Missouri Task Force 1 to move to Fort Myers to help with search and rescue efforts

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Boone County-based Missouri Task Force 1 (MO-TF1) will deploy to southwest Florida Monday morning to help with Hurricane Ian recovery efforts.

A spokesman for the task force said MO-TF1 arrived in Orlando on Sunday around 3 a.m. Task force members plan to move to the Fort Myers area to help with search and rescue efforts in Lee County.

At last check, Hurricane Ian is blamed for more than 80 deaths in Florida. The storm made its way up the East Coast over the weekend after making landfall in Florida as a Category 4 hurricane on Wednesday.

President Joe Biden plans to visit Puerto Rico Monday and Florida Wednesday to view the damage and recovery efforts.

Missouri Task Force 1 left the Boone County Fire Protection Headquarters in Columbia late Friday night for Florida. Activated as a Type III task force, nearly 50 members of MO-TF1 can help with possible water rescues, searches, and welfare checks.

Included with the team are two human remains detection dogs.

Maryland Task Force 1, New Jersey Task Force 1, New York Task Force 1, and Massachusetts Task Force 1 are also deployed as Type III task forces.

Tennesse Task Force 1 also deployed two human remains detection dogs to Florida.

Four other members of MO-TF1 are deployed with an Incident Support Team. The task force also deployed its four-person Disaster Situational Assessment and Reconnaissance (DSAR) Team to the Ft. Myers area.

The specialized team can operate small unmanned drones, help with possible searches, and provide aerial photographs.