Erie County Times

Members of the Pennsylvania Task Force 1 (PATF) have returned home after being deployed to Florida for the past two weeks to assist with search efforts in coastal Florida area in the wake of the devastating Hurricane Ian.

The task force returned on October 12 and were welcomed home by Gov. Tom Wolf, according to a press release from the governor. This is one of 28 teams in the National Urban Search and Rescue Response System. He praised the work of the team and said even before the hurricane hit, Pennsylvanians were ready to assist. 

“PA Task Force 1 answered that call,” Wolf said. “On behalf of all Pennsylvanians, I want to express my gratitude to these selfless individuals who dedicate themselves to helping others in need and even risk their own safety to support critical operations following natural disasters. I also thank their loved ones for their sacrifice while these heroes go and help others at a moment’s notice.” 

According to the release, there were two members that were activated on September 17 for search and rescue efforts in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Fiona. These members were part of the Urban Search and Rescue Incident Support Team. They were then sent to Miami on September 25 to help with Hurricane Ian's response.

On September 28, PATF’s 45-member team was activated and sent to Columbia, S.C. They were then sent to Florida when it was found that Florida was in dire need of assistance. On October 1 there were two other support personnel activated, as well.

The majority of the efforts were in Fort Myers Beach and its surrounding area, as well as on Sanibel Island. There, they conducted searches for survivors and human remains. The hurricane has been deemed to be one of the deadliest on record, in both Florida and the country as a whole. 

“It is reassuring to know that we have such a highly trained group of professionals who can respond to disasters here in Pennsylvania and across the nation,” said Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) Director Randy Padfield. “We are grateful for their willingness to serve their neighbors in their time of need.”