Local teams from the Tallahassee area are helping communities in the Florida Panhandle recover after Hurricane Isaias, as residents deal with storm damage and begin the recovery process.
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Tallahassee-area teams help Panhandle communities recover after Isaias
Leon County deputies have joined law enforcement personnel from several Florida counties to help clear roads, assist residents, and support recovery operations.
The Leon County Sheriff’s Office says about 150 law enforcement personnel from multiple counties are working together in the Panhandle.
“What we’ve done in the time that we’ve been here is lots of clearing of roads, assistance with employees that are trapped in their homes to get them out so that they can work on roads, and just general assistance people can follow in the store,” Ron Cave, LCSO Undersheriff, said.
The damage has also highlighted the risks hurricanes can pose, even when they are not the strongest storms.
“We’re hearing that a lot of people have learned a lot of lessons from this being a Category Two storm. Sometimes there’s a perception of, oh, it’s only X, Y, Z, but no, a Category 2 storm still packs a punch no matter where you live,” Niamh Larkin, American Red Cross Regional Communications Manager, said.
The American Red Cross is working with local churches and community centers in Pensacola to distribute food, water and cleanup supplies.
The organization also opened evacuation shelters during the storm and has recovery shelters for people whose homes were lost or damaged.
Tallahassee International Airport could also play a role in the response by accommodating aircraft used to survey storm-damaged areas.
David Pollard, the airport’s director of aviation, said officials anticipate the arrival of fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft that could help state leaders assess damage and determine what assistance affected communities need.
“We know that state leadership might want to go survey the affected areas, for example. So with that, we can anticipate the arrival of various aircraft, including both fixed and rotary-wing aircraft that are going to come in want to survey the area, assess the damages, and and then provide a response to those affected areas,” Pollard said.
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