Ohio Task Force 1, AEP Ohio, Red Cross head south to help with Hurricane Ian relief
As Hurricane Ian strengthened to a Category 4 storm and was expected to make landfall on the Florida peninsula Wednesday afternoon, people from across Ohio — including members of the search-and-rescue team Ohio Task Force 1, AEP Ohio and the American Red Cross — were traveling south to help prepare for its aftermath, .
A 47-person team for Ohio Task Force 1 departed from a warehouse at the agency's headquarters in Vandalia, near Dayton, on Saturday in a convoy of 14 semis, trucks, buses, boats and trailers, according to the group's Facebook page. The team had since traveled to Montgomery, Alabama, according to Public Information Officer Chris O’Connor, and they are on their way to Florida.
"Because the storm has now taken a hard turn to the east, the team is now moving based on that trajectory," O'Connor said.
Hurricane Ian: Firefighters from Columbus, Delaware County prepare for storm rescue
The Ohio Task Force 1 team consists of firefighters and independent contractors, including three Columbus firefighters and a firefighter from Delaware County EMS, she said.
After the storm hits, O'Connor said the team will assist in rescuing people from collapsed and damaged buildings and searching for those who went missing during the hurricane.
"They are an all-hazard team, meaning they can respond to any type of an emergency that arises in the situation," she said.
The team plans to be in the storm area for between 14 and 21 days.
O'Connor said the task force has responded to more than 28 national emergencies. Recent events include assisting residents after tornadoes ripped through Kentucky last December, traveling to Louisiana after Hurricane Ida and mobilizing to Surfside, Florida, after a building collapse there in June 2021.
"They've trained for this. They're ready for this," O'Connor said. "Not many local fire departments, police departments have been through this as many times as our teams have."
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Hurricane Ian to significantly impact Florida, parts of Georgia
Hurricane Ian is expected to cause life-threatening storm surge, catastrophic winds as high as 140 mph and flooding in the Florida peninsula, reported USA Today. Tornadoes also are a risk, and several warnings and watches were issued around the state into Wednesday morning as rain bands moved across Florida.
Hundreds of thousands of Floridians faced mandatory evacuation orders as the National Hurricane Center expanded its hurricane warning along more than 150 miles of the state's Gulf Coast. Power outages can be expected statewide, Florida Power & Light warned.
As of Tuesday night, power outages were already occurring in the Florida Keys and South Florida, according to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Georgia is also expected to be impacted by the storm later in the week. Gov. Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency Tuesday for all 159 counties in anticipation of high winds.
AEP Ohio to help with power restoration
AEP Ohio announced Wednesday morning that several crews hit the road before sunrise to assist with hurricane restoration efforts, according to a company Facebook post.
About 600 employees and contractors will work with other utility workers from around the country to help restore power to Georgia Power and Florida Power & Light customers. About 150 employees are from the Columbus area, said Columbus Operation Manager Matt Bennett.
Crews will head to Atlanta first and then disperse to other areas when they receive direction from local utility companies, he said. AEP plans to stay in the region for at least a week, Bennett said.
"In the utility industry we have a thing we call mutual assistance where any time there's a major event like this, utilities all chip in and provide help," he said. "The more line workers we can get down there, the quicker we can restore power for the folks who will unfortunately experience some of this devastation."
Hurricane Ian nears Florida landfall:Slow-moving storm on brink of Category 5 status
Ohio Red Cross volunteers also offering support to Florida
Marita Salkowski, the regional communications director for the American Red Cross Central and Southern Ohio region, said hundreds of volunteers from across the country are in Orlando, Florida, working in evacuation shelters and prepping supply kits. About 10 of those volunteers are from central and southern Ohio.
"After the hurricane makes landfall, then we will send additional volunteers from our region down there to help out," Salkowski said.
Those who want to make a donation can visit redcross.org or call 1-800-HELP NOW (1-800-435-7669).
mwalker@dispatch.com
@micah_walker701
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Hurricane Ian: Ohioans head south to Florida, Georgia to help
