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(NEW YORK) — The tropical storm’s path is sparing Miami, where rescuers are still searching for victims of the deadly Surfside condo collapse.

Elsa will pass the Tampa Bay area overnight Tuesday into Wednesday and is forecast to make landfall just north of Tampa Bay before sunrise.

Tampa International Airport is suspending operations at 5 p.m. Tuesday with plans to resume at 10 a.m. Wednesday.

Elsa’s winds are expected to reach 70 mph at the time of landfall; storms need winds 74 mph or higher to be considered a hurricane.

Storm surge could reach 5 feet around Tampa Bay, an area very susceptible to flooding due to the coastal, low-lying topography.

The heaviest rainfall — 6 to 10 inches — will be north of Tampa.

Flooding is possible for most of Florida — from Naples to Jacksonville — and could extend into Georgia.

Residents should be prepared to be without power for the next few days, but widespread evacuations aren’t expected, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday.

After barreling through Florida, Elsa will join a cold front and will become a hybrid storm system, bringing heavy rain and gusty winds to Georgia, the Carolinas and the mid-Atlantic by later in the week.

Elsa is expected to reemerge off the New Jersey coast, dropping heavy rain and winds on Atlantic City, New York City, Long Island, Boston and Cape Cod.

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At least 32 people, including three children, have been confirmed dead and 113 others remain unaccounted for since a 12-story residential building partially collapsed in South Florida’s Miami-Dade County last month.

Four more bodies were recovered, officials announced Tuesday morning.

The partial collapse occurred around 1:15 a.m. on June 24 at the Champlain Towers South condominium in the small, beachside town of Surfside, about 6 miles north of Miami Beach. Approximately 55 of the oceanfront complex’s 136 units were destroyed, according to officials. Since then, hundreds of first responders have been carefully combing through the pancaked layers of debris in hopes of finding survivors.

The part of the building that remained standing was cleared of any people or pets before it was demolished on Sunday night, due to concerns about its structural integrity. However, it was too dangerous for surviving residents to enter the building to retrieve their belongings, officials said.

“Obviously it wasn’t worth that risk,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said during a press conference in Surfside on Monday. “We cannot lose any more people.”

The massive search and rescue mission is now in its 13th day, as teams are able to operate at full capacity and search in areas that were previously inaccessible. At least four more bodies have been recovered from the wreckage since the demolition.

“The heavy equipment is now able to move around the site as needed,” Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett said at the press conference. “The looming threat of that building, the dangerous situation where debris could fall down is now eliminated.”

Burkett told reporters that the search and rescue operation will continue 24 hours a day until everyone is pulled from the rubble. But the hope that more people would be found alive appeared to be fading, as no survivors have been discovered in the debris since the morning of the partial collapse. Among those recently found dead was the 7-year-old daughter of a Miami firefighter.

Meanwhile, 190 people who were living or staying in the condominium at the time of the disaster have been accounted for and are safe, according to Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, who has stressed that the figures are “very fluid.”

Video released by the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue on Monday night showed crews working atop the pile, braving the elements as Tropical Storm Elsa approached the Sunshine State.

The incoming storm, which has weakened from a hurricane, initiated the discussion about demolishing the rest of the building and fast-tracked the process, according to Burkett. Elsa made landfall in Cuba on Monday and by Tuesday morning, the storm’s center was moving through Key West with maximum sustained winds of 60 miles per hour, according to the National Weather Service.

The cause of the partial collapse to a building that has withstood decades of hurricanes remains unknown and is under investigation.

Built in the 1980s, the Champlain Towers South was up for its 40-year recertification and had been undergoing roof work — with more renovations planned — when it partially collapsed, according to officials.

A structural field survey report from October 2018, which was among hundreds of pages of public documents released by the town of Surfside late Sunday, said the waterproofing below the condominium’s pool deck and entrance drive was failing and causing “major structural damage to the concrete structural slab below these areas.”

