FEMA sending Washington Task Force members to hurricane area

SEATTLE - More Washingtonians are on their way to help those hit the hardest by Hurricane Helene, and even more are getting ready to leave on Monday.

Washington State Task Force one already had seven team members in the area helping, including search and rescue dog teams, but now that FEMA has activated their support efforts, an additional 80 members are headed that way.

Team members loaded up 90,000 pounds of equipment into two tractor trailers and several trucks and hit the road on Saturday.

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Washington State Task Force supplies are loaded up en route to Florida and other hurricane impact areas on October 6, 2024.

"Everybody that’s involved with task force, over 200 firefighters and doctors, police officers, all these individuals are ready to deploy at any moment, we go on a three-month cycle and rotations of 80 folks and when you’re up you know you have the likelihood of deploying anywhere in the country," Jim Vandertoorn, Task Force Leader said.

The task force is represented by first responders from many Puget Sound regional agencies.

"Our team is comprised of members from Pierce County Sheriff’s Department, Tacoma Fire Department, Seattle Fire Department and surrounding agencies including fire departments, law enforcement, public works," Mike Halliday, Pierce County Department of Emergency Management Public Information Officer said.

On Saturday, 30 members hit the road headed to help with the hurricane relief efforts. Fifty others are flying out on Monday afternoon.

"Our team is trained to do a lot of urban search and rescue efforts, that includes confined space entry, collapsed buildings, rescues, getting people out of sink holes or depressions-holes in the earth," Halliday said.

They also have specialized audio instrumentation to help hear people under rubble, as well as mechanics and medical teams. The last time Washington State Task Force 1 was deployed was last year, after deadly wildfires tore through Maui. Halliday said those individuals going to help are your neighbors, the people you see at grocery stores or in church.

"They’re taking time out of their lives, upending their family schedules to go across the country to help people they’ve never met who are having a really terrible time and wanting to help them recover," Halliday said.

The whole team will meet in Atlanta on Tuesday, then deploy to either Florida or North Carolina. They’ll be out there for about two weeks.

"These group of responders; they have their best days when the rest of us have our worst and they’re the ones you want to see when that bad day happens," Jodi Ferguson, Director of Emergency Management for Pierce County said.