Condo Collapse: Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava Signs Emergency Order

MIAM (CBSMiami) – Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava has signed an emergency order to open the door for federal assistance in the Surfside condo collapse recovery efforts.

The mayor's announcement came shortly after she called on Gov. Ron DeSantis to declare a state of emergency, saying "there is no time to waste."

The governor did so late Thursday evening, Tallahassee correspondent Mike Vasilinda reported.

At a press conference earlier in the day, President Joe Biden addressed the building collapse, saying he was ready to provide assistance as soon as DeSantis declared a state of emergency.

"We've gotten in touch with FEMA, they're ready to go. The governor is going to have to – we can't, they're down inspecting what they think is needed. But I'm waiting for the governor to ask for a declared emergency, especially when we learn about what might happen with the rest of the building," he said. "So we are on top of it, we are ready to move from the federal resources immediately."

WATCH: 1-On-1 With Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava

At this time, according to Miami-Dade PD, 99 people are still unaccounted for. Cava later gave an update reporting that 102 have been accounted for.

During an 8 p.m. update, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz

said she had spoken with the White House and state emergency management leaders throughout the day.

She added that federal Government is prepared to provide whatever is needed.

So far, the state's response has included, among other things, the Florida Department of Emergency Management has deployed a State Emergency Response Team personnel deployed to assist response teams.

The governor added the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity has activated the Business Damage Assessment Survey "to gather information and ensure proper resources are available for response and recovery for the Surfside Community."

DeSantis also said displaced residents can utilize the Florida Housing and Finance Corporation rental locator at FloridaHousingSearch.org or call 877-428-8844.