good morning, america.~ collapse investigation. the new documents overnight painting a clearer picture of the overall state of the surfside building. with the race against time, the desperate search to find survivors in the mountain of debris. >> we have hope because that's what our search and rescue team tells us, that they have hope. >> a member of miami-dade fire rescue joins us live. derek chauvin sentenced. a judge ordering the former minneapolis police officer to serve 22 1/2 years behind bars for the murder of george floyd. the emotional statements from floyd's family. >> i miss you, and i love you. >> and chauvin's message to them, his cryptic comments. a member of the prosecution team joins us live.

historic heat wave. the pacific northwest facing life-threatening conditions, records set to be shattered. >> multnomah county has opened these massive cooling centers for anybody that needs to escape the heat. >> "the right stuff" there in portland with the extreme heat forecast. ufo report. the declassified version of a government report to congress on unexplained aerial phenomena. what it shows about those mysterious sightings in the sky. are we closer to learning the truth about them? and bon voyage! the first cruise ship in the u.s. ready to set sail since the pandemic. the different rules for the vaccinated and unvaccinated passengers. what some cruise lovers are saying this morning. hey, good morning, everybody. we begin here with the race against time in surfside, florida. search and rescue crews once again working through the night trying to locate the more than

150 people still unaccounted for after that apartment building collapsed. >> the task force getting help from mexico and israel as they desperately dig for survivors, but first responders are facing dangerous conditions. overnight firefighters battling multiple fires that have popped up in that debris. >> and we have team coverage on the ground there. first, let's go to victor oquendo with the latest on the search and the investigation into how this all happened. victor, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. day three now of the search and rescue efforts here, you can actually take a look at the building there behind me, and they are spraying down the back part of it right now. we have moved to a different location as additional resources continue pouring in. you can see all the heavy machinery in front of the towers now. we're told that's actually a good sign because they wouldn't be bringing in all these resources if they didn't still have some hope of finding survivors, this as we learn more about the building's past. this morning, search and rescue teams are forging ahead desperate to find survivors.

>> full speed ahead on search and rescue, and you ask why do we have hope, we have hope because that's what our search and rescue team tells us, that they have hope. >> reporter: now, new documents released overnight are painting a clearer picture of the overall state of the building. one inspection report filed with the city in 2018 claims that the entrance drive and pool deck of the building had failed waterproofing, which was causing major structural damage to the concrete structural slab below these areas. at the time engineers call this a major error in the building's development. pictures included in the documents show what appears to be cosmetic cracks on balconies, entrances and garage level pillars. these pictures show pieces of concrete broken off. the 2018 document describing repairs made to this area as failing and resulting in additional concrete cracking. however, engineers also filed another document with the city describing the overall concrete framing as being in good condition.

experts say that some types of cracks in stucco and concrete are common in a building this age and don't necessarily cause a collapse. >> there's so many things that could have contributed to the event that any one thing is going to be tough to pin down or eliminate completely from the possibilities. >> reporter: the images difficult to watch. security camera video from the adjacent condo capturing the moment of the collapse. at least four people killed and a staggering 159 still unaccounted for. this is the closest that we've been able to get to the collapsed site. right now that crane, you can see it, it's removing debris from the side of the building, swinging it carefully over the top of that big pile of debris, and then moving it out of the way. this, of course, all happening as rescue operations continue underneath that massive pile. from heavy machinery to sonar to dogs, additional manpower. officials saying crews have every tool at their disposal.

>> they're also using sound detectors. they're not like regular microphones, they're very specific. >> reporter: many asking why the 40-year-old building after year like hurricane-force winds could suddenly collapse. one man telling cnn his mother said she'd heard creaking noises just a day before the collapse. >> she just told me that she had woken up around 3:00, 4:00 in the morning and had heard like some creaking noises, some, you know, just like sort of creaking noises. they were loud enough to wake her up, but that that was it. >> reporter: she is now among the missing. the collapse of the champlain towers south complex creating concern about neighboring structures. >> we need to get this right because it's not only what happens, it's, does this condition exist in any other buildings that need to be addressed now so we don't see another structural collapse? >> reporter: this is a massive effort. you're looking at the camp set

up by florida task force 2. this is an elite squad brought in to help, and they will be right there for the foreseeable future. last night surfside city officials held an emergency meeting and we heard from the man in charge of the city's building department. he said that he was on the roof just 14 hours before the building collapsed, and he said, quote, there was nothing that caught his eye that would make it alarming as to this place collapsing. guys. >> just 14 hours beforehand. that is incredible to contemplate. victor, thank you so much. of course, so many families are anxiously waiting news about their missing loved ones. abc's stephanie ramos is also right there in surfside. she's coverie, good morning to . >> reporter: dan, good morning. families here are not giving up hope. search efforts have been teams, however, working through the night desperately searching again for scores of people unaccounted for. this morning, families and friends are hoping for a miracle. the wait for news is agonizing for bettina obias.

