Lincoln responder helps in recovery efforts at Surfside collapse

A local fire chief at the scene says rescuers are taking 16 to 18-hour shifts, digging through tons of rubble to find those left in the Champlain Tower Collapse.

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — A local fire chief at the scene says rescuers are taking 16 to 18-hour shifts, digging through tons of rubble to find those left in the Champlain Tower Collapse.

Brad Thavenet is the chief of Nebraska’s Task Force One.
He’s one of the hundreds of rescuers searching to recover missing people at the building collapse in Surfside.

“I would be amiss if I told you it wasn’t very mentally taxing and physically taxing,” said Thavenet.
He says so far they have removed 7000 tons from the pile.

Thavenet compares the teamwork on the pile to a line of ants on an anthill.
“It’s almost like pulverized rocks, like boulders, very few bigger pieces of concrete,” said Thavenet. “The most challenging is the rebar. I would comp it as a giant bowl full of spaghetti. You have twisted mangled rebar that is about an inch and a half around that you are trying to just cut.”

He met with families of many faiths as they paid tributes to those lost, the building falling at 1:23 am, 2 weeks ago this Thursday.

“Last night at 1900 hours we had a 93 second stop that is a memorial for all those individuals that passed,” said Thavenet.

Thavenet says the shifts can be long but everyone he talks to seems to be in high spirit.

“I can probably speak for everybody we are 100 percent motivated by bringing closure to the families who lost loved ones here.”

He adds representing his state while helping others in need is an honor and he does not see an end date in sight for the responders.