MIAMI (WSVN) - Members of Florida Task Force 2 have been deployed to help the victims affected by the recent earthquakes in Puerto Rico.
The members of the task force, consisting of City of Miami firefighters, will be leaving Tuesday night to assist in search and rescue efforts after the earthquakes.
Early this morning at 3:24am, a magnitude 6.5 earthquake occurred offshore of Puerto Rico. Tonight, your FEMA Florida Task Force 2, has deployed a 45 person team and a full cache of equipment to the island at the request of the Gov. of Puerto Rico. pic.twitter.com/HmvLyqL5Yo
— Miami Fire Rescue (@CityofMiamiFire) January 8, 2020
7News cameras captured task force members packing up their gear before heading to Miami International Airport.
“We’re a recon element,” Florida Task Force 2 Leader David Dueñas said. “We go through the areas most effected. We’ll do on-site damage assessment, identify needs relative to life-safety, then infrastructure, and whatever other needs might be required of the citizens of Puerto Rico.”
The 45-member group will be taking specialized search gear, pallets of supplies and bottled water, and they will be in Puerto Rico for as long as they are needed.
The task force was created in the early ’90s, and since then, the team has assisted in recovery efforts from several hurricanes, the Haiti earthquake and the 9/11 attacks in New York City.
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