sam brock has that part of the story for us >> reporter: tonight the gravity of the mass casualty event in miami. >> i thought i lost. i wish i hug her harder >> reporter: accentuated after a years' old engineering report found major structural damage underneath the pool deck and signs previous garage concrete repairs were failing in champlain towers south, though it's not clear what caused the collapse. now board meeting minutes obtained by nbc news submitted to investigators say surfside's building inspector ross prieto informed residents a month later after reviewing the engineering report it appears the building is in very good shape. mr. prieto couldn't be reached for comment, but told the "miami herald" he didn't remember getting the report one county official says laws will change because of this collapse why do you say that? >> because they will what took place here will put my colleagues and i in a position to do whatever it takes so this would never happen again >> reporter: possible options include shortening the 40-year timeline for a building's recertification, or changing

as the tragedy unfolds, many are asking how could this happen sam brock tonight on what's known about the collapse. >> reporter: in the wake of destruction and tragedy, a critical question hangs over this ocean front community. >> looks like a bomb went off. >> reporter: how could this have happened? >> i have never seen a collapse like this that didn't involve some sort of earthquake or something else >> reporter: the champlain towers south condo building constructed in 1981 is 12 stories high, containing 134 units it began sinking years ago, according to a recent report from florida international university looking at thousands of buildings. >> the particular building identified as a building that moved in the 1990s >> reporter: he says in the '90s it was sinking two millimeters a year, though it is unclear if that continued or contributed to today's collapse officials say work on the building's roof has been ongoing, would have likely involved an inspection and a permit structural inspections are required after 40 years. >> a big question will be why did the structure stand for 40

sam brock, nbc news, miami. >>> now to the crisis at the border. in rare access with authorities, looking to respond to surge of migrants making the dangerous trip into the u.s. julia ainsley takes us inside their mission >> reporter: we are in texas with u.s. border patrol agents getting a rare look at what can be a deadly journey, for the record number of migrants trying to cross the border >> it's very unfortunate but almost two to three times a week seems we're getting or finding individuals have to come through the elements. >> reporter: this pregnant woman caught by agents needing urgent medical attention. nearby, a group of 80 migrants, including many children, turn themselves in after making the dangerous trek across the rio grande >> they've taken their lives in their hands >> yes that's why we le people know there's inherent risk with coming to the u.s. illegally. >> reporter: this wall is one obstacle of many on a migrant's dangerous journey north to america, and as scorching temperatures rise and the number of migrants isn't going down,

nbc's sam brock has the late details >> reporter: tonight new video showing the moments before a mass shooting in miami reveals a jarring sequence three shooters clad in black leaving their suv with assault weapons, only toring countless bullets and shooting 23 people, killing two. now just hours ago investigators revealing this murky dot in a miami canal is the stolen vehicle. as families face indescribable pain this father lost his son and carried his anguish from sunday's scene -- >> you killed a good kid! >> reporter: -- to monday's press conference one miami-dade official calling what happened an act of domestic terrorism, with a manhunt under way for the suspects >> we will do everything, everything we can we must get these killers off the streets. >> reporter: the gun violence continuing unabated in houston overnight two killed and two others injured at a nightclub. the violent behavior getting more brazen by the day. in south florida this man firing from his car window days ago, spraying gunfire in broad daylight the el mula tragedy wasn't even the only mass shooting in miami

engineers tell nbc's sam brock building collapses like this are extremely rare. >> reporter: this stunning look from above revealing a condo complex with an entire section gone. the portion of this map in red is what used to be standing at the champlain pile of degree. this what happened. >> there are two items here, concrete and steel. if the steel is exposed and loses its structural integrity, the concrete fails instantaneously. and that's how it fails. >> and do you think that's likely here? >> i would surmise more likely than not that's the way it went. >> reporter: civil engineers say any investigation will examine maintenance and erosion. the building began sinking years ago according to a recent report from florida international university. >> this particular building identified as a building that moved in the 1990s. >> reporter: shimmone says the building was sinking two millimeters a year, though it's unclear if that continued or contributed to thursday's collapse. the attorney for the condo association says any rush to judgment on what might've caused the collapse is unfair and p

