Escambia County Sheriff’s Office leaves for Madison County to help Helene victims

ESCAMBIA COUNTY, Fla. ( WKRG ) — The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office left early Friday morning to head to Madison County where they are prepared to spend seven to 14 days assisting those hit by Hurricane Helene.

The ECSO crews will focus on removing fallen trees and debris left in the wake of Helene.

Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons spoke with his re-located commander in Madison County Friday afternoon to learn there was no serious damage to homes or buildings.

“There’s not a lot of structural damage, but there’s trees. Obviously, there’s trees down pretty much everywhere,” Simmons said. “And so, as we know from hurricanes that have hit here locally, you have to clear the roadways so that they can get power trucks in there. You can get people in and out of their homes to check on their property.”

Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties also have crews sharing the same mission of helping hurricane victims.

Simmons said his crew expects to only spend a few days in Madison County and can be relocated to any surrounding counties that need the assistance.

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