<p><strong>L</strong>ocal firefighters and utility workers are waiting on the fringe to go into what is expected to be catastrophic damage on the east coast after Hurricane Florence.</p>
<p>Michael Pruitt and Sean Campbell, both of the Bargersville Community Fire Department, were dispatched early Tuesday morning as part of Indiana Task Force One, which sent 86 first responders to the Carolinas to help once the hurricane moves through. They are the only first responders from Johnson County traveling with the task force.</p>
<p>Four local utility workers are also on standby until Friday with two large rigs. The Johnson County REMC is still waiting to hear whether the state cooperative is going to deploy them, CEO John Sturm said. If they are deployed, they would head to Clark County on Friday and caravan with other county REMCs and state agencies to the east coast.</p>
<p>Pruitt and Campbell are in a hotel in Raleigh, North Carolina waiting to see where they’ll be needed and preparing for what’s to come.</p>
<p>Pruitt has responded to 13 natural disasters as part of the Indiana task force and knows to expect the unexpected.</p>
<p>“Some nights you might sleep in a seat on the bus. Some nights you might sleep on a cot. And some nights, you might get to sleep in a hotel, although it probably won’t have power,” Pruitt said.</p>
<p>It helps knowing they have a strong support system at home, even if they can’t talk to their families, which is common, he said.</p>
<p>“You may lose all connectivity with home for days,” Pruitt said. “It’s just part of the job.”</p>
<p>Once government officials and law enforcement deem it safe for the task force to operate, they will deploy. For now, the guys are hoping for the best and preparing for the worst, Pruitt said.</p>
<p>Indiana sent a diverse group of first responders to North Carolina, and they all have specialties, said Pruitt, who is also spokesman for the statewide task force.</p>
<p>Campbell is a technical search specialist, which means he will use technology, including robotic cameras, to help find people who may be lost in debris.</p>
<p>“We have a soup kitchen of materials with us. We have specialists trained in everything you can think of,” Pruitt said.</p>
<p>The biggest concern with this storm is flooding, as Florence could dump several feet of rain on the region. Once the storm moves out, the Indiana team and its resources will be given direction.</p>
<p>Hurricane Florence is expected to make landfall tonight and dump torrential rainfall and bring damaging winds for days, according to the latest reports. On Wednesday, it began tracking farther south than originally anticipated. North Carolina and South Carolina are expected to take the brunt of the impact, but Virginia and Georgia are bracing for the storm as well. Large waves, winds near 150 mph and massive flooding are expected.</p>
<p>“This (storm) is presenting itself as one for the record books,” Pruitt said.</p>
<p>Members of the Task Force train monthly year-round, he said. So they’re well prepared for whatever comes their way. Something that always surprises newcomers to the task force is how fluid the plan is, he said.</p>
<p>“We’re in a constant state of change because of the intelligence that comes in, so flexibility is huge. So many things occur that kind of throw you off your game plan. You must always be aware of what is going on around you, whatever the situation may be,” Pruitt said.</p>