A slew of lawsuits against the Champlain Towers South Condo Association have already been filed on behalf of survivors and victims, alleging the partial collapse could have been avoided and that the association knew or should have known about the structural damage. A spokesperson for the association told ABC News they cannot comment on pending litigation but that their “focus remains on caring for our friends and neighbors during this difficult time.”

The association’s board released a statement last Friday saying its surviving members “have concluded that, in the best interest of all concerned parties, an independent Receiver should be appointed to oversee the legal and claims process.”

“We know that answers will take time as part of a comprehensive investigation,” the statement continued, “and we will continue to work with city, state, local, and federal officials in their rescue efforts, and to understand the causes of this tragedy.”

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(NEW YORK) — David and Sabrina Jaramillo took their family to an amusement park on Saturday to celebrate their eldest son’s birthday, hoping to “have a good time.” But a tragic accident on a water ride left one of their children dead and another in a medically induced coma.

“I will never get a chance to see him grow up or get a chance to see him graduate,” Sabrina Jaramillo told ABC News in an exclusive interview that aired Tuesday on Good Morning America.

“He was just taken from us,” David Jaramillo added. “Love your kids. You just don’t know when they’ll be taken.”

The Jaramillos had gone on several other rides before getting in line for the Raging River at Adventureland Park, a family-owned amusement park in Altoona, a suburb of Iowa’s capital city, Des Moines. The parents boarded a raft with their 15-year-old son, David, their 11-year-old son, Michael, their youngest son, Gus, and their niece, Mila. As they buckled their seatbelts and embarked on the river rapids ride, their tube suddenly flipped over, leaving them all trapped underwater.

“I see the silhouettes of my sons trying to grab each other, grab us,” the father recalled. “They want us to help them. We couldn’t do it.”

Both parents as well as one of their sons and their niece ultimately managed to break free and swim to the surface. But David and Michael were still stuck and no one could reach them.

“I’m drowning,” the father said. “The river was so intense, it was like a suction.”

The family screamed for help. Witnesses and first responders jumped in the water and eventually helped get the other kids out of the tube.

Both David and Michael were transported to a local hospital in critical condition, while the others were treated for minor injuries. Michael died from his injuries on Sunday, while David remains hospitalized in critical condition, according to the Altoona Police Department.

“Our thoughts and prayers are are with the Jaramillo family as they navigate the heartbreaking loss of their child,” police said in a statement Monday. “Altoona Detective are working with the State Inspector and Adventureland Park to understand this tragic accident.”

The Jaramillos described Michael as a “good kid.”

“His heart was bigger than him,” the father told ABC News.

“He was a baby and I feel like Adventureland robbed me of my baby,” the mother added, breaking down in tears.

Adventureland Park said in a statement Sunday that it was “saddened to learn of the passing of one Guest.” An investigation into the deadly incident is ongoing and the ride remains closed for a “thorough inspection,” the park said. The Raging River ride was last inspected on Friday and “was found to be in sound working order,” according to the park.

“Adventureland is working closely with both the State and local authorities, and would like to thank them again for their efforts,” the park added. “At this time, we ask for your thoughts and prayers for the Guest and their family, as well as for our team members who were onsite.”

An attorney for Adventureland Park insisted that the Raging River ride is “safe.”

“The Raging River ride has been in operation for nearly four decades,” the attorney told ABC News in a statement Monday. “The ride was inspected by the State of Iowa the day before the incident and was in good working order.”

But it’s not the first fatal accident to occur on that ride. A seasonal employee, 68-year-old Steve Booher, was killed in June 2106 after falling onto the conveyor belt while helping guests get in and out of their rafts.

The Jaramillos have been in the hospital by David’s side, waiting for their eldest son to wake up from the medically induced coma as he fights for his life. He turns 16 on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, their youngest son, Gus, is struggling to cope with what happened.

“He’s scared. It is a nightmare,” the father told ABC News. “He closes his eyes and thinks about the water. When he wakes up, he realizes the nightmare’s true. So there’s no peace.”