she says her aunt and uncle were likely in their apartment the night it collapsed. >> when i first went through the location of her apartment, i screamed and cried the. >> reporter: bettina calls her aunt her second mom saying both her aunt maria and uncle claudio bonnefoy have lived a full life but she feels for the children who may have also been in the tower. >> when i was walking down here yesterday, a lady was crying, and she says, my brother or uncle arrived last night with his five children. they were there. five children, and so when i felt the grief of having lost my aunt and i saw this, five children, young, gone. >> reporter: ilan naibryf, a 21-year-old undergraduate student at the university of chicago is among the missing. >> he was my protector in every sense. i would like to be hopeful.

i hope to believe in a miracle, but i do not believe that i will be hopeful of finding my son alive. > i mean, he'll remain in my heart forever. >> reporter: rachel spiegel's parents live in the building. her father was away on business. and though there is still no word from her mother, they are not giving up hope they will find her. >> it's hard, but we are still hopeful. >> reporter: linda march lived on the 12th floor. shoshanna, her best friend of 27 years, says the inside of linda's apartment is visible in this photo. >> if you look next to the bunk bed, there is a black chair, an office chair, and she was working from there, and she could look through the window, see the beach and ocean. >> reporter: at least four deaths have been confirmed, including 54-year-old stacy fang whose 15-year-old son jonah was pulled alive from the rubble. overnight, a search and rescue expert encouraging people to stay hopeful saying survivors

can live in the debris for days. >> i have hope, and i want our readers and our audience to have hope as well that, again, 8 days, 12 days, it is possible. >> we're told crews are in the garage looking at license plates trying to figure out exactly who was in the building. we're told those crews are working their way underneath all that rubble. eva. >> stephanie ramos for us there, thank you. and joining us now is firefighter maggie castro of miami-dade rescue. that possibility of survivors no doubt fueling the determination from rescuers we've seen. this is not an easy search and rescue effort, especially with the fires that we have seen popping up. what challenges are your teams facing? >> good morning, eva. as you can imagine, there's multiple challenges that our team is facing at this time. apart from the fires that we would expect in a collapse of

this magnitude, we are dealing with that, we're also dealing with weather at times, but none of those things are going to deter us from making sure that we continue our search and rescue mission. we are working diligently. we work 24 hours a day, and we work very hard to make sure that we can get to all these victims that could still be in this rubble. we're working to make sure that we can try to reunite these people with their families. >> walk us through the process of how this search is being done and what has to be done to search for survivors safely? >> basically what has to happen, it's a very slow and methodical process. as you can imagine, there's tons of debris that has to be carefully inspected before it can be touched. we have engineers on site along with our search and rescue teams. we look through debris. our engineers tell us, okay, this looks like a good path we can take, we need to build shoring, we need to build structures that will keep you safe as you dig through this rubble. the process of removing rubble is also a very tedious process

because things can be leaning up against one another. we remove one piece, we could set off another collapse. so it is a very tedious process. we use our dogs. they can get into spaces we cannot. they're much lighter, they're faster, and they can detect even the slightest movement, and they can use their scent to detect where the possibility of victims is. so once a dog hits on a specific area, we focus our energy in that area by using sonar detection that can detect the slightest little scratch of someone trying to just tap against a piece of metal or piece of concrete, and we will then slowly dig our way through that area to reach any victims that are potentially there, but it is a slow process, but that slow is as fast as we can go to make sure that we can do everything safely for everyone. >> and everyone praying for you guys and all those families this morning. maggie castro, thank you so muc. >> whit? >> we'll have much more out of florida throughout the morning. we do turn to other stories and people across the country are reacting to former police

officer derek chauvin's sentencing in the murder of george floyd. chauvin sentenced to more than 22 years speaking in the courtroom for the first time. abc's zachary kiesch is in minneapolis with the story. zachary, good morning. >> reporter: whit, good morning to you as well. another emotional day here in minnesota. and while the judge said he was not ruling on public opinion or to send a message, given the attention that this case has gotten in minnesota and around the country, in many ways it was unavoidable. >> the court commits you to the custody of the commissioner of corrections for a period of 270 months. >> reporter: after more than a year in the legal justice system, the judge handing down his sentence of 22 1/2 years minus time served after these heartbreaking words from george floyd's daughter gianna. >> do you wish that he was still here with us? >> yeah, but he is. >> through his spirit? >> yes. >> if you could say anything to your daddy right now, what would

