FLORIDA, USA — Indiana Task Force 1 is returning to Florida ahead of Hurricane Milton.
IFD Battalion Chief Rita Reith said the team will relocate to an area outside of the hurricane "cone" and prepare for deployment to the areas as needed once the storm passes through.
The team of 80 central Indiana first responders was deployed to the state in late September ahead of Hurricane Helene, and spent days helping in the aftermath of the devastating storm.
IN-TF1 was then relocated to North Carolina, assisting in the aftermath of Helene there. The group is one of the 28 "highly trained" Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)-sponsored Urban Search and Rescue teams in the U.S., according the Government of Indianapolis.
Reith said the team remains in "good spirits" and they are "healthy and prepared" for their new assignment.
RELATED: Hurricane Milton is a Category 5. Florida orders evacuations and scrambles to clear Helene's debris
The team wrote in an early October social media post that it was "navigating challenging and uneven rural terrain to assist local and state agencies in ensuring the safety and whereabouts of the community members in this Appalachian region."
On Tuesday, Oct. 8, IN-TF1 announced it was demobilizing from North Carolina and being moved to Florida to help prepare and assist with the response for Hurricane Milton.
With the deployment of several additional teams and support personnel since Helene arrived, there are 100 members of IN-TF1 helping with the two hurricanes.
"We are very proud of the work that IN-TF1 members are doing and will continue to do in support of these communities," said IFD/IN-TF1 Division Chief Tom Neal. "Their willingness to devote this time away from their own families is truly selfless and much needed to assist those affected by these devastating storms. Your support of their mission is vital to their well being and is much appreciated."
The following agencies are represented on this deployment:
- Indianapolis Fire Department
- Indianapolis Metro Police Department
- Whitestown Fire Department
- Sugar Creek Fire Department
- Wayne Twp Fire Department
- Speedway Fire Department
- Decatur Township Fire Department
- White River Township Fire Department
- Brownsburg Fire Department
- Avon Fire Department
- Columbus Fire Department
- Lafayette Fire Department
- Crown Point Fire Department
- Bargersville Fire Department
- Mooresville Fire Department
- Fishers Fire Department
- Carmel Fire Department
- Franklin Fire Department
- Westfield Fire Department
- Plainfield Fire Department
- Greenwood Fire Department
- 23 civilian members
Reith said over 107,000 FEMA waypoints were recorded, as of Monday, across five states with the task force teams that responded. IN-TF1 was responsible for 421 of those.
A waypoint is any structure, vehicle, body of water, land area or pile of debris searched for victims or injured.
Battalion Chief Jay Settergren, team Leader for this deployment, said the team has finalized logistics for the change of location and will be travelling to Georgia.
Reith said there has been no estimated time frame for their return home.