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(HOUSTON) — Two women have been arrested for allegedly stealing a 14-week-old French bulldog puppy worth thousands of dollars from a Texas pet store.

The alleged theft occurred at approximately 12:25 p.m. at the Petland Woodlands store in Shenandoah, about 30 miles north of Houston. Local police received a call from the pet store saying that two women had just run out of the establishment with a puppy, according to a report from ABC News’ Houston station KTRK-TV.

“[The two women] asked to see a French bulldog, which we allowed them to see per our protocol, and they immediately took the dog and ran out the door,” Petland Woodlands manager Andrew Jones told KTRK. “Our employees went outside to get a description of the vehicle.”

Jones said his employees immediately called 911 and that authorities found the two women near the Woodlands Mall, attempting to reattach the license plates onto a silver Chrysler PT Cruiser that they allegedly fled the scene of the crime in.

“They were smart enough to take the license plate off but not smart enough to wait until they were further away before they put it back on,” Jones told KTRK.

Both women were taken into custody on July 5, shortly after the incident. It was unclear what charges they face.

The puppy, named Mario, who is worth an estimated $10,000, was returned to the pet store, where he is doing well and receiving a lot of attention, according to Jones.

Jones said it’s not the first time that this kind of theft has been attempted at one of his stores.

“This happens more often than we would like to say,” he told KTRK. “French bulldogs are very highly sought after and, as a result, it is what people are attempting to steal.”

Jones said his business has procedures in place to prevent such burglaries, including a security system with 36 different cameras and additional staff members on the clock.

The store also asks for proof of identity if someone expresses interest in buying a puppy but does not require ID just to play with the dogs because it is important for the animals to get as much play time as possible, according to Jones, who said he will be evaluating if this is the safest and most secure procedure.

“We are relieved that Mario was safely returned to his Petland family and that he is unharmed,” he told KTRK. “Our thanks to the dedicated men and women of the Shenandoah Police Department for responding immediately and helping us bring Mario home.”

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(SURFSIDE, Fla.) — At least 28 people, including three children, have been confirmed dead and 117 others remain unaccounted for since a 12-story residential building partially collapsed in South Florida’s Miami-Dade County last month.

The partial collapse occurred around 1:15 a.m. on June 24 at the Champlain Towers South condominium in the small, beachside town of Surfside, about 6 miles north of Miami Beach. Approximately 55 of the oceanfront complex’s 136 units were destroyed, according to officials. Since then, hundreds of first responders have been carefully combing through the pancaked layers of debris in hopes of finding survivors.

The part of the building that remained standing was cleared of any people or pets before it was demolished on Sunday night, due to concerns about its structural integrity. However, it was too dangerous for surviving residents to enter the building to retrieve their belongings, officials said.

“Obviously it wasn’t worth that risk,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said during a press conference in Surfside on Monday. “We cannot lose any more people.”

The massive search and rescue mission is now in its 13th day, as teams are able to operate at full capacity and search in areas that were previously inaccessible. At least four more bodies have been recovered from the wreckage since the demolition.

“The heavy equipment is now able to move around the site as needed,” Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett said at the press conference. “The looming threat of that building, the dangerous situation where debris could fall down is now eliminated.”

Burkett told reporters that the search and rescue operation will continue 24 hours a day until everyone is pulled from the rubble. But the hope that more people would be found alive appeared to be fading, as no survivors have been discovered in the debris since the morning of the partial collapse. Among those recently found dead was the 7-year-old daughter of a Miami firefighter.

Meanwhile, 190 people who were living or staying in the condominium at the time of the disaster have been accounted for and are safe, according to Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, who has stressed that the figures are “very fluid.”

Video released by the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue on Monday night showed crews working atop the pile, braving the elements as Tropical Storm Elsa approached the Sunshine State.

