It’s Tuesday, July 6th - and NBC 6 has the top stories for the day.
No. 1 - Tropical Storm Elsa is back over water Tuesday as it is expected to move near the lower Florida Keys and the Dry Tortugas as soon as the morning hours.
The latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center has Elsa with winds of 60 miles per hour while sitting 50 miles south-southwest of Key West. The storm is moving north-northwest at 12 miles per hour. Miami-Dade and Broward counties were out of the cone of concern for major impacts from Elsa, while a tropical storm warning remained in effect for the Florida Keys from Craig Key west to the Dry Tortugas, along with much of Florida's west coast from Flamingo to the Ochlockonee River.
No. 2 - Mandatory evacuations in Monroe County were not expected for this storm, with parts of the Lower Keys getting tropical storm force winds between 30 and 50 miles per hour late Monday night and early Tuesday morning. “We hope visitors will consider extending their stay through Wednesday, when we are expecting normal summertime conditions to resume,” Monroe County Administrator Roman Gastesi said. “We’re just asking folks to be out of harm's way, out of the winds.” Some residents in the Florida Keys said they are going to stay and ride the storm out. Elsa is forecast to move near or over portions of the west coast of Florida by late Tuesday and continuing into Wednesday.
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No. 3 - Rescuers searched through fresh rubble Monday after the last of the collapsed Florida condo building was demolished, which allowed crews into previously inaccessible places, including bedrooms where people were believed to be sleeping at the time of the disaster, officials said.
Crews were able to search all sections of the grid following the demolition, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said in an evening news briefing. Four more victims were discovered in the rubble Monday, raising the death toll to 28 people. Another 117 people remain unaccounted for. The demolition late Sunday was crucial to the search-and-rescue effort, officials said, and raised the prospect that crews could increase both the pace of their work and the number of searchers at the site, although the chance of finding survivors 12 days after the June 24 collapse has diminished.
No. 4 - Rescue teams combed through closets, looked under beds and even used drones with thermal imaging as they looked for pets that might have been left in the ruins of Champlain Towers South before a decision was made to demolish the still-standing section of the building, officials said Monday.
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The building was imploded on Sunday night, more than a week after it had partially collapsed, killing more than two dozen people and leaving more than 115 still missing. Levine Cava said first responders used drones with thermal imaging over the rubble pile and in the tower and other areas that were not safe for humans. She also said doorways were opened, providing other ways for any missing pets to escape the building, and live animal traps were placed on balconies “at great personal risk” to rescue workers.
No. 5 - Tzvi Ainsworth was very devoted to this wife, Ingrid. The two are the latest identified victims of the condo collapse in Surfside.
"Like a terrible nightmare, can’t wake up," said Rabbi Aryeh Citron, who leads the Surfside Minyan Synagogue -- a small congregation that sits just blocks from where the Champlain Towers used to be. Six families in Rabbi Citron's congregation are either survivors of the collapse, still missing, or have been recovered. Tzvi, 68, was a senior member of the congregation. He never missed services -- unless it was to take care of his wife, who was also known as Itty. To hear how the congregation is dealing with the pain of their recent losses, click here for the story from NBC 6 reporter Julie Leonardi.
No. 6 - If you don't know about Greco-Roman Wrestling, you will after meeting Alejandro Sancho. The athlete not only qualified for the Tokyo Olympics in the sport, but he's also a specialist in the U.S. Army.
The 27-year-old is also proud of his Cuban roots. His family came over from the island nation and he was born in Miami. Sancho says his hyper energy as a kid got him to the mat and he quickly found his footing in the intense sport of Greco-Roman wrestling. To hear why Sancho is no stranger to competition even as he heads into his first Olympics, click here for the story from NBC 6 reporter Amanda Plasencia.
