‘Very proud feeling’: Florida rescue teams deploy to Panhandle ahead of Hurricane Isaias
By Angela Rozier
Click here for updates on this story
PALM BEACH COUNTY, Florida (WPBF) — Urban search and rescue teams from Palm Beach County and Miami-Dade are deploying to the Florida Panhandle to assist with relief efforts as Hurricane Isaias approaches.
About 30 firefighters with Palm Beach County Fire Rescue’s Urban Search and Rescue Team deployed on its very first state mission Thursday morning to send highly specialized rescuers ahead of the Hurricane to help in the Panhandle.
“I mean, from a personal level, every single one of us, we just look forward to being able to help,” Capt. Greg Tabeek said.
The team is bringing multiple boats, search equipment, and highly specialized tools. Members are trained to search through rubble after building collapses and perform rescues in fast-moving floodwaters.
“For us, this is a really big deal. This has been a lot of work, a lot of effort, you know, sweat that’s gone into this, so for our first deployment, this is a pretty exciting time to be able to help those who may need our help,” Tabeek said.
Nearly 90 members of Miami-Dade Fire Rescue’s Urban Search and Rescue Team, including four canine teams, are also deploying to the Panhandle.
Team members gathered at their Homestead facility early Thursday morning to prepare for deployment, inspecting equipment, receiving vehicle assignments, and undergoing medical checks, including for the canines.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Chief Ray Jadallah is proud to answer the call.
“So anytime Miami-Dade Fire Rescue is called upon to assist the community, it just gives me a very, very proud feeling,” Jadallah said.
Florida Power & Light is also mobilizing a restoration workforce of about 12,000 employees ahead of the storm.
In a statement, Florida Power & Light said: “We’ll be ready to respond immediately and restore power quickly for customers affected by the storm. We’ve prepared 16 staging and processing sites to help speed restoration closest to areas likely to feel the greatest impact. Rest assured, we will be ready to respond no matter what this system brings our way.”
They’re urging customers to complete their final preparations, be ready for outages and make safety their priority
“You need to be ready for extended outages. Make sure you have your family plan in place. Make sure you have plenty of supplies,” Kimberly Blair, FPL spokesperson, said.
Visit FPL.com/storm for tips on preparations.
The Palm Beach County team is expected to be deployed for up to two weeks.
Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.