first-degree murder -- >> reporter: a reality that might have seemed impossible just days before sam brock, nbc news, miami. >>> florida congressman matt gaetz is facing more legal trouble with word the justice department is looking into whether he obstructed a sex trafficking investigation. pete williams reports. >> reporter: at issue according to a law enforcement official familiar with the case is a phone call that an ex-girlfriend of congressman matt gaetz was having with another young woman. during that call, the official said, the ex-girlfriend conferenced in gaetz and because that other young woman is a potential witness in a federal investigation of whether gaetz was illegally involved in relations with underage women, federal investigators are looking at whether the phone call could amount to obstruction of justice, an attempt to influence a potential witness. >> if someone tries to keep a witness from talking to law enforcement or tries to get them to change their story, that's the kind of conduct that can be obstruction of justice. >> reporter: a spokesman for the congressman sa

here's nbc's sam brock >> reporter: new surveillance video captures bystanders outside a restaurant at the same time the doors of this suv fly open and three gunmen approach seconds later the crowd scrambles and lives are changed forever. nearly three days after the miami shooting, 23 people shot miami-dade mayor daniella lavigne cava says no expense is being spared. >> do you have any idea? >> these are targeted shootings. this is something we need to take care of and get control of. >> an all out manhunt. they recovered the suv in a miami canal. the massacre a week of nonstop violence in miami. three more shootings taking place including two injured in miami beach by famed prime one twelve restaurant. seemingly no area immune from gun violence. >> will this leave a scar on miami-dade >> nobody ever recovers from this kind of violence. all we can do is make sure we make the pledge and do what we can do make sure it never happens again. >> reporter: a pledge to do better with lives depending on it sam brock, nbc news, miami. >>> now to america's comeback from covid millions of american

that has to be done in the next 30 days jose >> sam brock in surfside, thank you. not far from that collapse those waiting for word of their loved ones are in agony as days and hours pass with no sign of survivors. vaughn hillyard is following their emotional journeys. 156 remain unaccounted. families confronting the reality that no survivors have been found since the initial moments after the collapse >> we have official word we are trying to hold on to hope remains but realistically we know that they're gone. >> reporter: hundreds here friends and neighbors waiting. the families of the missing moving into a hotel one mile down the road and anxiously receiving private updates from the governor and rescue officials maggie ramsey is one of them. her mom missing. these photos taken from her condo balcony. >> the weather hasn't been cooperating the fire hasn't been cooperating. they're doing the best they can. >> reporter: where is your level of hope >> i'm faithful. my level of hope will always remain until i know the answer. >> reporter: maggie is members desperate

carl >> nbc sam brock in miami. thanks so much >>> the republican governor of texas is threatening to cut off paychecks after democrats staged a walkout and blocked a bill that would tighten voting bills. the drive would eliminate voting and 24-hour polling location limited and make it easier for a judge to overturn election results. texas republicans insist it's all about election integrity and security. >> this helps to ensure that those mail-in ballots with both application and the ballots come from who they say they are it protects people's votes. >> but texas democrats say the voting bill targets minorities and democratic voters. they're calling on congress to pass national voting protections and get rid of the senate filibuster if necessary. >> to protect voters in this country, in texas and elsewhere. we need a strong, robust federal protection to guard against these oppressive efforts. >> texas governor greg abbott says the voting bill is not dead yet. and that lawmakers will consider it again during a speci

sam brock has more on the search for answers. >> reporter: the question, is there a possibility to detecting has been here since 1981 it passed its 40-year life span. it ser a certificate and they went through this inspections, but there were no major red flags, according to the attorney, that could have created a situation like this. what this has precipitated is we haver buildings. since then they have been given the power to change building code if they deem it to be necessary. that team of six, two people tonight, four others in the coming days, are assessing whether they should be doing a deeper dive. we spoke about what changes can they make. here's what i found out. >> that's definitely a potential. if we look at prior investigations, we issued 30 recommendations. that has resulted in over 40 changes. structural engineering has improved as a result of lessons learned from the world trade center investigation. >> nist in this particular capacity has only four times done a deep-dive investigation, some of those 9/11, and joplin, missouri, after the tornadoes. hurricane maria. this co