it be? >> it would be i miss you and i love you. >> reporter: as derek chauvin received his sentence, a small gathering at what has become known as george floyd square, the scene of the crime here in minneapolis. >> it's a temporary fix, but ck deep and tremendous pain that all the families are feeling, especially the floyd family, you have our sympathies. >> reporter: a mix of grief and exhaustion as the family of george floyd expressed their emptiness one more time. >> i'm here on behalf of my family, me on -- sorry. >> take your time. >> on behalf of me and my family, we seek a maximum penalty. we don't want to see no more slaps on the wrists. >> my family and i have been given a life sentence. we will never be able to get george back. >> reporter: chauvin, a former minneapolis police officer, was

found guilty on three counts. his sentencing hinged on the top charge, second degree unintentional murder. under minnesota law that charge can carry a sentence of up to 40 years. for the first time friday we heard briefly from chauvin who offered condolences to the family. >> briefly i want to give my condolences to the floyd family. there's going to be some other information in the future that would be of interest, and i hope things will give you some peace of mind. >> reporter: and his mother. >> my son is a good man. >> reporter: typically judge cahill would follow the state's sentencing guidelines, which call for only 10 to 15 years for this charge, but in this case cahill found aggravating factors including that chauvin abused his position as an authority figure and that he treated floyd with cruelty, also that there were children present at the scene. >> what we're seeing here is so far from what we've seen from

other law enforcement officers. this is a very big departure. >> the chauvin case is obviously a high water mark for making police accountable, and that's great. but it's just one case. and there's so much work to be done across the land. >> reporter: if chauvin serves his full sentence, he will be 67 years old when he is released. the reaction here in minnesota was certainly mixed, but certainly also subdued. now, those emotional victim impact statements really echoed this realization that no justice, no sentence could take away the hurt and bring back the person that they know affectionately as george, dan. >> zachary kiesch, thank you very much. let's bring in steve schleicher, one of the prosecutors in the chauvin trial. he served as a special assistant attorney general. sir, good morning. after the sentencing, as you know, some of the activists and also some members of the floyd family said they felt 22 1/2 years wasn't enough. do you think the sentence was fair? >> i do.

i think that it was a significant departure from what the typical sentence would be, although i understand the reaction of the activists and particularly the floyd family, because there is no sentence that's going to bring george floyd back, and the enormity of this matter, it almost seems that there's no number that could really capture and reflect the magnitude of the case. but that said, 22 1/2 years is a significant period of time. it's a significant sentence, and it's ten years over what the standard sentence would be. >> he is still facing federal charges, derek chauvin. could that add more to his prison time? >> potentially, yes, it could. i mean, the federal charges are going on, you know, kind of independent of what was happening in the state, and he'll have to face court and consequences there as well. >> there was an interesting

moment, we saw it in zachary kiesch's report there, during the hearing chauvin addressed the floyd family, and he said, and i'm quoting here, there's going to be some other information in the future that would be of interest, and i hope things will give you some peace of mind. do you have any idea what he was referring to there? >> i can't speak to what he was talking about in that moment. i think that it was important that he reflected some condolences to the family, but, you know, beyond that i just can't say. >> as you know, there are more trials coming up for the other officers who were right there and allegedly involved in various ways in the killing of george floyd. so what do you think the verdict and the sentence in the chauvin trial can tell us about the potential outcomes in these upcoming trials? >> you know, i can't speak to the upcoming trials because i'm still on the prosecution team. i'm going to be doing those trials when they're scheduled in march of 2022. and so i can't really talk about what's going to happen with

those cases. what i can say is that this particular sentence sends a message nationwide i think to other police officers, hopefully to police officers in the field who would see some sort of wrongdoing by a colleague, and it would create a culture of intervention that they would understand the seriousness of consequences that can flow from conduct like this and stop it when it's happening. >> a case with many, many ramifications that will ripple out into the future in perhaps unpredictable ways. steve schleicher, thank you very much for coming on this morning. we appreciate. >> eva, over to you. the west coast bracing for what's shaping up to be a historic heat wave, scorching temperatures expected all the way up to seattle, and rob is in portland with the efforts to keep people safe in this extreme heat. good morning, rob. >> hey, good morning, eva. just when california and the southwest got finally relief

from the recording-breaking heat wave, the northwest is in the hot zone anticipate we're likely going to see all-time records fall and it's going to be a long duration event as well so just getting started with this but the temperatures climbing into the 90s in portland. >> it's astounding. it really is. >> multnomah opened cooling centers for anybody who needs to escape the heat, providing, food, water, cots and most importantly air-conditioning. and dozens of places are opening their doors to help people escape the heat. in this part of the country, not all homes have air-conditioning. >> this is truly dangerous heat. our evening lows are around our average yearly highs for this time of year. being acclimated to this? people who live in the desert southwest, are they used to this and in the northwest this could be more damaging because we're not? >> that's part of our concern, that the body can acclimate somewhat to the heat but it takes one to two weeks.

