Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Task Force Joins Recovery Efforts in Hardest-Hit Areas Following Ian – NBC 6 South Florida

The Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Florida Task Force One (FL-TF1) Team is one of eight task force teams that has joined over a thousand search and rescue members to assist in the search and rescue efforts in the hardest-hit areas of Sanibel, Captiva and Pine Island following Hurricane Ian.  

Four squads continue to survey the area and are combing through Sanibel Island to check on the residents who may be in need of food, water, medical assistance or evacuation from the island.  

Search and rescue crews are using specialized technology to conduct grid work and go door to door to check on whether the homes are occupied or not, if there are any emergencies that need to be taken care of, or if there are residents that may have ran out of supplies and need to evacuate from the island. 

Throughout the search and rescue operations, crews found several elderly residents that needed to be evacuated from areas that have sustained severe structural damage and were only accessible by air rescue.  

Due to the inaccessibility to the island, evacuations have been conducted by helicopters.

With the help of the Florida National Guard and the U.S. Coast Guard, crews have been using a hoist to rescue and transport residents out of Sanibel and into a safe zone in the mainland where they can receive medical attention.