News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
As Hurricane Florence forces millions of people to evacuate the eastern United States coastline, a local disaster response team will be heading towards the potentially devastating storm.
The Monterey Disaster Response team will head to Raleigh North Carolina Wednesday as they get ready for their 62nd disaster response mission.
Director Ken Hall said getting to the area early makes it easier to help people.
“We found that out in Houston last year because they wanted us in Houston as it hit,” Hall said. “We were there and able to help more people that way. Had we waited, we would have never got in.”
The team will be staging in Raleigh and meeting up with two other small disaster teams and a security company.
The three man team will be better equipped and more prepared for this storm. Hall said the Monterey Disaster Response team has gone through training and equipped a new trailer for animal rescue.
“We purchased the small used trailer and equipped it for small animal rescue,” Hall said. “Over the years we have found ourselves in that situation where a dog or a cat was lost from home and needed taking care of.”
Hall said the team has also purchased a small rescue boat.
“Twice over the last 10 years we found ourselves in the position where someone needed rescuing in high water and we couldn’t help,” Hall said.
Hall said Hurricane Harvey and Irma became a learning experience for the team last year, which is why they have prepared for the worst before they head East.
“We learned about preparedness last time. This time, we are taking plenty of food because we got stuck without food,” Hall said. “Now we are carrying MRE’s and plenty of water.”
Hall said the team will go wherever the need for help is. That decision will be made once the storm makes landfall in the next couple of days.
