Escambia County Emergency Response Team: Stay prepared through Hurricane Helene

ESCAMBIA COUNTY, Fla. ( WKRG ) — Hurricane Helene isn’t expected to make significant local impacts. Escambia County is in a state of emergency with no sign of evacuation orders.

Escambia County Emergency Manager Travis Thompkins emphasized the importance of having a plan for the next few days.

“Make sure you have enough food and water, per person, for at least a week,” Thompkins said. “It used to be 72 hours, that is no longer the message; it’s seven days. Be one week ready. We’re in the height of the season right now, we really need to take this serious.”

Currently, the Florida Department of Emergency Management is using Escambia’s Emergency Operation Center to monitor the severity of Hurricane Helene. Escambia County response teams are ready to head east on Friday morning.

Roughly 200 people, including two urban search and rescue teams and several swift water boat rescue teams, will be deployed to affected areas.

“My team, Emergency Management Team, and the sheriff’s department and Santa Rosa Emergency Management as well, are going to be deploying into Liberty County tomorrow morning as soon as landfall’s over with to start assisting our sister counties over there in the state of Florida,” said Thompkins.

Thompkins and his team are currently at the Escambia County Emergency Operations Center, ready to intervene if areas near Tallahassee begin to lose power.

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