Orange County Search And Rescue Teams Aid Maria Victims

ORANGE COUNTY, CA — Three Urban Search and Rescue specialists from the Orange County Fire Authority will remain deployed in areas hit by Hurricane Maria, including one who left for Hurricane Harvey in Texas 30 days ago and has not returned home. Task Force 5 has been in service since the Incident Support Team leader left Orange County on Aug. 24 after Hurricane Harvey hit the Texas coast.

The team shifted to Hurricane Irma relief in Florida on Sept. 7 and was re-assigned Monday to the U.S. Virgin Islands to handle supplies and other logistics for disaster teams responding to Hurricane Maria, OCFA Capt. Steve Concialdi said.

One mobilization specialist spent 14 days in Texas, returned home for a few days and was assigned to the Maria aftermath in Puerto Rico, Concialdi said. Another logistics specialist also went from Orange County to Puerto Rico.

The latter two firefighters are assigned to fire stations in Orange County when not on disaster relief duty, he said.

"They work with local, state and federal authorities to supply task forces with what they need to save lives," Concialdi said.

There are 28 Urban Search and Rescue task forces in the U.S. including eight in California, he said.

Photos, courtesy OCFA