Gov. Ron DeSantis announced ‘Operation Blue Ridge’ this week, sending a team of emergency responders to assist with disaster recovery from Hurricane Helene in Tennessee and North Carolina. Several state agencies will be sending personnel north to help the region that was most severely impacted by the storm last week.
Additionally, a resource was created for Floridians located in West North Carolina seeking rescue from the impacted area. An online portal has been created by the Florida Division of Emergency Management enabling such individuals to report their location, situation and needs.
Composition of Operation Blue Ridge
The agencies being sent north under Operation Blue Ridge include the following:
- Florida Department of Law Enforcement
- Florida Department of Transportation
- Florida Division of Emergency Management
- Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission
- Florida Law Enforcement Coordination Task Force
- Florida National Guard
- Florida State Guard
Responders rescue a mother and infant. ⓒ Florida State Guard
Already in the first days of Operation Blue Ridge, responders are reporting positive results. “The Florida State Guard Special Missions Unit responded to a life-threatening situation involving a mother and her 1-year-old baby,” the Florida State Guard announced on X this Monday, referencing a joint mission with Florida Fish & Wildlife. “Our team stabilized the mother and baby, cleared a landing zone for a helicopter evacuation, and ensured a safe liftoff. Both the mother and baby made it to the hospital safe and sound.”
As of the latest data Tuesday morning, an estimated 137 lives have been lost from the impact of Hurricane Helene over several regions of the United States, Caribbean, and Central America. It’s considered the fifth-deadliest hurricane of the 21st century for the United States, following 2017’s Hurricane Maria, 2005’s Hurricane Katrina, 2012’s Hurricane Sandy, and 2022’s Hurricane Ian. In addition to the rising death toll, an estimated 673 people are missing as of Tuesday morning, and damage has been reported at $27 billion.
Federal and State Cooperation
On Wednesday President Joe Biden will be traveling to North Carolina to survey the damage from the air and meet with emergency response officials. Fatalities have occurred in South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee according to CNN, with floodwaters across the southeast making recovery and perseverance difficult.
Gov. DeSantis on Monday said that the federal response should be concentrated on North Carolina, and that Florida was in better shape from the state’s response. “Florida, we have it handled,” he said. “We have what we need … Most of the effort should be in western North Carolina right now because you still have active rescues that need to take place. […] We’re going to be bringing people to safety. I don’t think they have any major way to get out of those western North Carolina places right now. That’s going to require us doing the air missions.”