nbc's sam brock has more >> reporter: good evening.t it might be intentional is the ft. leader dale mayor told the media it was a terror attack directed at the lgbtq community. but it's worth noting in the first 24 hours they were considering all alternatives police did say that the 77-year-old plan that was driving this truck at the lead of the parade unexpectedly acsit rated, hit two people and ultimately ended up in the garden center. it's worth noting in the stafford florida, there's been several incidents that have raised alarm bells there was a display that was vand lieded by a driver. the state of florida had been fighting sticks like sarasota and jacksonville just to put up pride lights, and we recently honored victims of the pulse nightclub shooting, as debbie waserman schultz withined what happens. >> literally in a split sect after the parade started, you can see and hear the truck loudly, you know, gun the engine, jump out of the driveway at full speed, slam into this poor man i mean, i don't even want to repeat what it sou

joining me now is our own sam brock. we know yet more fires in the rubble slowed down the process. i know officials insist this is still search and rescue. what can you tell us about how realistic it is that they're going to find more survivors? >> well, they are maintaining hope. that's the best i can tell you. we are entering fourth day of the search. on the other side is a pile of rubble that is three or four stories high. that rubble is incredibly fragile. we know search and rescue crews out having much more better accessibility than they did 24 hours ago. they had to use infrared technology to try and then deploying water. i can tell you we were several imagine what the conditions would be like on top of the rubble. you also have course of the day. canine searching for the scent of human life and sonar and heavy machinery of what you see right there. the crane that's picking up big pieces of debris and big chunks of concrete. chuck, i got to tell you i spoke with someone with decades of urban search and rescue, he anticipates it will be a couple more weeks in his gut of this g

as we come on the air with you live from washington, sam brock is on the scene in surf side. sam, we just got an update from mrnl officials. we know some of the numbers of people rescued, 35 of them, right? we know the numbers of people in the hospital, too. what we don't know right now are how many people are still missing as officials are directing folks who have family in that building to call this hotline number to let them know. >> that's exactly right, hallie. there were 55 units that chapsed. now, it's florida. certainly some people are down here, but the reality is when we interviewed the surf side mayor, there are plenty of people in there. how many bedrooms were occupied we don't know. this is night and day, literally and figuratively from what i saw this morning, when fire trucks were extended with ladders in the balconies. you mentioned 35 folks were rescued and two others who were taken from rubble and survived. one confirmed fatality, 10 people treated on scene. the question right now, we all want answers, is how many people are missing and could this death toll

joining us is nbc correspondent sam brock. ppened is just devastating. what have we learned? >> reporter: it's devastating. if you look over my shoulder, that's the building where you see firefighters on the ladder at the moment. kasie, they're going balcony to balcony right now looking for individuals. i heard the sounds of a saw. the potential for utter devastation and human loss of life is very elevated here. it looks like a building from this vantage point is okay. it's the northern quadrant that's been affected. you can't see it here. it faces the oceanside. what i am told from a resident who came out of the ninth floor. she said, i heard some screams. i know there were people rescued. but i know also i lost a lot of friends. she describes it in her words, kay circumstance as the building pancaking. we're talking a third of this building that has 130 residences at champlain tower. you're looking at 40 units that may have been affected. how many people were inthere at the time it happened? it happened at 1:00. but units are

nbc's sam brock is live on that tonight.stigators have any yesterday how this might have happened >> reporter: shep, anytime you so a building collapse on this scale, there had to be a failure. i hear from experts on one hand we've seen a collapse like this in the last several decades. but i don't think i've seen anything like this, with the expression on their faces, the pain, just the staggering task ahead of having to find all these people this is the building, from this vandage point, it looks like the champlain south towers look fine it's on the other end when you saw 55 units just collapse literally into the ground. what happened? i spoke with a general contractor, who created, built multiple complexes he said when you see a failure, it's one of two things, either the steel or concrete. one of them had to fail, and specifically in this case, the one unit facing the ocean, he believes, in his pin, the steel likely eroded, and that's caked to provide that flexible strength eroded and snapped. that's when you saw it just

