INDIANAPOLIS -- Dozens of Hoosiers will help with the emergency response to Hurricane Debby.
Indiana Task Force 1 has been activated to deploy as a support team. Members departed Indianapolis Sunday night and will initially be stationed in South Carolina.
They will focus on urban search and water rescues, with flooding expected to be a major problem from Jacksonville through Charleston.
“FEMA's been notified to pre-station resources for the upcoming hurricane tropical depression Debby and get us in position. They're concerned mainly about some flooding that may be going on in the Florida, Georgia and South Carolina area,” said Task Force Leader Gerald George.
George said 48 members of Task Force 1 will make the trip.
“We're taking all of our boats. We'll have all of our equipment in case there is any flooding inundation to buildings,” he said. “Obviously, we can do shoring, we can do rescue, and collapsed structures and those kind of things, but the primary focus on this would be for swift water or flood inundated operations.”
The team will stay as long as needed. A typical deployment lasts between seven and 14 days, although some activations have lasted as long as three weeks.
Task Force 1 is one of six teams from across the country heading to South Carolina and Georgia.