As the tropical storm that hit the Gulf Coast over the weekend as Category 4 Hurricane Ida continues its destructive northeast path, federal and state authorities are sending resources to affected areas.
Governor Newsom announced yesterday that he was sending search and rescue personnel to Louisiana to help in relief efforts there.
Newsom’s statement said,"California maintains robust search and rescue resources within the state and the deployment does not draw from resources in use to combat wildfires."
The governor added that the state was carefully assessing and balancing its resources, but also said it was California’s duty to answer the call to help fellow Americans in times of great need, as California had been the recipient of such support in the past.
The California/FEMA US&R Task Force being deployed to Baton Rouge, Louisiana on Sunday is based in the Oakland Fire Department, with participation from several surrounding fire agencies. The "Type 3" task force being deployed includes 35 members and 10 ground support personnel. These personnel are trained and equipped to provide water rescues and technical and canine search, rescue, medical, and other specialized capabilities at the scene.
Other incident support teams from California being deployed to Louisiana include those from the Los Angeles, Menlo Park, and Sacramento fire departments.