experts say it could take months or years. >> our thanks to sam brock surfside florida tonight.or us, no one is suggesting mass executions. just a trump worship cable network simply raising the possibility. the possibility. oh. oh! ♪♪ this is not normal. no. ♪♪ so? ♪♪ right? go with us and find millions of flexible options, all in our app. expedia. it matters who you travel with. [♪♪] expedia. looking to repair dry, damaged hair without weighing it down? try pantene daily moisture renewal conditioner. its color-safe formula uses smart conditioners to micro-target damage helping to repair hair without weighing it down. try pantene. why choose proven quality sleep from sleep number? because a good night's rest is where muscles recover and our minds are restored. the new sleep number 360 smart bed is temperature balancing. and it helps keep you asleep by sensing your movement and automatically adjusts to keep you both effortlessly comfortable. perfect for those relaxing weekends. the sleep number 360 smart bed is on sale now during our lowest prices of the season. did you know that

joining me from miami, nbc news correspondent sam brock. s and why are they leave now, based on your reporting? >> reporter: look, nearly 4 million people in the month of april left their jobs, geoff, that has been a record. it's not what we saw in the early days of the pandemic where millions were losing their jobs, and folks were getting furloughed. these are people who have decided i can do better than retail to hospitality, they have so many options at their disposal. help wanted is becoming an urgent plea almost everywhere. a growing number of workers are seeking better hours, higher paid and safer environments with hourly wages barely breaking double digits. >> 10 or $11 is a joke. >> reporter: kevin is a restaurant server in a new job for six months. he makes just enough to get by but not enough to afford a car. he said the pandemic changed his perspective. >> being inside all day can also take a toll on you but it kind of opened my eyes to the fact that i was being severely exploited. and i was definitely underappreciated. >> reporte

nbc's sam brock is in miami-dade with what we know at this hour. sam, miami police now are offering a $130,000 reward for the shooters. take us through what we know so far with regards to the investigation and the gunmen. >> reporter: craig, it is now day three of the manhunt, and if investigators have any idea who the suspects are or where they're heading, so far they have not disclosed that. the $130,000 reward you're describing is coming from a combination of local funds, the atf and all offered on sunday. if there's been any actionable information that's come over the last two days it hasn't been strong enough to arrest the suspects. the surveillance video, craig, you alluded to a second ago, shows the three men get out of the car and in a matter of six seconds run into the crowd, which is just over where my shoulder was in this parking lot, early sunday morning, fire and get back into their vehicle. that was enough time to shoot 23 people and kill two of them. they say there is a rivalry between groups. they don't call it a textbook gang rivalr

joining us is sam brock. he's been covering the story since the early morning hours of the collapse. sam, we know more fires in the rubble slowed down the search and rescue process, but i know officials insist this is still search and rescue. what can you tell us about how realistic it is that they're going to find more survivors? >> reporter: well, they're maintaining hope. i guess that's the best we can tell you, chuck. look, we're entering the fourth day of this search. over my shoulder on the other side is a pile of rubble that's three or four stories high, and that rubble is incredibly fragile. we know search and rescue crews have much better accessibility than they had 24 hours earlier. the fire was emanating from the building. they had to locate it with infrared technology. they were deploying water and foam to tamp down the flames. all that smoke -- and we're several blocks away -- was so thick, we were vb having trouble breathing. on top of that, chuck, you have downpours throughout the day, proo'pres

. >> so let's get right to nbc's sam brock who has been covering this rescue operation throughout the morning. sam, what update can you give us at this hour about people found, rescued, injuries? >> reporter: the most relevant thing you said just now, andrea is an unknown number of people that they're searching for. that is the million dollar question right now. so many families on edge and just hoping that we'll get some clarity and the search and rescue efforts since 1:30 this morning and that's when the first calls came in and it's been 10 1/2 hours with the rain pouring down for the last several hours and interrupting search and rescue efforts which we are told have been ongoing and they've been stabilizing the building on one hand and tunnelling underneath. just the sheer amount of rubble is hard to understand or contemplate how there may be people under there and we are expecting two updates in the next 30 minutes, andrea. mayor cava is the mayor of the county and we are waiting for updates and at 12:30 ron desantis will be here and the other question is how could this happen? e

