Arizona volunteers poised to head to Florida to offer aid amid Hurricane Matthew
Oct 7, 2016, 5:12 AM
(AP Photo/Tim Aylen)
PHOENIX — Hurricane Matthew is expected to deal some damage to Florida starting Thursday, but it’s anyone’s guess as to how much damage will have taken place after it is all said and done.
In case Hurricane Matthew comes down hard, some Arizona volunteers are ready to help Florida in any way they can.
According to the Phoenix Fire Department, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has notified an Arizona search and rescue team it needs to be in “ready to deploy” mode for the Category 4 storm. Arizona Task Force Team 1 could be needed, as two FEMA search and rescue teams have already deployed to the East Coast, along with two task force teams in Florida.
Nine Arizona Red Cross workers are already in or are on their way to the East Coast to help.
Hurricane Matthew already had winds gust up to 140 miles per hour, and forced the cancellation of hundreds of flights across the nation through Saturday.
KTAR’s Jim Cross contributed to this report.