A stop sign can be barely seen above a flooded parking lot after torrential rain from Hurricane Helene caused severe flooding Saturday in Morganton, N.C.
The Associated Press
Indiana Task Force 1 is being moved to North Carolina as the scale of Hurricane Helene’s devastation in that state continues to grow.
The state’s Federal Emergency Management Agency-designated urban search and rescue task force announced Monday they were being redeployed to western North Carolina to assist in the “evolving situation” caused by Helene. They had been in Florida and assisting in response efforts there and in Georgia since last week.
Western North Carolina has experienced significant impacts from the storm, including heavy rainfall, flooding and wind damage, creating dangerous conditions for local communities.
Officials said that IN-TF1’s mission will be to provide search and rescue support and assist in evacuations. They will work closely with local, state and federal agencies to assess these hard-hit areas.
“The team’s expertise in urban search and rescue will be invaluable in navigating hazardous conditions, including damaged structures, flooded rivers and downed trees, which can complicate Urban Search and Rescue efforts,” officials said in a Facebook post.
Eighty members of the task force left Indiana last week after receiving orders for a Type 1 deployment. A Type 1 deployment is a full deployment of the task force, providing full rescue capabilities, including hazmat, medical, K-9s and structural specialists.
Local first responders deployed are Lt. Joe Kipfer, a rescue specialist from the Bargersville Community Fire Department; firefighter Daniel McElyea, a rescue specialist from the Franklin Fire Department; and firefighter Michael Combs and paramedic Chelsea Spina, a communications specialist and a medical specialist, respectively, from the White River Township Fire Department.
A crisis has been unfolding in western North Carolina since Helene’s heavy rains caused widespread flooding in the mountainous area. Officials have rushed to get more water, food and other supplies to flood-stricken areas without power and cellular service, the Associated Press reported.
At least 94 people across several states were killed. A North Carolina county that includes the mountain city of Asheville reported 30 people killed.
Federal Emergency Management Agency officials said Monday that hundreds of roads were closed across western North Carolina and that shelters across the area were housing more than 1,000 people. Asheville’s water system was severely damaged by the storm, according to the AP.
Officials also warned that rebuilding from the widespread loss of homes and property would be lengthy and difficult. The storm upended life throughout the Southeast. Deaths also were reported in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Virginia.
