Missouri Task Force 1 works overnight helping Hurricane Helene victims
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Missouri Task Force 1 worked throughout the night Friday into Saturday, helping with the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in Georgia.
According to a Facebook post from the Boone County Fire Protection District, Missouri Task Force 1 was staged in Gainsville, Georgia when they received their first mission assignment. The assignment was for the search and rescue of a man who was believed to be trapped inside a structure that had collapsed.
The team sent 26 members to Lincoln County, Ga. to meet with emergency management personnel and the sheriff's deputies who showed them to an area where multiple trees fell onto a home.
The type III team spent hours removing the large trees. Once the team was able to get into the home, they began the search and rescue, according to the post.
The team was able to locate the victim inside the home, but he had died from his injuries. Task Force 1 remained on the scene to help with the recovery of the victim.
The team returned back to Gainsville at 4 a.m. Saturday.
According to Boone County Fire Protection District assistant chief Gale Blomenkamp, the group arrived in Perry, Georgia on Saturday. Blomenkamp said the team will receive an assignment on Sunday, based on needs.
Blomenkamp also said a team of 16 members with the Water Rescue Mission Ready Package arrived in McDowell County, North Carolina on Saturday. He said the group helped rescue a stranded civilian, along with Indiana's swift water team.
