being considered as a potential factor in, or cause of, the collapse. A report on the structural integrity of the towers showed issues in 2018 and those issues were “much worse” in April 2021.
President Biden has informed the families, state and local authorities of the availability of all federal resources to aid in the rescue and recovery efforts. Some U.S. government personnel are on scene aiding in the recovery effort.
President Biden announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) would provide temporary housing and other urgent needs for those made homeless by the disaster.
“They know that the chances are, as each day goes by, diminished slightly,” the president said Thursday of recovery efforts. At a minimum, “they want to recover the bodies.”
A united front to help fellow Americans
The White House said President Biden spoke to about 200 family members at a Miami Beach hotel. There, he and First Lady Dr Jill Biden went table to table conversing with them in smaller groups. The Bidens were joined by the state’s two U.S. senators, Governor Ron DeSantis and other Florida politicians.
President Joe Biden, a Democrat, commented on the bipartisan support among Florida’s politicians who have responded to the scene. Florida’s governor and both senators all Republicans.
Americans are united as a nation!
“There’s no disagreement, no bickering. Everybody’s on the same team. It’s what America is all about. It’s about pulling together, leaving nobody behind,” Biden said. “There’s no Democrat or Republican out there. They’re just people wanting to do the right thing for their fellow Americans.”
The President and First Lady Dr Jill Biden went to the Memorial to the victims around the corner from the collapsed tower and the First Lady placed a bouquet of white flowers there. The couple paused and held hands.
Unity and cooperation was on full display in the face of this tragedy. The President sat with officials for a briefing, he reached to his right, touched the hand of Governor Ron DeSantis and said, “You know what’s good about this? We’re letting the nation know we can cooperate.”
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