sam brock is on the ground for us now there on that island in surfside, florida, shares the same island as miami beach. sam, what more are we learning about search and rescue efforts and how often are they finding folks that are alive? >> so far, i mean, we know from this morning, chuck, they were able to rescue 35 people, two people were pulled from the rubble. that was in the early hours overnight. this happened at 1:30. this has been going on, search and rescue efforts, for 11 hours. i was struck by the same two things you were, chuck. one, no questions taken after the press conference, two, it is not what they said, it is what they didn't say. how many people are missing. we know this, 55 units collapsed, out of a building. what you're looking at now, the scenes don't do it justice. that's how severe the situation is now, having spoken with folks that washed out of the building, hearing a boom, what they said sounded like an earthquake, now what's going on with loved ones, it is unsettling. i was given the impression that we might be getting an update on how many people they're look

sam brock is following this. r the last two days you and i have been talking about the six-second period when they opened fire and were able to shoot 23 people. now it sounds like there's another shooting location? >> the potential for that certainly exist, stephanie. good morning. we have reached out to miami-dade police and so far they haven't responded to our second request for comment about a shooter. what we do know is the video surveillance is of the three gunmen in that alley over my shoulder when they shot in less than six seconds, 23 people shot in total and a different camera angle that appears a second car with gun fire going off and a source has confirmed its authenticity to nbc news and this coming, steph, after two people died in this incident so far. this is the kind of thing that tears apart the fabric of a commissioner. we spoke to kion harding who sponsored a $90 million initiative that strives to employ at-risk youth and i mentioned him at an earlier stage and the first question the family's ask

. >> surfside is just north of miami beach and that is where we find nbc's sam brock joining us live.ou know, the mayor's comments there require a little bit of clarification. here's what we think is going on in this devastating picture here. the death toll was at four. it's now at five, although you heard a second ago that the mayor did say there were human remains found. the official number of unaccounted for went from 159 to 156, so we think we were able that police were able to confirm a body, but the human remains of two other bodies were sent to the medical examiner's office, leaving us with a situation of 156 people still unaccounted for. but the death toll at five could realistically by at seven by the time we wake up tomorrow morning. in terms of the scale of the search and rescue effort right now, which has brought in people as far away as israel and mexico we found out last night. and the expert teams near mexico, they have more access than they did earlier, largely because there was a fire in the belly of this building that they could not locate. it was creating a lot of s

our correspondence tonight, sam brock. >> reporter: tonight the gravity of a mass casualty event in miami hugged her harder. >> reporter: a news report found major structural damage under a pool deck and found that the building was failing in champlain tower south. though it's not clear what caused the collapse, surfside's building inspector ross prieto told agents a month later, it appears the building is in very good shape. mr. prieto could not be reached for comment but told the miami herald he didn't remember getting the report. one county official said laws will change because of this collapse. why do you say that? >> because it will. what took place here will put my colleagues and i in a position to do whatever it takes so this will never happen again. >> reporter: possible options include shortening the 40-year timeline for a building's recertification off changing how inspections are conducted. >> most of these 40-year certifications will done. that will probably change in the future. >> reporter: miami detective toby carp said things will change how they do inspections in the fut

sam brock is following the real world effect.e jumps? >> good morning. the consumer price index looks at a basket of things to get a sense of inflation overall. for the love of pete, cars going up exponentially, 3% for new cars. used cars and trucks, 30% from where it was a year ago. part of the reason is ma manufacturers aren't making as many. there are cars shortages, labor shortages. i talked to them here, they said the cost is 30 to 35% a year ago. they eating a lot of those so consumers can get back into cars. but a lot of dealers aren't doing that. and food prices are inching up as well. the backyard barbecue scenario, the pork in your hotdogs is up 24%. eventually it will all trickle down to consumers. a single father of three worries about what things will be looking like in the future. here is what he told us. >> there was a time when my already slim budget could keep us going for a good week, week and a half between grocery trips, but it's getting increasingly difficult to have a full shopping cart. >> and craig, overal

