45 members of the Nebraska Task Force Urban Search and Rescue team based in Lincoln will be heading for Puerto Rico to support rescue efforts following Hurricane Fiona.
The group left Lincoln Monday afternoon and, if all goes as planned, they will be on the ground in Puerto Rico sometime Tuesday morning. “Something our task force has never done before and that’s travel outside the Continental United States,” says Captain Dan Ripley, who is serving as the task force leader. “This is a first for out task force to go and function in this capacity.”
Ripley says the last time the unit flew to a mission was 9/11. He says the team includes firefighters from LFR, Omaha, Grand Island, Council Bluffs and Papillion. They will also have a doctor, structural engineer and two K9’s on the trip, which could last 14-21 days.
Ripley says Task Force members were notified about the deployment by FEMA around 8pm Sunday. He says they are well trained for situations like this and the conditions they may face. “With hurricanes we are always looking for mudslides, flooding,” Ripley says. Most of the island is without power.
Task Force One leader Captain Dan Ripley