Agencies throughout the Washington, D.C., area are poised to assist with the recovery from Tropical Storm Florence.
Virginia Task Force 1 was activated Saturday night and is heading to North Carolina Sunday. The 32 members being deployed do not know exactly where they are going or what they will be asked to do, but they are prepared to assist with water rescues.
"We got very little notice," Battalion Chief Kit Hessel said. "We kind of thought we were still going to be kept in reserve, but we're glad we're going and we'll assist as many people as we possibly can."
The Maryland Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team also is headed to North Carolina to help with water rescues. They'll leave Sunday, taking two Blackhawk helicopters and search-and-rescue workers from four Maryland counties, including Montgomery and Howard.
The Maryland Civil Air Patrol headed to North Carolina Saturday to assist storm victims by handing out supplies.
Emergency officials in Virginia have also deployed 25 high-wheeled vehicles and 50 personnel to help with rescue operations in North Carolina.
Volunteer firefighters in Charles County were packed and ready to deploy to Raleigh, but because that are wasn’t hit as hard as expected, they’ve been told to stand by in case they are needed elsewhere. It would be their first natural disaster relief mission in 20 years.
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At the University of Maryland in College Park, Red Cross volunteers brought supplies like water bottles to Ritchie Coliseum, which is being transformed into a shelter for evacuees from the storm-ravaged Carolinas. So far, the Red Cross is assisting eight people forced from their homes.
