BEVERLY, MASS. (WHDH) - Dozens of personnel with the FEMA’s Massachusetts Task Force 1 gathered in Beverly early Thursday morning and soon shipped out on their way to help with the emergency response to Hurricane Helene.
One of 28 such task forces, the Massachusetts team specializes in urban search and rescue. It includes firefighters, technical rescue technicians, medical professionals, canine handlers, engineers, and civilians, according to its website.
With Helene on its way, crews were seen loading trucks with supplies.
Task Force Program Manager Janice Corkhum said the group was scheduled to leave Massachusetts by 1 a.m. and arrive in North Carolina before 6 p.m. with 45 members in tow.
Helene passed between Cuba and Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula overnight from Wednesday into Thursday. By 4 a.m., the storm was spinning roughly 350 miles southwest of Tampa, Florida with peak sustained winds of 90 miles-per-hour.
Forecasts from the National Weather Service projected the storm would continue to intensify in the hours ahead, reaching category four status before an expected landfall south of Tallahassee Thursday night.
Though the storm is expected to weaken after landfall, its hazards may spread inland, bringing dangerous wind north into Georgia and raising the risk for flooding across the Southeast.
In North Carolina, where the Massachusetts Task Force 1 will set up shop, the National Weather Service said some communities could see more than 12 inches of rain.
Rainfall alone “will likely result in catastrophic and potentially life-threatening flash and urban flooding, along with significant river flooding,” according to the weather service.
Experts also warned of “numerous landslides” in the steep terrain of the southern Appalachian region.
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency in the state on Wednesday and urged residents to monitor the storm.
“Now is the time for North Carolinians to prepare, make sure emergency kits are up-to-date and pay attention to the weather alerts in your area,” he said in a statement.
Stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates on Hurricane Helene.
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