Oklahoma Sending Additional Resources To Assist North Carolina And Florida Amid Hurricane Destruction

Gov. Kevin Stitt and the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management (OEM) announced on Tuesday that the state has sent additional resources to help North Carolina and Florida recover from the impacts of hurricanes Helene and Milton.

In a press release, Gov. Stitt said to aid the ongoing response to Hurricane Helene, the Oklahoma National Guard sent one CH-47 helicopter and 10 personnel, including two rescue swimmers and one Helicopter Search & Rescue Technician to North Carolina.

The Oklahoma State Department of Health sent a 10-person team to support public health needs in North Carolina shelters and impacted communities.

"Oklahomans know what it means to stand beside our fellow Americans in times of need," Gov. Stitt said. "We will continue to serve our neighbors with strength and compassion, because that's who we are. Oklahoma has sent a helicopter rescue unit, water rescue teams, emergency operations personnel, urban search and rescue units, and a public health team to help in anyway they can. My prayers are with the Americans who continue to recover from Helene as well as our friends on Florida's Gulf coast as they brace for Hurricane Milton."

The press release said an Emergency Operations Center support team has been dispatched to Florida for incident management and operations support as Hurricane Milton approaches.

The team is made up of personnel from various Oklahoma agencies, including the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Rogers County Emergency Management, Washington County Emergency Management, Comanche County/Lawton Emergency Management, Oklahoma City Fire, and Norman Police.

In addition, the release said three swift water rescue teams are en route to Florida. These include a 19-person Type 1 team featuring members from the Coalgate, Guymon, and Lawton fire departments and two eight-person Type 3 teams composed of personnel from the Quapaw Nation, Mayes County, the City of Pryor, Craig County, and the Grand River Dam Authority.

Two 16-person Type 1 swift water rescue teams from Oklahoma Task Force 1 have completed their mission in North Carolina, where they conducted swift water rescue and search operations along the North Toe River and assisted with damage assessments. This team included members from the Tulsa and Oklahoma City fire departments.

The press release said all deployments are in response to Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) requests from the Florida and North Carolina Divisions of Emergency Management. EMAC is a national mutual aid system that facilitates sharing personnel, equipment, and resources between states during disaster relief efforts.

"Oklahoma has been the recipient of support from numerous states in the past six months through the EMAC system,” said OEM Director Annie Mack Vest. "We are committed to supporting our neighbor states and providing any resources we have available as North Carolina deals with the continued effects of Hurricane Helene and Florida prepares for yet another storm with Hurricane Milton on the way,"