Missouri Task Force 1 arrives in Louisiana in time for Hurricane Ida
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Missouri Task Force 1 arrived at its staging location Sunday morning ahead of Hurricane Ida's landfall around 1 p.m.
Mo-TF1 left from Boone County Fire Protection District Friday evening for their overnight drive to Louisiana. The task force is comprised of 80 team members from all across the state. Their specialties vary from canine search and rescue to structural engineers.
The task force brought along more than 100,000 pounds of equipment, including three tractor-trailers, four gooseneck trailers, two busses, one van, and one command vehicle.
"We carry everything we carry all kinds of logistical support items but also a lot of very highly specialized technical rescue equipment, and, and four canines to find humans and engineers, physicians, you name it, we're self-sufficient for three days," said Matthew Schofield, Mo-TF1 team leader.
When Hurricane Ida made landfall, it was a Category 4 hurricane with winds up to 150 miles per hour. It was later downgraded to a Category 3 hurricane, the same category as Hurricane Katrina, which made landfall in Louisiana 16 years ago to the date. Mo-TF1 also responded to Hurricane Katrina.
"We were pre-deployed to that disaster in the Gulf, and we were one of the first federal teams to work in New Orleans for Hurricane Katrina," Schofield said. "In fact, not only do we work there for the initial two weeks, but many of us went back for a second time for two additional weeks."
Gale Blomenkamp, assistant chief at Boone County Fire Protection District, said the task force will spend most of the day Sunday preparing for missions. Local first responder agencies will tell them where they're needed later after the storm passes. Blomenkamp said it's too dangerous to send rescue crews out while the storm is raging on.
"They're not going to send crews out there while the storm is still at a dangerous level, so once that storm passes and they can get in behind it, that's when they will get those missions," Blomenkamp said.
Mo-TF1 is part of a 28 team system with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. There are 11 other task forces deployed to Louisiana, including Texas Task Force 1 and Florida Task Force 2.
