Royal Caribbean offering free housing on cruise ship to rescuers working on collapsed Florida condo
Royal Caribbean opened one of its cruise ships Friday to host hundreds of visiting first responders working on the site of last week’s horrific collapse of a South Florida condo building.
The company said it would provide free housing, hot meals, laundry service and Wi-Fi to about 600 emergency workers who have come from around the country and overseas to help look for survivors of the June 24 disaster in the Miami-area town of Surfside.
It was a welcome move since area hotels are packed for the July 4 holiday weekend and the search-and-rescue operation is set to continue for days. The partial collapse of the 12-story Champlain Tower South on June 24 killed at least 22 people, but crews are still digging through the rubble in hopes to find survivors — or recover some of the 128 people still unaccounted for.
The cruise line said first responders would be staying in individual staterooms aboard its Explorer of the Seas vessel, which can house more than 3,000 passengers.
“This tragedy in our own backyard is heart-wrenching,” said Richard Fain, Royal Caribbean’s chairman and CEO. “Our thoughts are with the families and our whole community, and our thanks go out to the hardworking search and rescue teams. Providing them shelter is a small way to show our support.”
Search-and-rescue teams — including their dogs — were set to board the ship in groups of 80 at a time, the company said in a news release. The Explorer was docked at PortMiami, though the vessel may have to move if Hurricane Elsa becomes a serious threat to the area, port officials told The Miami Herald.
The Category 1 storm, which was moving through the eastern Caribbean on Friday, is likely to have an effect on the Florida Keys and parts of the Florida peninsula early next week, according to the National Hurricane Center. Elsa was packing sustained winds of almost 85 mph, with highest gusts, as it moved west-northwest at 30 mph.
Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said local and state officials were closely watching the storm and working on contingency plans. The mayor praised Royal Caribbean for offering its ship to first responders amid the hotel shortage in the Miami area.
“This incredible act of kindness and generosity from our friends at Royal Caribbean is deeply appreciated by our entire community,” Cava said in a statement.
“Over the past nine days, our first responders have been working under dangerous, stressful conditions to move our Search and Rescue mission forward through so many unprecedented challenges,” she said. “These accommodations will provide them with a much-needed respite and opportunity to rest and recharge for their next shift and are yet another example of how our local and global community has come together in the aftermath of tragedy.”
