Miami-Dade Dire Miscue

Rescuers battle fire, noise and shifting steel and concrete as they scramble to save lives

(CNN)

“Noise”? Ho-ho-ho. Guys, that’s okay, forget about it, go home to your air conditioning, your easy chairs, your quiet living rooms. How about a nice office job?

People can survive a week or more beneath rubble, so despite being a day-and-a-half into the rescue efforts, the mission is still at an early stage, officials said.

Are we going for the world endurance record?

On a scene so fraught with peril -- conditions are exacerbated by wind and rain, which can disturb the rubble -- those working in the debris are risking their own lives, [Raide] Jadallah [Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department] pointed out. Fires erupting from overheated lithium-ion batteries and other combustible material also pose dangers, officials said.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava echoed Jadallah's concerns.

"This work is being done at extreme risk to these individuals," the mayor said. "Debris is falling on them as they do their work. We have structural engineers on site to assure that they will not be injured, but they are proceeding because they are so motivated."

Heroes, every one.

"(Crews are) willing to put themselves in harm's way to the point of going to the edge of the bridge, going to the edge of the dock and saying, 'I'm here and I'm going to stay here and help as much as I can until somebody forces me off or the consequences of what's going on force me off,'" Hernandez said. -Joe Hernandez, an urban search-and-rescue expert.

I'm here! You're there! I'm going to stay here! You're going to stay there! I'm not going there! I'll help from here!