weather so hot so early in the smmer means in addition to the heat itself, we haven't had time to get used to heat, and our bodies haven't had a chance to really adapt yet. >> you can feel it. we just had the summer solstice so the sun is as high and strong as it gets all year round. only going to get hotter today. here's what it looked like in seattle. people trying to enjoy the heat before it got too heat cooling off in the lakes and rivers but they're really cold so that poses its own set of problems as people trier to seek relief. high over low, the rex block make for a historic heat wave and the pattern will be stuck for several days, 107 the all-time record in portland. we may break that today. if not today, maybe tomorrow. this rex block is one that will keep on keeping on. seattle could set an all-time record. the peak is going to be sunday and monday. six states in the heat wave. 24 under alert and spreading into southern california and, again, not going away into next week.

good saturday morning. i'm lisa argen. we're going to cool off as that marine layer expands into your sunday, bring mist and drizzle back 74 in oakland. 79 in extremity. 98 in fair field whenever you have one of these historic events, climate change is of top of mind. we'll talk more about that is impacting this heat wave tomorrow. guys, back over to you. >> all right, rob, talk to you soon. coming up, an update on the desperate search for survivors in surfside as we go back to the scene of that catastrophic collapse. plus, the justice department is suing georgia over its sweeping new election law claiming it seeks to disenfranchise black voters. how the governor there is responding. and the unclassified version

of a highly anticipated report on ufos is made public. what the data shows and what remains a mystery. we'll be right back. "good morning america" is sponsored by progressive insurance. save when you bundle auto, home or motorcycle insurance. now, we all know progressive offers 24/7 protection, but we also bundle outdoor vehicles with home and auto to help people save more! [ laughs ] ♪ [ humming ] [ door creaks ] oh. [ soft music playing ] what are you all doing in my daydream? it's better than that presentation. a lot better. you know, whether it's a fraction or a decimal, it's still fun, you know? from prom dresses to workouts whether it's a fraction and new adventures you hope the more you give the less they'll miss. but even if your teen was vaccinated against meningitis in the past

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york city. will will be self-defense demonstration, and a medication workshop. it will be from 1 to 4:00 at ports muth square. let's go to lisa argen. low clouds and fog but some sun in concord. this is mount tam. 59 in morgan hill. low clouds and fog. 50s to the north this afternoon. we'll warm

welcome back to "gma" on this saturday morning. this is a look at welcome back to "gma." this is a look at the scene from surfside, florida, where for a third morning now, rescue crews are working feverishly to find any possible survivors in that wreckage of the collapsed residential building. >> we're going to start this half hour by going back to surfside where friends, family and other loved ones of the missing in that terrifying building collapse are, of course, now anxiously waiting for news and abc's victor oakland is oquendo is on the scene for us. >> reporter: this is very much still a search and rescue mission, not a recovery operation. from this vantage point you can see just the scope, the massive response here, firefighters have been on the back of the building all morning long spraying it

down. we know they've been fighting with some small fires flaring up for three days now and learning a lot more about the building's past from public records that have been released. one inspection report filed with the city in 2018 claims that the entrance drive and the pool deck of the building had, quote, failed waterproofing, which was causing major structural damage to the concrete and structural slab below those areas, and at the time engineers called this a major error in the building's development, however, engineers filed another document with the city describing the overall concrete framing as being in good condition. experts say some types of cracks in stucco and concrete are common in a building of this age, we know it was 40 years old and wouldn't necessarily cause the collapse. there's so many questions about how this could have possibly happened but for now the priority is on search and rescue and then that investigation. guys. >> just an agonizing wait for those families, all right, victor oquendo, for us, thank you. we turn to another story we're following.

