The mayor of Davenport, Iowa said that after a 52-year old woman was rescued from an partially collapsed apartment building in Davenport on Monday, he was “evaluating” a plan announced previously to tear down the structure quickly.
Lisa Brooks, who had been hiding for more than 24 hour under a couch in the upper floors of the six-story building, was rescued by authorities and her family.
Relatives say she felt the partial collapse of the building Sunday, and reacted with instincts to fight or flight: she dived under furniture and stayed in place.
Family members reported that she appeared to be in a unit unaffected, but when her phone began working again, called for assistance.
The crowd of about 100 onlookers greeted her as others staged spontaneous protests against the decision by the city to demolish the 116-year old building as early as Tuesday.
It is not common to see a rush from search and rescue to recovery. Search-and-rescue operations continued in 2021 for two weeks in a building collapse in Surfside Florida. Ultimately, 96 people died.
Brooks is the second person to be rescued after seven others were pulled from the building immediately following the collapse on Sunday at 5 pm. This brings the total number of people rescued up to nine.
Authorities and family members reported Monday that a woman who was trapped in rubble and rescued on Monday evening has been hospitalized and is in a critical condition. Her wife identified her as Quanishia Berry White.
Davenport Fire chief Mike Carlsten reported that an additional dozen residents were able to leave the building immediately, with the assistance of first responders.
Carlsten announced at a Monday morning news conference that the operation was shifting to recovery mode. By late morning, the city had confirmed the change.
The city stated that demolition would begin in the morning.
Recovery mode is a sign that there are no survivors left. The apparent instability of this brick-over steel-and-concrete building, which was the city’s first hotel in 1907 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is one factor.
Carlsten stated at the Monday news conference that the conditions of the remaining parts of the building pose a danger to everyone inside, including the rescue crews. He said that the building was structurally unsound at this time.
Officials from the city planned to hold a press conference for 10 a.m. on Tuesday.
