Florida deploys recovery assistance to NC and TN, post Hurricane Helene, in Operation Blue Ridge
Tallahassee, Florida — On Sunday, September 29, 2024, Governor Ron DeSantis announced that Florida is rapidly deploying personnel and equipment to assist with rescue efforts after Hurricane Helene, in North Carolina and Tennessee, in an effort called 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, a Florida Law Enforcement Coordination Task Force, and a Law Enforcement Strike Team.
Operation Blue Ridge will also assist Floridians seeking rescue in Western North Carolina, the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Tennessee Valley. These individuals can fill out the assistance form at FloridaDisaster.org/OperationBlueRidge.
This mission will begin with the following assets and personnel:
Florida Division of Emergency Management
1 All-Hazards Incident Management Team
1 Communication Unit Strike Team
1 Telecommunications Emergency Response Task Force
10 Truck Loads (42, 550 gallons ) of Water
Over 100 Starlinks
Florida State Guard
2 Special Missions Search and Rescue Teams
8 search and rescue soldiers
1 aerial assessment pilot
Florida National Guard
2 National Guard Response Team
8 National Guard soldiers
Equipment
2 CH-47 Chinooks and crew
Florida Department of Law Enforcement
1 Law Enforcement Coordination Taskforce
7 FDLE agents and analysts
1 Law Enforcement Strike Team
7 FDLE agents and officers
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Division of Law Enforcement
22-man team
2 Captains
2 Team Leaders
12 Officers/Investigators
1 LE PIO (law enforcement public information officer)
1 Mechanic
Equipment
1 SOG trailer
4 High-water vehicles (buggy/high water UTV)
3 Airboats
3 Shallow Draft vessels
18 4x4 trucks
Aviation
Fixed wing aircraft
1 pilot
1 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. Florida’s strong disaster preparation and efficient response efforts have made it possible to provide much-needed assistance to other states.
Visit FloridaDisaster.org/Updates for information relating to Hurricane Helene.