the justice department suing the state of georgia over its new voting restrictions saying they were intended to deny black voters equal access to the ballot. abc's alex presha joins us from the white house with more. alex, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, whit. well, so georgia's governor brian kemp is already blasting this lawsuit calling it politically motivated and saying that it's constitutionally unsound but, look, georgia is 1 of at least 15 gop led states that have passed more restrictive voting legislation this year, and attorney general merrick garland says that georgia law specifically makes it harder for people to vote. the doj complaint alleges the restrictions were passed with the purpose of denying or abridging the right to vote on account of race or color. this law bans handing food or drinks to voters waiting in line. it limits drop boxes. it requires different forms of i.d. for absentee voting and the doj is specifically challenging thwarts pa reduce access to absentee voting arguing that will likely make black voters have to wait in line longer than white voters in line.

the governor explains this expands it in rural areas and helps ensure election integrity but the complaint is one of at least eight separate lawsuits filed in response to this new law and even after the federal voting rights bill stalled in the senate, the a.g. says he's beefing up the civil rights division and going to aggressively be pursuing laws they believe infringe on voting rights, eva. >> alex presha there for us, thank you. now to vice president kamala harris making her first trip to the u.s./mexico border since taking office. harris taking some criticism for visiting guatemala and mexico first but arguing that the administration was trying to get to the root of the problem. abc white house correspondent maryalice parks has more. >> reporter: good morning to you, eva. that's right. for months the vice president has faced pressure from both sides to come here to the border. republicans said she should have gone further south where we've seen a surge of people crossing but defended her decision to come here to el paso. the vice president making her first trip to the nation's

southern border drawing contrast with the last administration, but sidestepping the magnitude of the challenges facing this one. >> it is here in el paso that the previous administration's child separation policy was te a whirlwind trip harris spending only four hours on the ground meeting with agents at this custom and border patrol site and then migrant children behind closed doors. harris hoping to turn down the temperature on this hot button issue saying, this is about people, not politics. >> we're talking about children, we're talking about families, we're talking about suffering and our approach has to be thoughtful and effective. >> reporter: but during her trip she did not openly address the record surge of migrants crossing the border. 108,000 apprehensions on the border last month alone. >> our call volume has picked up most definitely. >> reporter: local fire chief danny modrano taking us to the border wall describing the horrific scenes

he sees when they trial to scale the fenceing. >> we have seen serious head injuries where unfortunately a migrant will fall head first into the ground, but the vast majority are going to be lower extremity open fractures. >> reporter: he is responsible for the very part of the wall where last spring border patrol video captured the moment two toddlers were dropped over the wall. >> i'm by no means an expert in immigration policy, but there's obviously a problem. whether the problem is on the border or where these individuals originate from is something for i think washington to figure out. >> reporter: employees and volunteers here at this nonprofit on the front lines, we met this mom from ecuador who tells us she fractured her leg and needed these stitches when she was trying to cross. she says she wants to work here in the united states to provide for her three children back home. now, it was noticeable that the vice president did not visit a shelter while she was here on the ground. we know next week former president trump is also planning to come to texas. dan. >> maryalice, thank you very much. let's turn to the weather

and rob marciano in portland, oregon, where they're dealing with a huge heat wave. rob, good morning, once again. >> hi again, dan. if only we could get some of the rain falling in the midwest here in the northwest, we are unfortunately heading into the dry season and have this historic heat wave going on. what's happening in the midwest is pretty horrific on the wet side of thing, severe weather yesterday across parts of kansas and with 75-mile-per-hour winds on top of that this area also saw four, five inches of rainfall so flooding on top of damaging winds that brought trees an power lines down. just over the border in missouri ten inches falling in the last 24 hours so this is really startling stuff swamping cars and some of the commercial businesses there. all right. flash flood warnings north and south of kansas city right now. st. louis as well. detroit, you're in it too. watches from northern texas all the way to michigan, this front slowly moving isn't moving fast enough for us so severe weather on the southern side and in michigan but several more rounds of rain over this saturated

ground and could see three to four or four to eight inches in some spots that will lead to more in the way of flooding from oklahoma city to tulsa to joplin. good saturday morning. low clouds and fog and an afternoon sea breeze elsewhere it's warming up to the mid-90s truth be told i used to work truth be told, i used to work in this city for six year, beautiful spot but it's never been this hot. at times it's definitely changing, guys. >> but you got to return for your birthday. happy belated birthday. >> oh, yeah. >> yeah, man, happy birthday to us. >> "gma" weekend fact, rob and i same birthday. >> birthday twins. >> yeah, from different generations. >> and different parents. >> it's a may to december friendship. >> yes, of course, of course. rob, we'll talk to you soon. happy birthday. coming up here on "good

