A 45-member crew of Maryland rescue workers returned from North Carolina Thursday morning after spending two weeks assisting in rescue and recovery efforts following Hurricane Helene.
Members of Maryland Task Force 1, who are from Montgomery, Howard and Prince George’s counties as well as Washington, D.C. returned to the area around 10 a.m. Thursday.
Meanwhile, a second team currently is in Georgia and headed to Orlando, FL to assist in rescue and clearing efforts from Hurricane Milton.
Josh Kurland, the mission task force leader and a Montgomery County firefighter, explained during Thursday’s Executive Marc Elrich’s news briefing that his team arrived in Georgia on Sept. 25 even before the hurricane hit.
Their first job was to search along with canines a collapsed building. The building was vacant, and no one was found in the wreckage. The team spent much of their time dealing with trees that had collapsed on houses and other buildings, still searching for victims.
They left information so members of the Federal Emergency Management Agency would know what buildings were searched, Kurland explained. They spent most of the time in areas both east and west of Ashville, NC.
“It was a long two weeks,” noted Montgomery County Battalion Fire Chief Chase Fabrizio.
Elrich thanked participants, noting, “It’s amazing work that you do.” He also praised county firefighters for handling rescue efforts locally while some of their members helped in the hurricane aftermath.
Montgomery County residents are urged to donate blood to help the hurricane victims. There will be a blood drive Oct. 20 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Training Academy at 8751 Snouffer School Road, Gaithersburg.
MD-TF1 returns @MontgomeryCoMD after 2-week deployment to GA & NC in aftermath of #HurricaneHelene 45-member MD-TF1 was comprised of specialists from @mcfrs @dcfireems @PGFDNews @HCDFRS (video MD-TF Leader @mcfrs Capt Josh Kurland briefs media upon return) pic.twitter.com/JReC00jcyY
— Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) October 10, 2024
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