Rockville-Based Water Rescue Team Heads To Gulf Region: Report

ROCKVILLE, MD — An urban search-and-rescue team left its Rockville headquarters at dawn Tuesday on a journey to the Gulf Coast, in preparation for the arrival of Hurricane Michael. The Federal Emergency Management Agency activated Maryland Task Force One Monday night, radio station WTOP reported.

The 16-person Maryland team includes fire and rescue personnel from Montgomery, Prince George's and Howard counties. It will join Fairfax County-based Virginia Task Force One and other rescue teams from Texas, Indiana, Ohio and Missouri, WTOP reported.

The teams will be deployed to respond to needs in the hurricane's landfall zone, expected to include Florida, Georgia and Alabama. Each team has water-ready rescue equipment, boats and medical gear, according to WTOP.

Pete Piringer, a spokesman for the Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service, told WTOP that the members of Maryland Task Force One have their bags packed and ready to go at all times, and will take enough supplies to be self-sufficient for up to two weeks.

FOR MORE:

• Hurricane Michael Approaches Gulf; NoVA, DC Likely To Get Rain
• Hurricane Michael: NoVA Water Rescue Team Heads To Gulf Region

Hurricane Michael, which strengthened to a category 2 storm, is moving north over the Gulf of Mexico, according to reports from the National Hurricane Center. Forecasters expect the center of Michael to move inland over the Florida Panhandle or Florida Big Bend area on Wednesday and to the northeast, across the southeastern United States, on Wednesday night and Thursday.

Michael is anticipated to be a major hurricane when it hits Florida and will weaken as it moves inland. Although there's uncertainty in the storm's path at this point, early rainfall projections call for maximum rains of 2 inches in the D.C. suburbs.

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Patch Editor Emily Leayman contributed to this story.

Image: Hurricane Irma in 2017 (National Hurricane Center)