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>> announcer: this is an abc news special report. >> good morning, i'm whit johnson in new york and we're coming on the air with an update on the deadly building collapse in surfside, florida. authorities have gathered to hold a briefing, search and rescue crews, we know they're working through the night trying to locate the nearly 160 people still unaccounted for. what you're seeing on the screen is the podium set up as we're awaiting officials to come n we know that the mayor has been talking to people there. there she is, mayor levine cava and know there is governor ron desantis meeting with some of the families at the reunification center a short time ago. this press briefing was supposed to take place earlier this morning. it was delayed. part of that due to the governor, let's listen. >> well, good morning. we just came back from the briefing of the families done by the fire department.

as you know, they've been fighting these fires all night and we were out back looking at the wreckage and if you were there, the morning after, you didn't see it smoldering like it is now. i mean the stench is very thick and it obviously is creating, you know, quite an obstacle and they're going to go into what they're doing to do that from the state's perspective, we fulfilled all requests, fema is on site. we're working well. there's resources available. we have the capacity to do more if needed. i think at this juncture i mean it really is dealing with the fires. it's a challenging circumstance and they're doing the best that they can and, you know, just pray for the folks who are impacted, either directly or the families. it's a really difficult time. you wake up in the morning hoping that more and more people were pulled out and, you know, that just news hasn't been what

we had hoped and so i will turn it over to mayor cava then we'll get the briefing from the fire perspective. >> remember, we will hold questions till the end then state who the question is for. the miami-dade mayor, daniella levine cava. >> thank you. so, hello, everyone. here we are, 2 1/2 days into this incredible tragedy and the world is watching, and we thank everyone for their prayer, for their support. we feel it. we feel everyone is with us. and it makes a difference. it really does. i want to thank the governor for being with us again today for bringing the resources of the state, for participating in getting fema here to the state, this is going to be huge for us as we continue to move forward on our search and rescue and then what comes beyond. so as you heard, we're facing very incredible difficulties

with this fire. the fire has been going on for awhile. it's a very deep fire. it's extremely difficult to locate the source of the fire and so they've been working around the clock, these fire rescue teams, these brave men and women under the rubble to fix this problem so they can get on, but it is hampering our search efforts. we see that the smoke has spread. it spread laterally throughout the pile. it's very difficult to isolate the source of the fire and, therefore, to stop it. so we're using everything possible to address this fire. we are using infrared technology. we're using foam. we're using water. and all the tactics that we can to contain the fire and minimize the smoke spread. obviously the smoke itself is the biggest barrier right now to

proceeding in those areas. so we created a trench using heavy equipment to try to isolate the fire and continue searching for victims in the part of the pile that we can access. no further victims have been found. as you've heard. the numbers are the same as they were yesterday, 127 have been accounted for. 159 unaccounted for and 4 confirmed dead. our top priority now continues to be search and rescue. we continue to have hope. we're continuing to search. we're looking for people alive in the rubble. that is our priority and our teams have not stopped. hour after hour through the night they have been working. at the same time we know everyone wants to know what is the cause, what has happened here and, of course, we are

going to conduct a full and thorough investigation with all of our local, state and federal resources coming on the scene. so people are gathering from all around to help us with this investigation. at the county level i am directing that our department of regulatory and economic resources will immediately commence an audit of all of the buildings at the 40-year point and beyond so we want to make sure that every building has completed their recertification process and we want to do -- move swiftly to remediate any issues that may have been identified in that process. so we're going to conduct this audit within the next 30 days and we are beginning right now. there are buildings located within cities that are beyond the county's regulatory authority and i invite cities to join with us in this aggressive review as well of situations in these buildings to make sure that they are safe.

we're going to work closely with our cities and provide technical assistance so they can get the job done. as far as the buildings that have been developed by the same developer as this building, we want to make sure that we can work with the cities to provide the technical assistance to them as well as they identify any possible state and federal funding that could assist with conducting safety inspections so we are here together. so to the community and the world, please be patient. please stand with us. please continue your prayers. we are not going to stop. we need your support. thank you. [ speaking foreign language ] >> you're listening to mayor daniella levine cava, the mayor of miami-dade county speaking in spanish at the moment but just to recap what she said there, she's saying that essentially

the numbers haven't changed. and they're very frustrated. still four confirmed dead, 159 unaccounted for and there is a devastating fire that's taking place in the rubble that is really hampering their operations, you're watching right now, this is not the part with the fire but we're seeing some of the crews on scene literally brick by brick removing them, putting them on a chute that they have there so they can try to get to some of these areas, but they've been up against so much with bad weather, with rain, with lightning and these fires have been devastating. she says the fires are deep within the rubble there. they're difficult to locate. they're using everything they can to try to address it, infrared technology, foam and water but at the end of the day right now a uple, 2/2 day in th, the numbers still haven't changed. but she insists they are not giving up hope. she is calling for people in the community to continue with the support, the thoughts and

