Just hours after Hurricane Ida has made landfall in Louisiana, help from the Sunshine State is on the way.
Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC) has crews already on the way to help restore power and later on Monday morning, dozens of firefighters from Central Florida will be deploying to help those impacted by the storm.
About 40 firefighters from five different fire departments across the region are ready to help. It is all part of the Urban Search and Rescue Task Force.
The team is designed to respond to natural and man-made disasters, ready to help with search and rescue, medical support, communications and damage assessments.
Central Florida Urban Search & Rescue Task Force 4 deployed Monday morning.
The Urban Search & Rescue had sent 42 members from the team earlier this summer to help with rescue efforts after the Surfside building collapse.
An 11-member crew of OUC line technicians and a mechanic left Orlando this morning to assist Louisiana Utilities with restoration efforts following Hurricane Ida. Our thoughts go out to all in the path of the storm. #OUCProud #PublicPower #FLPublicPower pic.twitter.com/RJJFNhYQIr
— Orlando Utilities Commission (@OUCreliableone) August 29, 2021
The Task Force 4 team will join Miami-Dade County Task Force 1 and City of Miami Task Force 2 in a joint response to the hardest hit areas.
"They are equipped with swift water boats and water rescue equipment that is crucial to aid these communities with what is expected to be extreme flooding and life-threatening storm surge," State Fire Marshall and CFO Jimmy Patronis said Sunday. "These dedicated urban search and rescue personnel are highly trained and prepared to aid our neighbors along the Gulf Coast and save lives."
OUC crews, meanwhile, will help out with downed power lines and trees on power lines.
“We don’t know what we’re walking into. The guys are prepared to build it from the ground up, assuming that nothing is there. They’re prepared to do whatever they’ve got to do to get the residents of Louisiana back up and running,” said Christopher Taylor, the manager of electrical construction and maintenance at OUC.
OUC crews are headed to Lafayette. They also responded to that same area last year following two hurricanes.
Duke Energy, Florida Power & Light, along with the Kissimmee Utility Authority, will also be sending crews to help the state of Louisiana with power restorations after the storm.
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