September 26, 2024
@PhillyFireDept/X
Pennsylvania Task Force 1, a disaster relief unit based in Philadelphia, deployed 48 of its members Thursday in response to Hurricane Helene. The majority traveled to North Carolina.
A Philly task force dedicated to disaster relief has sent 45 members to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to assist with Hurricane Helene.
Pennsylvania Task Force 1, a unit sponsored by the Philadelphia Fire Department, deployed a little over half of its members early Thursday morning. In addition to the group headed to North Carolina, another member traveled to Washington, D.C., and two left for Florida, where the Category 4 storm is expected to make landfall Thursday night before traveling north. Hurricanes in Categories 3 and higher are considered major storms. North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency Wednesday due to the expected flooding in the area.
Rachel Cunningham, communications director for the PFD, said the deployed task force members were still awaiting assignments as of Thursday evening. She could not confirm if they had arrived at their destinations.
PA-TF 1 is part of the national urban search and rescue response system. US&R has been part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency since 1989. All of the 28 task forces within the system can be deployed within six hours to a disaster area. These task forces each consist of 70 members trained in search, rescue, hazardous materials, medicine and logistics. Some are doctors, others are structural engineers. Canine search teams are also included.
There are 48 @PATaskForce1 members deployed to support the response to Hurricane Helene. Early this morning (9/26), 45 packed up and rolled out. They're headed to Winston -Salem, NC. Two members are in FL, and one is in Washington, DC. #PATF1 @fema @PEMAHQ pic.twitter.com/fwQhQ48ZDU
— Philadelphia Fire (@PhillyFireDept) September 26, 2024
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