prayers and also there have been a number of reports about the structure itself and questions about integrity and questions about cracks in the concrete, a new report that came out, the mayor there immediately calling for an audit within the next 30 days to look at all buildings in the immediat area around 40 years old which, of course, is about the age of the building that we're seeing here where this collapse occurred. let's bring in our victor oquendo who is on the scene right now. victoria, while she is briefing in spanish, what did you make of what she said? i know that you've been following the search and rescue efforts and she says those efforts will continue but not the hopeful news that many were hoping to hear. >> reporter: right, whit, and we're joining you by the phone because we had to move from our location with this inclement weather comes down once again in surfside, just another obstacle these brave firefighters and rescue crews have had to go up against here. >> victor, stand by.

we're just going to go back now. another speaker coming up to the podium. >> it's very difficult what they're going through. your prayers have been extremely well received. please continue the prayers. they're very important. the hope is very important. people need it. the firefighters that are working hard 24 hours, they need it. we have our firefighters and firefighters from all over that are participating in helping. they're switching out and working as fast and diligently as possible. this is very frustrating because we want it all done. we want to rescue as many people as possible. we want to get to the bottom of this situation, but we can't because the process is very slow and we need to understand that. it has to be done properly to respect all those that could be rescued. so that's where we're at.

as far as the mayor and first of all i want to thank the president that's sending his resource, our governor, thank you for all the resource, everything and being here. as everybody that is working together, mayor and working with other mayors in other cities in other departments, thank you for all the work and the leadership and the people of miami-dade county and all over the world, thank you for everything you're sending, that's not only your love and your prayer, but all the things that you're sending to help out the families and those that are working here. thank you so much for all that. as far as my colleagues and i, we will do everything that needs to be done, legislation, so this will never happen again in our community. that is a promise. [ speaking foreign language ] >> you're just listening to jose "pepe" diaz who was expressing, i think, what many of the families have been expressing to

everyone. he said this is very frustrating because we want it all done but just emphasize this is a very slow process and that everyone needs to understand that calling for patience. also want to note governor ron desantis, florida governor, was around the area on scene meeting with some of the families at the reunification center before coming to this press conference and some of the things that he said as well, just echoing what we've heard saying that he was meeting with the fire department, that they were fighting the fires all night and that the fires were creating quite the obstacle asking that people pray for the folks who are impacted by all of this. i want to bring back victor oquendo because, victor, sorry i cut you off a moment ago there. because we're talking about that audit for all the buildings, there are other buildings in the area and you've been reporting on some of these documents that came out reflecting some of the structural damage because people are wondering what about some of the buildings nearby that are the same age and, in fact,

there's another twin building that's almost identical in some respects to the one that came down. >> reporter: and the mayor told our affiliate they have concerns about that as well. as for the buildings, those have been evacuated. all are basically homeless put up in hotels or by the red cross. there's just some of the battles these crews are fighting. we've got the fires and inclement weather and rain has been on and off and certainly not helping the situation. think of it as just added weight on top of that pile of debris. that's bad for anyone that might be stuck inside. >> again, our thoughts and prayers -- >> victor, stand by. we're going back to the press conference. >> proud of our efforts that the brave men and women performing our search and rescue efforts. we continue search and rescue efforts, a majority through the evening and continuing to move

debris, the smoke has been picking up. as i stated earlier, we also are dealing with a deep-seated fire. smoldering fire but obviously producing a lot of smoke. one of the most difficult situation, one, the type of collapse itself and what we've been dealing with and going throughout the debris and trying to attempt to find voids and looking for opportunities for survivors. we continue those efforts. we had to stop briefly as we dug the trench as the mayor mentioned bringing in heavier equipment looking with infrared, different components and seeing how we can mitigate that situation as we continue our search and rescue solotat eor andtoer in t sense of simultaneously as we're addressing the fire and the smoke concerns, the search and rescue efforts, as well. but it's very difficult, the situation and we continue to modify and adjust what we need to to hopefully save some lives. thank you.

