Tropical Storm Elsa has hit the coast of Florida, and rescuers are now frantically searching for nine missing people.
According to The South Florida Sun-Sentinel, the storm has killed at least one person at the time of writing, while nine others have gone missing in the waters off of Key West.
Per the above publication, coastguard teams confirmed that cargo vessel Western Carmen pulled two people from the water on Tuesday while crew members on board the cutter Thetis rescued 10 others. Three other people were rescued several hours later.
The National Weather Service claims that tornado warnings have been put in place until 1 PM Eastern Time for Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia after winds speeds of 70 mph were recorded in both states.
A number of residents in Tampa were hit with blackouts when Elsa cut off electricity supplies after making landfall just after midday on Wednesday afternoon.
Meanwhile, National Hurricane Center meteorologists have claimed that potential twisters are possible across South Florida and the peninsula, and have urged Floridians to remain indoors and stay cautious.
These efforts come in the midst of a continuing recovery operation at the site of the recent Miami condo collapse, which NBC News reports has killed 54 and left 86 people unaccounted for.
The storm curtailed recovery efforts - and a later video shared by the Miami-Dade County Fire Rescue Department showed dozens of people working in the rubble as tarps and tents waved in the wind and palm trees swayed alarmingly.
Commenting on the inclement weather's effect on first responders, Miami-Dade Fire Chief Alan Cominsky stated per NBC that:
"Crews worked under arduous conditions through rain, smoke, fire, and even imminent danger of a secondary collapse.
"The men and women who arrived here in the early morning hours of June 24 did not anticipate the tragedy that had unfolded before their eyes.
"These courageous individuals saw the possibility to save lives at the risk of losing their own and immediately acted."
Rescuers have been forced to partially demolish a section of rubble, due to fears of the dangers posed by storm Elsa.
