Miami-Dade mayor signs local state of emergency as Tropical Storm Elsa barrels towards Florida posing threat to Miami condo rescue

Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava signed off on a local state of emergency Saturday as the region prepares for the possible effects of Tropical Storm Elsa. 

Hurricane-related weather would be bad news for the Florida town of Surfside, near Miami, where rescuers arae working through the rubble of a collapsed condo building.

Meteorologists predict the eye of the storm won't directly hit the area, but Surfside and the surrounding municipalities could feel the brunt of strong wind gusts. 

As of an updated count on Saturday morning, there are now 24 confirmed victims, with 124 people remaining unaccounted for.

During a press conference, Levine Cava praised first responders and provided various updates before diving into the state of emergency. 

'This morning, I signed a local state of emergency for Hurricane Elsa and out of an abundance of caution, we are ensuring that we are mobilizing everything we need in the county to prepare for any possible impacts,' Levine Cava stated.

Declaring the state of emergency will help redirect additional resources to the area, with the governor already pledging to put a special emphasis on the rescue site during comments on Friday. 

Search and rescue personnel work at the site of a collapsed Florida condominium complex in Surfside, Miami

Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava signed off on a local state of emergency Saturday as the region prepares for the possible effects of Tropical Storm Elsa

Members of the South Florida Urban Search and Rescue team walk near the Champlain Towers South condo building

The hurricane could hit Florida anywhere between Monday and Tuesday based on the latest update from the NHC

'There still is a lot of uncertainty about the path... but we are continuing to monitor closely and if there are any potential impacts to Miami-Dade, we are ready,' Levine Cava said.  

She urged everyone at home to take precautions, saying 'you know what to do.' She also said officials will continue to receive and provide necessary updates.

NBC 6 reports that the Monroe County Emergency Management activated its Incident Management Team as well in preparation for possible landfall on Monday.

Additionally, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced a state of emergency for multiple counties across the state. 

DeSantis said during Saturday morning's press conference that they wouldn't let people who escaped go back and get their possessions before the demolition. 

'At the end of the day, that building is too unsafe to let people go back in,' DeSantis said. 'I know there’s a lot of people who were able to get out, fortunately, who have things there. We’re very sensitive to that. But I don’t think that there’s any way you could let someone go back up into that building given the shape that it’s in now.'

A view of waves in the avenue of the Malecon, during the passage of Elsa in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

A motorcycle drives in intense waves in the avenue of the Malecon, during the passage of Tropical Storm Elsa 

Florida could see winds of 20 to 30mph when Tropical Storm Elsa arrives in the coming days

According to NHC's latest advisory, Tropical Storm Elsa could hit Florida some time early on Monday morning

Tropical Storm Elsa churned through the Caribbean early Saturday, bringing powerful winds and threatening to pile further misery on violence-wracked Haiti.

The storm weakened slightly overnight and was packing maximum sustained winds of 75mph. It was downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm at 11am on Saturday, when it had maximum sustained winds of 70mph.

At 8am, it was just south of Hispaniola - which is made up of Haiti and the Dominican Republic - and moving northwest at 31 mph, the US National Hurricane Center said.

By 11am, the storm was moving west northwest at 29mph, the NHC said. 

'On the forecast track, Elsa will move near the southern coast of Hispaniola later today and tonight, and move near Jamaica and portions of eastern Cuba on Sunday,' the NHC said.

'By Monday, Elsa is expected to move across central and western Cuba and head toward the Florida Straits.'

Rainfall, storm surges and strong winds from Elsa could affect the Florida Keys and parts of the Florida peninsula early next week, but this depends on how the storm behaves after it hits large Caribbean islands, the NHC said.

The storm system's projected path has it making potential landfall on Florida around Monday morning at the earliest, though a Tuesday arrival is more likely. 

'I would say at this point, with a tropical storm being forecast, it isn't unreasonable for South Floridians to be ready for the potential of a Category 1 hurricane knocking on our door early next week,' said Robert Garcia, a meteorologist with the National Hurricane Center, according to the paper.

'It is something that can't be ruled out, and folks should be aware that's something we may have to prepare for here during the holiday weekend.'

As of an updated count on Saturday, there are now 24 confirmed victims, with 124 people remaining unaccounted for

The remaining structure of the collapsed Florida condo will be demolished with controlled charges on Sunday amid fears that Tropical Storm Elsa will topple the what's left of the building on the rescue crews

In their 11am advisory on Saturday, the NHC warned of possible flash flooding and and minor river flooding in the Florida Keys and southern Florida next week.

The NHC said Elsa could bring tidal surges of as much as five feet above normal on Cuba's southern coast; up to four feet on the southern coast of Hispaniola; and up to three feet on the coast of Jamaica.

The remaining structure of the collapsed Florida condo will be demolished with controlled charges on Sunday amid fears that Tropical Storm Elsa will topple the what's left of the building on the rescue crews. 

Officials told the families of people still missing in the rubble of their decision on Saturday. 

There are still 124 people missing, and the death toll is now 24 after two more victims were found last night.

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, left, and his wife Casey leave flags at a makeshift memorial near the Champlain Towers South

In terms of the demolition, officials were told Friday evening that it would take weeks to safely level the remaining structure, but Cava said the Phoenix-based demolition company Controlled Demolition Inc. came forward last night. 

She said they work fast, studied the scene and said they could demolish the building before the storm reaches Southeast Florida. 

Fire Rescue Assistant Fire Chief Raide Jadallah said the remnants of the demolished building would be removed immediately after with the intent of giving rescuers access for the first time to the garage area that is the focus of the search.

Currently, rescuers can't go above the first floor.