Keystone Today

Hurricane Ian has ravaged the southern states with high winds and heavy rainfall causing huge amounts of damage. In response, Pennsylvania will do its part to help by sending personnel to South Carolina for assistance.

Wolf announced on Wednesday that 45 members of the Pennsylvania Task Force1 will be deployed for response operations following the hurricane. The PA Task Force1 is part of the National Urban Search and Rescue Response System, which includes 28 teams nationally, according to the governor's press release. It is a federal resource designed for quick mobilization to any part of the country for incident response and is sponsored by the Philadelphia Fire Department.

“Millions of people in the southeastern United States will have a long road ahead of them in terms of response and recovery,” Wolf said. “We are in close contact with emergency management partners in those states and will remain ready and willing to assist however they need us in the weeks and months ahead.”

Two members of the task force were deployed to Puerto Rico due to Hurricane Fiona, originally, but have been reassigned to Florida to prepare for Hurricane Ian. These members are part of a federal Incident Support Team that is working with emergency management and response personnel in Florida, as well.

The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency is monitoring the Emergency Management Assistance Compact systems in case assistance is needed, as well. The EMAC allows every state, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Northern Mariana Islands to help each other in disaster scenarios. This is through sharing personnel, equipment and other resources. 

Hurricane Ian is not expected to affect Pennsylvania aside from potential rain in the southern part of the state throughout the weekend, according to the National Weather Service. The governor’s announcement urged residents to stay alert as forecasts can change.