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WEST JORDAN — As the East Coast continues to battle Hurricane Ian, two members of Utah Task Force 1 are in Florida assisting FEMA with urban search and rescue logistics.
Capt. Keith Bevan and Embret Fossom were initially deployed to Puerto Rico on Sept. 17 to assist with local jurisdiction for Tropical Cyclone Fiona but were recently rerouted to Florida to prepare for Hurricane Ian.
"We direct the boots on the ground, the urban search and rescue task forces go out and perform water rescues, wide area searches and active rescues in structures that have been damaged by the storm," said Bevan, who is stationed at the Orange County Convention Center.
"It's very early in the operation right now, there is plenty of work to be done in the next handful of days," Bevan said.
Bevan said water rescues started around 2 a.m. Thursday and continued through Friday.
"That's what they're doing right now, block by block, clearing the barrier islands, trying to gain access," Bevan said.
Access is a big issue facing rescue teams right now, with a number of infrastructures along the East Coast damaged or destroyed.
"One of the big ones I just heard just a little while ago is Fort Myers Beach is completely devastated, so that's their big focus right now," Bevan said.
The biggest worry for first responders right now is safety, according to Bevan.
"Ultimately, we're trying to do it as fast as we can and that's why we really we look at how we pre-position these resources so that as soon as it's safe to move, like we did placing those resources in Miami to coming up behind the storm and not waiting for it to come completely over the top of us, was a big benefit," said Bevan.
It's unknown if more members of Utah Task Force 1 will be called upon to assist with rescue and recovery with Ian, but with each natural disaster, Bevan says Utah only becomes more prepared for the future.
"We're very luck to live where we live. We always make the joke we're the 49th state out of 50 where nothing happens, which is good and bad, but we have great support from our local elected officials, executives, fire chiefs and that allows us to go out and participate at a level like this and bring this back to Utah," Bevan said. "So Utah has individuals that have a lot of experience and bring that home and can use that if and when anything happens in Utah."
