American Red Cross and Missouri Task Force One deploy to Florida ahead of tropical Storm Debby
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
As Tropical Storm Debby intensifies, the American Red Cross has deployed responders from Missouri and Arkansas to assist those affected by the impending disaster.
According to the National Hurricane Center, Debby is expected to rapidly strengthen into a hurricane before making landfall in Florida's Big Bend area. The hurricane poses a significant flood threat to the southeastern states.
At 1:30 p.m. Sunday, the American Red Cross sent out two personnel, according to Regional Director of the American Red Cross of Missouri and Arkansas Sharon Watson. In addition, the organization has deployed numerous trained disaster responders across the nation.
"Red Cross is working closely with partners and local officials in Florida to ensure help is available when and where people need it most," a press release states.
In response to the situation, members from the Missouri Task Force One are also heading to Florida.
Assistant Fire Chief of the Boone County Fire Protection District Gale Blomenknap said Sunday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has activated the Incident Support Team for the tropical storm.
"They activated the Incident Support Team, and two members of Missouri Task Force One are part of that team, including a structural specialist and a liaison officer," Blomenkamp said.
Additionally, FEMA has deployed Tennessee Task Force One as a Type 3 team.
"Tennessee Task Force One has been deployed as a Type 3 team, and all FEMA assets are headed to Macon, Georgia," Blomeknap said.
Blomenkamp said that all emergencies start locally, and if local agencies need assistance, they can request help from the state. The state can then reach out to FEMA if further aid is needed.
"So FEMA has put these units in place, a forward staging location, so to speak, to kind of cover that multiple state region where the hurricane is predicted to travel through, making access into Flordia, going though Georgia, into South Carolina," Blomeknap said.
Blomeknap also said that the support team is prepared to handle any necessary tasks and is expected to arrive no later than Monday morning.