a report again tonight from nbc news correspondent sam brock. >> above the rubble of the smoldering 12perate search for survivors, here's a look at the devastation before and after. a collapsed wiping out a huge part of the building. now efforts to find out what caused. it how soon do you think they're actually going to start the investigation? >> i think the investigation has already started. >> if i use doctor -- says investigators can review design documents then take samples from the debris and see if they. much >> they're going to lack -- the design says specifies that i will want concrete that has this much -- i want steele with this much strength. so, they want to make sure that the contractors used that type of material. >> with an incredibly active seat today, new federal presence is arriving in surfside. the national institute of standards and technology, or nest, specialized investigators for buildings. so what would trigger a missed launch on to a scene? >> the criteria that we apply is a large loss of life with a potential philosophy large loss of. like >> this has the pow

leave a scar on miami dade >> nobody ever recovers from this kind of violence. >> reporter: i'm sam brock2-year-old and 14-year-old child in custody after they broke into a home, stole the homeowners guns and opened fire on police. it happened last night at enterprise about 35 miles north of orlando the sheriff there calling it something i've never seen in 35 years in policing. today they released body cam and aerial footage police say the two teens ran away from a juvenile home for troubled children. they were on the lam for several hours before they broke into the empty home police say inside that home, a shotgun, ak-47 and 200 rounds after ammo when the deputies surrounded the home, the 14-year-old girl opened fire. deputies say they shot her as she fired at them from behind a trash can in front of the house. you can see her lying on the ground there in this video she's now in the hospital recovering police say the buy sur rendered and they took him into custody >> they knew they were cops and shot at them they wanted to harm them the word of the 12-year-old. the two teens walked the l

nbc's sam brock. thank you for your reporting. >> still ahead here, the former minneapolis police officer convicted of murdering george floyd faces sentencing today. we're going to talk about what to expect when derek chauvin appears before a judge this afternoon. >>> plus, a new analysis of covid virus deaths and what it means to americans. we'll have that and much more when we come right back. managing type 2 diabetes? on it. on it. on it, with jardiance. they're 22 million prescriptions strong. meet the people who are managing type 2 diabetes and heart risk with jardiance. jardiance is a once-daily pill that can reduce the risk of cardiovascular death for adults who also have known heart disease. so it could help save your life from a heart attack or stroke. and jardiance lowers a1c. jardiance can cause serious side effects including dehydration, genital yeast or urinary tract infections, and sudden kidney problems. ketoacidosis is a serious side effect that may be fatal. a rare, but life-threateni

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today, there's new footage that appears to show a second car may have been involved here's nbc's sam brock >> reporter: with the man hunt intensifying across florida for three gunmen, new views are coming to light ofhe harrowing events at the banquet hall where 23 were shot and two killed. first this split screen shows the front entrance sveillance camera with party goers waitingg quickl and a trio of shooters emerging quickly spreading panic. the business has a corner camera and a source confirms to nbc news this new video is authentic. it shows gunfire seeming to come from a second car at the other end of the parking lot then a man appears to get inside that car as the shooting subsides miami dade police did not immediately respond to requests for comments about a possible second car or additional suspects as the community coping with gun violence visibly grieves >> what you have seen is someone taking a firearm and causing as much damage as possible to innocent people and that's not something we should accept in the united states of america >> reporter: the miami dade county commissione

>> sam brock, thanks.our ongoing reporting there. >>> free beer, scholarships and million-dollar prizes. states and businesses getting creative with incentives to convince more folks to get vaccinated. west virginia, well, we will look at their plan to give away guns next. i'm here and suddenly... ...my migraine takes me somewhere else. where there's pain, and nausea. but excedrin pulls me back in a way others don't. and it relieves my symptoms fast for real migraine relief. [typing sounds] [music fades in] [voice of female] my husband ben and i opened ben's chili bowl the very same year that we were married. that's 1958. [voice of male] the chili bowl really has never closed in our history. when the pandemic hit, we had to pivot. and it's been really helpful to keep people updated on google. we wouldn't be here without our wonderful customers. we're really thankful for all of them. [female voices soulfully singing “come on in”] keeping your oyster business growing has you swamped. you need to hire. i need

our report tonight from nbc news correspondent sam brock. >> reporter: in the wake of destruction andmmunity. >> it looks like a bomb went off. >> reporter: how could this have happened? >> i've never seen a collapse like this that didn't involve some sort of, you know, earthquake or something else. >> reporter: the champlain towers south condo building, dpluktd 1981, is 12 stories high take advantage 134 units. it began sinking years ago, according to a recent report from florida international university looking at thousands of buildings. >> this particular building identified as a building that moved in the 1990s. >> he says in the '90s the building was sinking two millimeters a year, though it's unclear if that continued or contributed to today's collapse. officials say work on the building's roof was ongoing and would have involved an inspection and a permit. structural inspections are also required after 40 years. >> a big question will be why did the structure stand for 40 years and then fall this morning? >> reporter: to answer that, the american society of civil engineers glen

here is part of a report from sam brock. >> the south building has two sister buildings. the north towers built in the same year which officials say may be evacuated and the east tower which is 13 years younger. >> there's a crack in a column that was not here before the collapse. >> robert says this crack in the east tower parking lot with debris below it has been determined structurally sound as the building has taken steps to maintain safety. he wants to know why engineers won't arrive here until next week. >> they knew about a lot of the issues in the building for slong and they allowed it to go and get past a point it collapsed. i would like to prevent that. >> miami dade county is undertaking an audit of buildings 40 years old. >> buildings don't fall down in america. there's a third world phenomenon. the last time we saw manager like this where we had, we had two sections of building fall down, pancake style separately and you've all seen that video and we saw fire. it's very disturbing. there's something very, very wrong at this building and we need to get to the

our report again tonight from nbc news correspondent sam brock. >> reporter: above the rubble of thisefore and after the collapse wiping out a huge part of the building. now accelerated effort to find out what caused it. how soon do you think they are going to start the investigation? >> i think the investigation has already started. >> reporter: he says investigators can review design documents, take samples interest the debris and see if they match. >> they are going to look, because design specifies, i want a concrete with this much strength. i want a steel that has this strength. so they want to make sure that the contractors used that type of material. >> reporter: with an incredibly active scene today, new federal presence arriving in surfside. the national institutes of standards and technology specialized investigators for buildings. what would trigger a nist launch on to a scene? >> the principle criteria that we apply is a large loss of life. >> translator: this has the power to change building code standards and has only performed a full investigation four times in its hist

nbc's sam brock picks up the coverage near the scene in surfside. >> reporter: in surfside right now the massive search and rescue efforts continuing after a partial building collapse overnight. imagine, for the folks that live in this condominium builder over my shoulder, at roughly 1:30 in the morning, we heard reports of booms, what felt like a bomb and the collapse. you see the teams over my shoulder, 55 units wiped out, reduced to rubble. the question this morning, how many people are they searching for? are there higher numbers of fatalities. we know of one confirmed fatality at this point, ten people treated on scene. >> i don't even want to think about it. we did hear screams. i couldn't tell where they were coming from, from the rubble, from the apartment, people on their balconies waving flash lieds. >>> mayor daniella levine cava says there's reunification crews on side, but also chaplains still missed loved ones right now. in the place i'm standing right now, there are mobile forensic lab units. they're clearing out the space. we don't know what they're going to find. in

sam brock is covering that part of the story. >> reporter: above the rubble of the smoldering 12-story high-rise and the desperate search for survivors, here's a look at the devastation before and after. the collapse wiping out a huge part of the building now accelerated efforts to find out what caused it how soon do you think they'll start the investigation? >> i think the investigation has already started. >> reporter: fiu's dr. atorod azizinamini says investigators can review design documents and then take samples of th debris and see if they match. >> they're going to look at becaus designers specify, a concrete with this much strength i want a steel that has this strength. so they want to make sure that the contractors used that type of material. >> reporter: with an incredibly active scene today and new federal presence arriving in surfside the national institute of standards and technology or nist specialized investigators for buildings. so what would trigger a nist launch on to a scene? >> principle criteria that we apply is a large loss of life or the potential for large loss