The incoming storm, which has weakened from a hurricane, initiated the discussion about demolishing the rest of the building and fast-tracked the process, according to Burkett. Elsa made landfall in Cuba on Monday and by early Tuesday, the storm’s center was about 50 miles west of Key West, according to the National Weather Service.

The cause of the partial collapse to a building that has withstood decades of hurricanes remains unknown and is under investigation.

Built in the 1980s, the Champlain Towers South was up for its 40-year recertification and had been undergoing roof work — with more renovations planned — when it partially collapsed, according to officials.

A structural field survey report from October 2018, which was among hundreds of pages of public documents released by the town of Surfside late Sunday, said the waterproofing below the condominium’s pool deck and entrance drive was failing and causing “major structural damage to the concrete structural slab below these areas.”

A slew of lawsuits against the Champlain Towers South Condo Association have already been filed on behalf of survivors and victims, alleging the partial collapse could have been avoided and that the association knew or should have known about the structural damage. A spokesperson for the association told ABC News they cannot comment on pending litigation but that their “focus remains on caring for our friends and neighbors during this difficult time.”

The association’s board released a statement last Friday saying its surviving members “have concluded that, in the best interest of all concerned parties, an independent Receiver should be appointed to oversee the legal and claims process.”

“We know that answers will take time as part of a comprehensive investigation,” the statement continued, “and we will continue to work with city, state, local, and federal officials in their rescue efforts, and to understand the causes of this tragedy.”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — Child drownings are on the rise, according to a new report, and experts warn that the pandemic has also put kids at an increased drowning risk this year.

“It was really hard for people to access swimming lessons last year,” Dr. Ben Hoffman, chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Injury, Violence and Poison Prevention, told ABC News’ Good Morning America. “And from what I understand this year, it still remains challenging, because things have booked up pretty early.”

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recently found an increase in pool- or spa-related fatal drowning incidents among children under age 15. There were a total of 404 fatalities in 2018, compared to 395 in 2017 and 392 in 2016.

While there was a decrease in non-fatal injuries in 2020 — 5,800 injuries related to pool or spa submersions in children under 15 compared to the 6,300 in 2019 and 6,400 in 2018 — the report states that the decrease was likely due to COVID-19, which saw the shutdown of public spaces nationwide.

Now, with the country reopening, experts say that we could see those numbers rise once again.

“Year over year, we’ve almost doubled our drownings, unfortunately,” Dr. Patrick Mularoni, a pediatric emergency physician at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, said.

Of those reported fatal drowning incidents between 2016 and 2018, 75% involved children under age 5, and 83% occurred at residential pools.

Last June, Emily Friske was isolating with her family in Valley Center, California, when her daughter Addie wandered off to the family pool. Friske later found Addie in it, on her side and not breathing.

“It’s every parent’s worst nightmare,” Friske told Good Morning America.

A former EMT, Friske and her husband, Jordan, performed CPR on Addie until an ambulance arrived.

“I thought, ‘This can’t be happening to us,'” Friske said.

Addie didn’t have a pulse for 20 minutes, and doctors worried she would have brain damage as a result, but she was awake within 24 hours. Her pediatrician called her recovery “miraculous” and told the family that doing CPR made all the difference.

“Please learn CPR,” Friske urged other families.

Learning CPR is among the CPSC’s top advice for how families can visit the pool safely this summer, particularly as experts warn that the pandemic has only increased the risk of drownings for children.

“As we enter the summer months, parents and caregivers must be mindful of the pandemic’s impact on their children’s swimming ability and water safety skills,” Robert Adler, the CPSC acting chairman, said in a statement.

Other advice from the CPSC includes never leaving a child in or near water unattended and installing proper barriers around a pool.

“Make sure that you designate someone to keep an eye on the children in and around the water each and every time,” Nychelle Fleming of the CPSC said.

But chiefly among these tips is making sure children know how to swim.

“As pools start to open up, I think it’s very important for parents to sign their children up for swim classes and get those kids learning how to swim,” Mularoni said.

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