On Tuesday morning, Governor Greg Abbott deployed response resources to Florida’s Gulf coast as Hurricane Idalia continued to intensify. Search and rescue teams departed from College Station around 3:30 a.m. as part of the Texas A&M Task Force 1 fleet.
“There's 35 personnel and two canines, and 11 support specialists,” Jeff Saunders said. Saunders is the director of the Texas A&M Task Force. “We're also taking two extra canines as part of that support specialist package.”
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WATCH HEREIn a press release, Abbott said, “Texans understand the urgency of preparing hurricane disaster response and recovery efforts. Texas is swiftly deploying assets to assist our fellow Americans in Florida as they brace for this devastating storm. Our country is stronger when we come together in times of crisis—and Texas is answering the call to support the people of Florida through this hurricane.”
The team is one of 28 in the country requested by FEMA and is one of two statewide search-and-rescue teams under the direction of the Texas Division of Emergency Management.
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SIGN UP “Everybody realizes when they say yes to our call, that they could be out for 10 to 14 days, and they take enough medications and all the things that they're going to need to be out there for that time,” Saunders said. “They'll be standing by until the storm comes onshore. And whenever Florida says that they need assistance, they'll work through all of that with their FEMA counterparts.”
Experts predict a life-threatening storm surge of at least 10 feet and winds of up to 120 mph as Hurricane Idalia approaches Florida.
"We hope that everybody in the state of Florida is listening to the local government broadcasts and warnings. And if they're told to evacuate, we highly recommend that they follow those requests from their local leaders," Saunders said. "We've been to many incidents where those requests were unheeded, and those are the times where we are definitely looking for as many of the survivors as we possibly can."
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Others, however, are strategically chasing the potentially catastrophic hurricane.
"We'll try to get right in the eye, too, so we can get the calm effect," Shawn McQuinn said. McQuinn is a storm chaser. "This will be my 12th hurricane."
McQuinn loaded up his gear and departed Weatherford with his friend, Joseph. They followed behind fellow storm chaser, Tim Marshall.
"On the scientific side, it is exciting. The adrenaline, the power of the storms, to me, is just amazing," McQuinn said. "Whether it's a tornado or a hurricane, either way, Mother Nature, to me, is just absolutely fascinating. And being in a hurricane, it's so loud, it's so powerful. It's absolutely just amazing."
The trio expects to arrive in Perry, Florida Tuesday evening and ride out the storm.
"We're going to scout out the roads around there, make sure we have escape routes and kind of check out the terrain,” McQuinn said. “You don't want to be near pine trees. There's going to be a lot of damage with the trees coming down as well."
According to the latest update from the National Hurricane Center in Miami Tuesday evening, Idalia's maximum sustained winds were up to 100 mph as it moved north at 16 mph about 195 miles southwest of Tampa.
