FLORIDA, USA — Following Hurricane Milton, search and rescue teams have conducted more than 4,200 rescues and assists since it made landfall. Ohio Task Force 1 was activated earlier this week to provide support to local and state agencies in central Florida.
Daniel Bachmann, a professor of emergency medicine at Ohio State, works as the medical team manager for Ohio Task Force 1.
"As first responders, we never want to see these events happen. But when they do happen, we're ready,” Bachmann said.
More than 70 members of Ohio Task Force 1 have been on the road since Sept. 24. They first provided support following Hurricane Helene before moving on to assist with the aftermath of Hurricane Milton.
Their current operation is based in Orlando, Florida.
Bachmann described the devastation they’ve seen following the storm.
"It's been broad, it’s also been massive,” Bachmann said.
The team is made up of emergency response personnel.
"The things that we can bring to the local resources are utilized when those local resources are overwhelmed or they just need some additional, specific expertise,” Bachmann said.
On Wednesday night, some members of the team as well as four K9s responded to a multi-tornado event near Fort Pierce.
Early Thursday morning, the team responded to additional tornado damage at a more than 300-acre community near Port Saint Lucie. Of the more than 250 structures they searched, only three of them had no damage. The team also worked to rescue anyone who was trapped or injured, as well as locate missing people.
"Oftentimes we provide the definitive care that's required but sometimes it’s just initial resuscitation until we can hand off the patient to a higher level of care,” Bachmann said.
Most members of the task force have been away from home for more than two weeks. That, along with seeing devastation at almost every turn, can take a toll on anyone, but Bachmann said the camaraderie among the team is what helps them to keep going and stay positive.
"We're proud and we're happy to see the impact that we can make in the lives of the people that we're taking care of, so that really helps us also get through some of the long days,” Bachmann said.
Bachmann said it's still unclear exactly how long they’ll be in Florida, but they plan to stay as long as their support is needed.