Hurricane Ida: Elite Miami Task Force 2 that battled Katrina heads to Louisiana
Louisiana is going to need all the help it can get in the face of Hurricane Ida, which is forecast to strengthen to a Category 4 storm. And the South Florida Urban Search and Rescue Team is all geared up to deploy teams and utility crews as needed to help Louisiana battle out the natural disaster.
Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, who also acts as the state fire marshal, has confirmed that Florida's search-and-rescue teams will be helping with storm recovery. This is in spite of the fact that no part of Florida was in the hurricane forecast cone. A hurricane warning, however, had been issued for coastal areas of Louisiana and the New Orleans area. Some of the elite teams that will assist in the storm recovery include the South Florida Urban Search and Rescue Team - also called Miami Task Force 2, and who helped out during the recent Surfside condo collapse.
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South Florida Urban Search and Rescue Team
According to the FEMA website, "Since 1991, the South Florida Urban Search and Rescue Team (FL-TF2) has been serving the national community in times of need. The team is designed to respond to a variety of disasters, including earthquakes, hurricanes, typhoons, storms and tornadoes, floods, dam failures, technological accidents, terrorist activities and hazardous materials releases where victims may be trapped, lost or injured. With only 3 1/2 hours notice, this nationally recognized group can be on its way with 80 highly trained members and thousands of dollars worth of specialized tools and equipment to a community in need."
The team is sponsored by the City of Miami, which provides administrative staffing, warehouse space and other infrastructure needs. “Embedded in our task force is 80 members that are incorporated, you have hazmat technicians rescue specialist, swift water component,” said Assistant Fire Chief Scott Dean. “We take everything. We take hazmat equipment to make sure that it’s safe for us to breathe and we take our dogs. We take all our logistical equipment, so we have a place to sleep at night.”
The team is also composed of experts from 23 additional fire and police departments as well as professionals from the civilian ranks. According to Dean, the emergency crews have everything they need to stay self-sufficient for the next 14 days, including everything from forklifts to boats. Captain Ignacio Carrol said the plan is to have all their items in place before the storm arrives. “Our goal is to make our way up the state of Florida. Possibly stage somewhere outside Alabama and wait for the storm to pass by. Once the conditions are safe, we will start to maneuver into areas that have been affected by the storm,” said Carrol.
Other Florida agencies deployed for Hurricane Ida
Miami-Dade Task Force 1 is already on its way to Louisiana to help. About 40 people from Task Force 1 are part of the operation. It's ironic that Ida is scheduled to make landfall on the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. “Most of the members that are on this team actually deployed to Katrina… We’re hoping that we will not see that type of devastation that we saw before,” said Carrol.
The Florida Municipal Electric Association has announced that it has assembled crews to help with restoring electricity after the storm.
The association said nearly 85 workers from seven public utilities will arrive in Louisiana through Monday.