Virginia Beach welcomed home a convoy of Urban Search and Rescue Virginia Task Force 2 members Sunday evening.
The group was met by a small crowd before they unloaded and debriefed after a week-long trip. They had been helping in South Carolina as the remnants of Hurricane Debby moved through the area.
“Sometimes you run across people who are completely cut off where their house is and so if they want to be evacuated, we evacuate them. If they have had a power failure and they have medical needs, like if they’re on an oxygen generator or any other type of medical device that requires power we try to get into the neighborhoods quickly and locate those people,” said Michael Hopkins, Battalion Chief with Virginia Beach Fire Department and program manager for Virginia Task Force 2.
This time, the task force was in South Carolina to help as a 911 asset and with damage assessment. The trip was extended too as they stayed a few extra days in Berkley County, South Carolina, which got nearly 20 inches of rain within a few hours.