Crews spend 5th day atop shaky pile of collapsed concrete

Raide Jadallah, Miami-Dade Assistant Fire Chief, stated during a news conference that every action has a reaction. We could attach a few cords to a concrete rock and lift it, but that's not the issue.He noted that rescuers fell 25 feet down the pile, underscoring the dangers of the work. He said that both victims and workers must be taken into consideration.He said that it will take time. It won't happen overnight. It is a 12-story building.On Monday, relatives continued their visits. More than twenty-four family members watched as search teams excavated the building site from a nearby building. For support, some held on to each other. Others hugged each other and offered prayers. Others took photographs.This intense effort involves firefighters, sniffer dogs, and search experts using radar or sonar devices.A crane lifted a large slab concrete from the debris pile. This allowed rescuers wearing hard hats to enter and transport smaller pieces of debris into red buckets. These are then emptied into larger bins for a crane. The initial search was complicated by intermittent rain showers. However, the fires that had impeded the work were put out.Jimmy Patronis, Florida's chief financial officer, and state fire marshal said that it was the largest deployment in Florida history of such resources that wasn't due to a hurricane. He stated that the Surfside event saw the same number people as Hurricane Michael's aftermath, which was a Category 5 hurricane that ravaged 12 counties in 2018.Patronis stated that they work around the clock. They work 12 hours a day, from midnight to midnight to midnight.Andy Alvarez was a deputy incident commander for Miami-Dade Fire Rescue. He said that rescuers were able to locate some spaces or voids in the wreckage, mostly in basement and parking garage.Alvarez stated that more than 80 rescuers are currently working to reach the voids in the buildings that have collapsed.Alvarez said that we were able to tunnel through this building. It is a mad search for the miracle that will allow us to bring people out of this building alive.Others were overwhelmed by the enormity of the task ahead, even though they had seen the wreckage close up. Alfredo Lopez, a man who lived in a six-floor corner apartment with his wife and narrowly escaped death, stated that it is hard to believe that anyone is still alive among the rubble.You saw nothingness, that's what you would see. Then you look over there and see all the rubble. Lopez explained to The Associated Press how anyone can survive such a situation.Although most rescue teams were local, some came from other places, including the small rescue team from Cadena International, a Mexican group.The small, portable microwave radar device used by the group to detect heartbeats up to 40 feet under and within concrete slabs was used to locate them. Ricardo Aizenman said that the group hadn't detected any heartbeats or other sounds as of Monday.We are still working hard and are hopeful for a miracle. He also said that the 72-hour window is the best for rescue.