LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Hurricane Helene is projected to be the strongest hurricane to hit the U.S. in more than a year.

What You Need To Know

  • Nine Kentuckians in Ohio Task Force One are headed to Florida to help those in the path of Hurricane Helene 

  • The task force is prepared for many different kinds of emergencies

  • The National Urban Search and Rescue under FEMA activated a federal order, sending task forces from all over the country to the southeast

  • Hurricane Helene is expected to make landfall in Florida Thursday evening, Sept. 26 

Thousands of Floridians are evacuating and preparing for the storm, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Ohio Task Force One started heading toward Orlando Sept. 24.

Eighty-one people, including nine Kentuckians, are representing Ohio Task Force One in Florida; three Kentuckians are from the Lexington Fire Department, and the other six are from Covington's fire department. One firefighter said he's prepared for whatever the storm may bring.

“Just ready to do our job and try and help people and … hopefully, we don't have to do too much work," said Lexington Fire Department Capt. Nick Bodkin. "But if we do, we're ready and ready, willing to work." 

Bodkin has been on the task force for five years and said the team has trained thousands of hours for these types of situations.

“The three of us that are with Lexington that are here for this, we train every Saturday that we're on shift, and then we also train every Monday around shift for these kind of incidents to be prepared not just for FEMA, but also for the at the local level, for the fire department,” Bodkin said.

The National Urban Search and Rescue under FEMA activated a federal order Sept. 24 at noon, sending task forces from all over the U.S. to the southeast in preparation for the storm.

“We also carry an obscene amount of equipment," he said. "We have multiple (semi-trucks), multiple pickup trucks, with trailers full of equipment that (we) get prepped, get ready to go, to make sure everything's serviceable." 

All that equipment can help with several kinds of emergencies. 

“We're set up for anything from water rescues, to building collapses, and pretty much anything and everything in between," Bodkin said. "We’ll try and assist anybody that might need help in those kind of situations." 

Bodkin and the task force are prepared to be in Florida for 18 to 21 days or until their help is no longer needed. The hurricane is expected to make landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast Thursday, Sept. 26 around 8 p.m. 

Related Stories