| Deploys Response and Recovery Assistance to North Carolina & Tennessee TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced that Florida is rapidly deploying recovery assistance to North Carolina and Tennessee to help with Hurricane Helene’s impacts in Operation Blue Ridge. This multi-state agency response will include the Florida Division of Emergency Management, Florida State Guard, Florida National Guard, Florida Department of Transportation, Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, and a Florida Law Enforcement Coordination Task Force, and a Law Enforcement Strike Team. Additionally, today Governor Ron DeSantis is launching Operation Blue Ridge to assist Floridians seeking rescue in Western North Carolina, the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Tennessee Valley. These individuals can fill out our assistance form at FloridaDisaster.org/OperationBlueRidge. This mission will begin with the following assets and personnel: Florida Division of Emergency ManagementOne All-Hazards Incident Management Team One Communication Unit Strike Team One Telecommunications Emergency Response Task Force Ten Truck Loads of Water (which equates to 42, 550 gallons of water) Over 100 StarlinksFlorida State Guard Two Special Missions Search and Rescue Teams8 search and rescue soldiers1 aerial assessment pilot Florida National GuardTwo National Guard Response Teams8 National Guard soldiersEquipment 2 CH-47 Chinooks and crewFlorida Department of Law EnforcementOne Law Enforcement Coordination Taskforce7 FDLE agents and analystsOne Law Enforcement Strike Team7 FDLE agents and officers Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Division of Law Enforcement22-man team2 Captains 2 Team Leaders 12 Officers/Investigators1 LE PIO1Mechanic Equipment1 SOG trailer4 High-water vehicles (buggy/high water UTV) 3 Airboats3 Shallow Draft vessels18 4×4 trucks AviationFixed wing aircraft 1 pilot1 tactical flight officer Florida Department of Transportation The Florida Department of Transportation has made the following resources available to support the immediate inspection and assessment of transportation infrastructure maintained by NCDOT and TDOT:Emergency Cut and Toss Strike Teams Infrastructure Damage Assessment Teams Bridge Inspection Team (including structures impacted by flood waters) Temporary Bridge Materials Hydraulic Modeling Professional Project & Contract Management Teams Public Information Officer & Emergency Communications Technology Florida stands ready to continue assisting our neighbors as they begin to recover from Hurricane Helene’s effects. Under Governor Ron DeSantis’ leadership, Florida’s strong disaster preparation and efficient response efforts have made it possible to provide much-needed assistance to other states. Follow FDEM on X, Instagram, and Facebook for updates and visit FloridaDisaster.org/Updates for information relating to Hurricane Helene. ### |