>> thank you. >> miami-dade fire rescue in spanish. [ speaking foreign language ] >> and a moment ago you were just listening to lieutenant carlos rosario. miami-dade police department, talking more about the search and rescue efforts again, some of the big issues with the weather, the rain, the lightning but also the significant fire that they've been dealing with. one thing they did tell us, though, about what they're trying to do to overcome some of these obstacles and challenges, they've created a trench in the rubble to move some heavy equipment and, in fact, we've seen some of what they're doing on the right side of your screen there. you can see those efforts under way and with that trench they're able to move some equipment in, they've also told us that they're actually tunneling in underneath. that's what you can't see from the air, rescuers trying to find void spaces where someone might be able to survive.

let's go ahead and listen. reporters are asking questions now. >> the numbers haven't changed. is there any indication that there are people living perhaps with k9s or any other technology that you can attend to right now and the possibility that there are people alive. >> we are continuing our search and rescue because our first responders believe there's still a possibility. there are crevices, so there's air, they're able to, you know, pick through but right now obviously we're trying to stabilize the situation because of the fire and the smoke. >> madam mayor, in light of the civil engineering report issued overnight do you still agree or do you agree with the assessment of the association that there were no red flags or signs of imminent collapse with that building. >> we are obviously interested in all the evidence coming to light and we'll be including it in what happens after the rescue and in the meantime, we're taking actions to make sure that everybody is safe.

we knew nothing about this report. we did not know about this report. >> excuse me, mayor. abc news, how many buildings did the audit include and do you know how many buildings they took account of in miami-dade county and the state. >> for the county audit we'll get you a number later. we'll get that number. as for the city of surfside, i know there is one other building by this developer up the street. i do not know how many others. >> could you clarify -- i know the fires have been going on. [ inaudible ] access these fires? >> no, at this time we haven't located any victims, but as we continue our search, again, it's

a very delicate matter because we're still searching, search and rescue operations is what we're focusing on so as we're moving debris and the smoke increasing, we still haven't come across anything with signs of life. >> [ inaudible ]. >> yes, ma'am. everything impacts our search and rescue efforts, just the magnitude of this collapse and the type of collapse it is is one of the most difficult. we've been searching through any void, any crevice that we see as well that we can access and that's why we're searching from below and continuing those efforts and have to shift and, again, the biggest thing here is hope. that's what's driving us right now. that's what's driving my decision right now and with the mayor to continue our search and rescue efforts. it's extremely difficult situation.

>> chief, with the continuing fires is there a concern about the air quality and if so what's being done to protect the search and rescue teams. >> we normally have air respirators. yes, there is definitely a concern that we need to go on self-contained breathing apparatus. last night we aggressively attacked certain areas where firefighters particularly, you know, were addressing components of trying to minimize the impact so, yes, the air quality is a concern. we still have ventilation fans that we set up in specific areas and use them to the best we can but we're also -- there's a concern in regards to adding more air that you could increase whatever, smoldering, this deep-seated area that's still burning could intensify as well. so that's, you know, the logistics and complications we're dealing with at this time. >> what kind of resources -- >> one second. we have a question for the governor. >> governor desantis, given the concerns about some of the stru structures of this building would you feel safe going to

sleep tonight if you were in the sister building of this? >> so i talked to the mayor of surfside and i think daniella has talked to him as well as you mention, there is a sister building basically right down the street. i know they are looking at because it was built at the same time with the same designer so they are looking at working with them and i know they are considering potentially evacuating them. but that's something that, you know, ultimately the mayor will have to make the call on. i don't know if there's indications there's any problems with that building but given the similarities, given the same age, they think that that may be something, so i think he may have an announcement on that today. >> that they evacuate that building -- ? >> i answered the question. last question here. one more question. >>sessof anyth buildings in the tha are gonow? >> t >> thank you, guys.

>> once again you are listening to a press briefing there in surfside, florida, officials updating everyone on that catastrophic building collapse. one note there, there was a question that went to governor ron desantis and the reporter asked would you feel comfortable sleeping tonight in the sister building and the question was referencing there is another building that's very similar about the same age built by the same developer in that area, and the governor said that they are considering evacuating that building. they're looking into that and that perhaps they may have an announcement later today and that's a question a lot of people have been asking, not only the sister building but some of the others in the area. i do, though, want to go to our stephanie ramos who is at the reunification center. she's been talking to a number of the families who have been waiting for news and, stephanie, i'd imagine that people are encouraged by the fact that the search and rescue effort is continuing but the numbers haven't changed and it's been a

couple days now and no new victims have been pulled from the rubble. >> reporter: exactly, >> reporter: exactly, whit pup see their anguish, fear, their concern is written all over their faces. just a few moments ago when governor desantis was making his way down this row here i saw a woman i had met thursday night looking for her son-in-law. her son-in-law was on the fourth floor of that tower with his cousins and they haven't heard from him since. she's devastated. her daughter is devastated and she was running down theive to r had to say. these families are looking for any bit of information they can get. so many families that don't know. they are assuming, holding on to hope. they're hoping for a miracle but they just don't ow