'Focus In On Trying To Find Survivors': Senator Marco Rubio On Surfside Search & Rescue Operation
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Senator Marco Rubio has applauded the tremendous emergency response in a search and rescue operation at the site of a condo collapse in Surfside.
Appearing on CBS's Face the Nation on Sunday morning, he told host John Dickerson over the last four days, the difference is night and day.
"Well, I was there on Thursday night, and I can tell you from Thursday night to yesterday Saturday) afternoon, the entire scene has changed. There's a tremendous response. Here in Florida, we're very blessed to have some of the best search and rescue teams and task force in the country. So that's changed, it's just a huge big setup, almost a tent city there. I think what we've learned is what's been announced to the public. I think the officials have been very good in South Florida about sharing with people what they know.
Rubio said the first priority is the people.
"Right now, 99 percent of the focus is on trying to find any survivors and give these families closure on this terrible tragedy, even as already thoughts are coming into places of, you know, why this happened so that it never happens again," he said.
The senator said one of the unique things about this building is it had a substantial number of people that were foreign nationals who were owners or renters and that were and that were in the rubble.
Rubio, who sits on the Foreign Relations Committee, said the State Department is helping with getting their family members emergency visas to come to the U.S.
"So the State Department is on site. It's going to help expedite the visa process as some arrangements have to be made for relatives to come. But sadly, we know that there may have to be arrangements made where, you know, the bodies, the remains of those to be sent overseas, if they're going to be buried there or cremated there, or their family's going to do services there. So there's a lot of work to do there," he said.
Rubio said finding out what caused the tower to collapse will come in time and nothing should be ruled out.
"I think, obviously, everything needs to be on the table. Whatever the cause was, whatever contributed to it, we need to know it. I don't think we should be in a position now ruling anything out because we just don't know. And it's important not just to provide certainty about what happened here, but from that information, I would imagine you can deduce whether other places are similarly in danger and what we need to do moving forward to protect against it."
