Cal OES sends Urban Search and Rescue Teams to Hawaii ahead of Hurricane Lane
California Urban Search and Rescue Teams are headed to Hawaii to help in the Hurricane Lane response.
According to the California Office of Emergency Services Facebook page, a 35-person team consisting of CA-TF8 (San Diego Fire Department) and CA-TF3 (Menlo Park Fire Protection District) are deploying as a Type-3 US&R Task Force.
“As part of the national Urban Search and Rescue system, California is providing two of our Urban Search and Rescue teams to assist Hawaii with response efforts as this powerful hurricane approaches their state,” said Cal OES Director Mark Ghilarducci.
During the deployment, California personnel will use their highly-developed and specialized skills to assist emergency operations in and around the hardest hit areas of the state, conducting search and rescue operations.
These teams are two of eight State/Federal US&R Task Forces in California that are highly-specialized search and rescue units that can perform in structural collapse, handle heavy rigging, specialized search functions and operate in swiftwater/flood environments.
The National Weather Service says as of this morning 8:30 PST, “Outer rain bands of Hurricane Lane are sweeping across the Big Island and Maui County this morning. Expect increasing showers spreading further northwest to Oahu and Kauai County later this morning. Expect increasing threats for flash flooding as Lane moves further northward and these heavy rain bands intensify over the islands. Hurricane Lane will likely bring life threatening conditions across Hawaii through Saturday with damaging winds, dangerous surf, coastal storm surge and intense flooding rains.”
Since 1992, California-based US&R Task Forces have been deployed to a long list of state, national, and even international disasters including 2017’s Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria, 1992 Hurricane Iniki (Hawaii), the 1994 Northridge Earthquake, 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing, Hurricane Katrina and the 2015 Nepal Earthquake.
