Georgia residents brace for Hurricane Helene as Missouri Task Force 1 prepares for action
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Missouri Task Force 1 has arrived in Gainesville, Georgia, as it prepares for rapid deployment as the region braces for Hurricane Helene.
Payton Dunham lives fewer than 50 miles away in Sandy Springs, Georgia.
Her family spent Thursday afternoon prepping for the storm, which included moving all their outdoor furniture inside and buying a generator, something that Dunham says has been in high demand as residents prep for potential power outages.
“It is a little stressful only because I don’t know what to expect,” Dunham said. “Generators were out. [The store] had to go to the warehouse and get generators. We had just got one early but they were telling us that the generators were all out.”
Boone Electric says it will be sending help to the Gulf Coast to assist local cooperatives in the restoration efforts. A spokesman for Boone Electric says that it is currently coordinating with the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives, which is in charge of overseeing planning and logistics.
Columbia Water and Light wrote in a Thursday social media post that it is sending a six-person crew to Florida to assist in restoration efforts.
Dunham added that Sandy Springs residents have also been stocking up on food and water before businesses closed.
“Schools are closed, jobs are closed, a lot of schools are closed tomorrow and a lot of jobs are either opening late tomorrow or they are just all closed in general,” Dunham said.
While residents batten down the hatches, Missouri Task Force 1 is playing the waiting game.
Boone County Fire Protection District Assistant Chief Gale Blomenkamp said that the 35 people sent to Gainesville are stationed at a hotel prepping equipment for rapid deployment. Missouri Task Force 1 was activated on Wednesday and brought 100,000 pounds of equipment and two K-9 units.
“If they don't get a mission to do some training, whether it's on water rescue or whatever, whatever that training mission may be, they'll pick a training topic and they'll train on it," Blomenkamp said. "So they're not just sitting around doing nothing. They're moving equipment. They have stuff ready to go for rapid deployment. And then they're already doing some training when they arrive.”
Missouri Task Force 1 is trained in a variety of areas including rescue operations, medical support and emergency services. Their exact role in Georgia is not set in stone.
“It really depends on what the needs of that local community is or the state. So every emergency starts, local remains local. So if the local agencies need assistance, they reach out to the state. If the state can't fulfill that request they reach out to the federal government, which is why we're there as part of FEMA,” Blomenkamp said. “Our guys have had some hurricanes where they haven't received any missions.”
