Hurricane Debby made landfall on Monday near Steinhatchee, Florida, a rural fishing village on the Gulf of Mexico. With the Category 1 hurricane expected to unleash lots of rain in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina, Fairfax County’s urban search and rescue team has been deployed to assist.
Virginia Task Force 1, which responds to catastrophic events worldwide, left early Monday with a team of 45 people, six boats, and two dogs to assist the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Last night, VA-TF1 deployed a 45-person Type III US&R team for Hurricane Debby. The team is expected to arrive in South Carolina this afternoon where they will await further direction from federal and state emergency management officials.@fema @ffxfirerescue #HurricaneDebby pic.twitter.com/Wy9RhgRg0D
— VA-TF1 / USA-1 – Urban Search and Rescue (@VATF1) August 5, 2024
According to a social media post on X, the team was expected to arrive in South Carolina on Monday afternoon. From there, the team will get direction on how they can help with rescues and other life-saving efforts.
In addition to Virginia’s team, the Maryland Task Force 1 team from Montgomery County sent 45 members to the area. Other urban search and rescue teams from across the country have been activated.
Georgia’s governor activated the National Guard in anticipation of the storm. Debby is expected to head to Georgia by mid-afternoon before slowly making its way north, CNN reports. As Debby slows, the storm is expected to soak the area. It’s predicted Debby could drop over 2 feet of rain in five days in Charleston, South Carolina, more rain than the city typically gets in a summer.
Feature image courtesy Virginia Task Force 1/X
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