Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced that Florida is deploying recovery assistance to North Carolina and Tennessee in response to Hurricane Helene through Operation Blue Ridge. This initiative involves multiple state agencies, including the Florida Division of Emergency Management, Florida State Guard, Florida National Guard, Florida Department of Transportation, Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, and a Law Enforcement Strike Team.
Governor DeSantis stated that Floridians seeking rescue in Western North Carolina will receive aid from the State of Florida. Assistance forms are available at FloridaDisaster.org/OperationBlueRidge.
The mission will begin with several assets and personnel:
- **Florida Division of Emergency Management**: One All-Hazards Incident Management Team, one Communication Unit Strike Team, one Telecommunications Emergency Response Task Force, ten truckloads of water (42,550 gallons), and over 100 Starlinks.
- **Florida State Guard**: Two Special Missions Search and Rescue Teams consisting of eight soldiers and one aerial assessment pilot.
- **Florida National Guard**: Two National Guard Response Teams with eight soldiers and equipment including two CH-47 Chinooks with crew.
- **Florida Department of Law Enforcement**: One Law Enforcement Coordination Taskforce with seven agents and analysts; one Law Enforcement Strike Team with seven agents and officers.
- **Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Division of Law Enforcement**: A 22-man team comprising two captains, two team leaders, twelve officers/investigators, one LE PIO, one mechanic; equipment includes one SOG trailer, four high-water vehicles (buggy/high water UTV), three airboats, three shallow draft vessels, eighteen 4×4 trucks; aviation support includes fixed-wing aircraft with a pilot and tactical flight officer.
- **Florida Department of Transportation**: Resources for immediate inspection and assessment of transportation infrastructure maintained by NCDOT and TDOT include emergency cut-and-toss strike teams, infrastructure damage assessment teams, bridge inspection team (including structures impacted by floodwaters), temporary bridge materials, hydraulic modeling professional services, project & contract management teams along with public information officer & emergency communications technology.
Governor DeSantis emphasized that "Florida stands ready to continue assisting our neighbors as they begin to recover from Hurricane Helene’s effects." He highlighted that under his leadership, "Florida’s strong disaster preparation and efficient response efforts have made it possible to provide much-needed assistance to other states."
For updates on this operation or information related to Hurricane Helene's impact visit FDEM on social media platforms or check FloridaDisaster.org/Updates.
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