Two Bay Area firefighters traveled to Florida on Tuesday last week, ahead of Hurricane Helene, and a third is on the way.
They are members of California’s Task Force 4, one of 14 Urban Search and Rescue teams that were deployed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, to states affected by the storm.
Acting Assistant Chief Chris Landry from Oakland Fire Department and Assistant Chief Jeff Peter from Contra Costa Fire Protection District went to Florida. They are working on the incident support team, which coordinates with all the larger rescue teams to get boots on the ground in response to requests from state and local management agencies.
Program coordinator and Oakland Fire Department Battalion Chief Linda Buel said Monday she does not know their exact whereabouts because the team goes wherever they are needed.
Oakland’s Urban Search and Rescue Team is one of 28 nationwide that FEMA deploys around the country, Buel said. The program was formed in 1989 after the Loma Prieta quake as a way of getting help where it’s needed when emergencies happen beyond jurisdictional borders.
“That’s why eight teams are based in California,” said Buel, adding the crew can also be called on for water rescues if needed. “We are a little bit of a Swiss Army knife, in terms of capabilities, we can hit many parts of the state and the affected areas.”
According to the White House, eight teams were deployed to Florida, and four teams to North Carolina, following President Biden’s emergency declaration. All are equipped with Swift Water Rescue Capabilities to retrieve people trapped by flooding.
Hurricane Helene made landfall near midnight on Thursday, Sept. 26 near Perry, Florida, east of Tallahassee. The category 4 storm had winds reaching 140 mph, which the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ranks as one of the most powerful to strike the United States. The National Weather Service in Tallahassee estimated storm surge levels to be about 15 feet. Storm related deaths are reported as being over 100 as of Monday.
