AUSTIN, Texas — Texas is sending help to Florida ahead of what’s expected to become a major hurricane at landfall later this week.
Tropical Storm Helene formed on Tuesday in the western Caribbean and is expected to strengthen in the Gulf of Mexico. The track has it heading into the Big Bend area on the west coast of Florida as a Cat. 3 hurricane.
In a news release sent out on Tuesday, Gov. Greg Abbott said he directed the Texas Department of Emergency Management to send Texas A&M Task Force 1 to Florida ahead of the storm’s arrival. Texas A&M Task Force 1 would be used for urban search-and-rescue with a team of 80 people, 15 vehicles, six boats and six canines ready to help.
"Texas will always stand with our fellow Americans and lend a helping hand during times of crisis,” the governor said in a release. "Texans understand firsthand the importance of hurricane preparedness and the ability to deploy resources for a swift response effort to protect those impacted by a storm. I thank our first responders for stepping up to provide this crucial assistance to the state of Florida. Cecilia and I ask Texans to join us in prayer for Florida as Tropical Storm Helene approaches their shores."
Texas A&M Task Force is one of the 28 federal teams under FEMA’s National Urban Search and Rescue System.