Ohio Task Force 1 heads back to Florida

DAYTON, Ohio ( WDTN ) — Less than two weeks since Hurricane Helene made landfall, experts are tracking Hurricane Milton which is expected to hit Florida on Wednesday.

And, Ohio Task Force 1, just removed from North Carolina, has been once again mobilized.

Officials said Ohio Task Force 1 is going into what could be its longest deployment ever. Leaders say they’re typically prepared for deployment for up to 21 days; it’s likely they’ll be meeting and possibly exceeding that with the recent hurricane response.

Ohio Task Force 1 posted on Facebook early Tuesday and wrote, “Eight members of the original 82 person team that was activated on September 24 were demobilized today. Personal/professional obligations necessitated their return home. Replacement members were activated this afternoon and left Dayton, Ohio to make their way to Orlando. This allows the team to remain fully staffed and ready for whatever Hurricane Milton brings.”

FOX 8’s sister station, News 2 in Dayton, spoke with one of the program managers who said he’s confident that despite the lengthy deployment, they’ll continue to be as effective as they’ve always been.

“We have some excellent people with a whole lot of deployments in their history. The reputation this team has on most deployments is that we do very well,” said Evan Schumann, Ohio Task Force 1 program manager.

At this time, the task force’s deployment does not have an end date.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW.