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The Villages
Thursday, March 28, 2024

Local emergency responders heading to Hurricane Michael-ravaged Panhandle

Sumter County sheriff’s deputies, Villages firefighters and crews from several other law enforcement agencies and fire departments have been called into service in the Panhandle area following last week’s devastating hit from Hurricane Michael.

Sumter County Sheriff’s Office personnel prepare to head to northern Florida on Sunday to help with rescue-and-recovery efforts in the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Michael.

The Sumter County Sheriff’s Office had been on standby to provide assistance, but on Sunday the agency was asked to send 11 deputies to help with the rescue and recovery efforts in the areas that took a direct hit from the category 4 storm last Wednesday.

A video of Sumter County Sheriff’s Office deputies leaving for north Florida can be viewed at: https://www.facebook.com/scsoflorida/videos/330863900824570/

Also early Sunday morning, six Villages firefighters and a Villages Public Safety Department engine joined four others – two from Sumter County Fire Rescue and two from Hillsborough County Fire Rescue – to head north to the Panhandle area.

Sumter County Sheriff’s Office deputies say a prayer before heading to the hurricane-ravaged Panhandle area on Sunday morning.

Those firefighters will work alongside area deputies and police officers who also have been deployed to the area. The Villages firefighters are expected to be in the Panhandle area for several days and then at least one other Villages team will go there to help in the future.

The local response is part of many different task forces that have been called in to help. Crews from Marion County Fire Rescue, Ocala Fire Rescue and Gainesville Fire Rescue headed north last week as part of Task Force 8. And firefighters and rescue workers from across the state gathered at the Florida State Fire College in northern Ocala before heading to the Panhandle area shortly after the hurricane ravaged the coastline and nearby cities last Wednesday.

Firefighters and law enforcement officers from several local agencies have been deployed to the Panhandle area to help with the rescue-and-recovery efforts following Hurricane Michael.

Meanwhile, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office sent 18 employees to the Panhandle on Sunday, including sworn deputies and support personnel, to provide patrols and security in the devastated area.

A video of Lake County Sheriff’s Office personnel leaving for the Panhandle area can be viewed at: https://www.facebook.com/ralph.mcduffie/videos/10217286953595415/

Due to the conditions in the Panhandle, the team left Lake County knowing that it would need to be self-sustainable throughout its seven-day mission. So, its members brought military-style meals, pallets of water, fuel and portable housing to live in.

The team plans to start its operation in Bay County/Panama City early Monday morning. Its mission is part of a state Emergency Operations Center disaster response that allows for reimbursement through FEMA.

The Marion County Sheriff’s Office prepares to deploy personnel to the Panhandle area to help with recovery after Hurricane Michael.

A video posted by Ocala Fire Rescue can be viewed at: https://www.facebook.com/MarionCountyFlorida/videos/293438897935517/

Deputies from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and officers from the Ocala Police Department already are providing help in the Panhandle area and are expected to be there several more days.

A video of Ocala Police Department officers heading to the Panhandle to help with rescue and recovery efforts can be viewed at: https://www.facebook.com/OcalaPoliceDepartment/videos/2114282641950229/

The Ocala team, including Chief Greg Graham, headed out this past Wednesday night, followed by the sheriff’s office’s contingent the following day. Ocala Police plan to deploy teams of 16 people every Wednesday for as long as needed.

Equipment from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office is readied for the trip to the Panhandle area.
Personnel from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office say a prayer before heading north to the Florida Panhandle area.
Ocala Police Department personnel, including Chief Greg Graham, lend a hand removing debris in the Panhandle area following Hurricane Michael.

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