Help is pouring into Florida, bringing hope to the hearts of Hurricane Irma victims, some who had nothing left but their own heartbeat to cling to.
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NewsChannel 5 has learned ambulance trucks from across the county are gathering at Boca Raton Fire & Rescue Services, readying teams to deploy help across the state.
Fire officials say ambulances have arrived from as far away as Nebraska and Oregon, and rescue trucks are expected to continue to pour in throughout the night and into tomorrow morning.
Contact 5 Investigator Merris Badcock was the first to learn that Federal Emergency Management Agency selected Boca Raton Fire & Rescue Services as the staging ground to deploy hundreds of ambulances across the entire state of Florida, all of the here to help Hurricane Irma victims.
Fire officials said it is a huge honor and responsibility for any fire department, and we are lucky to have so much help so close to damaged doorsteps here in South Florida.
FEMA first responders are trained to respond to all different kinds of emergency situations, and will be able to transport victims who cannot get themselves to safety. They will also help get people necessary medical services.
Hurricane Rescue and recovery is a field they are very familiar with - as many of these same crews also assisted with Hurricane Harvey relief in Texas.
For many of the men and women out here it's been a long three weeks, but they're showing no signs of slowing down.
“Crews are very resilient, they're very adaptable, and by and large, three weeks now deploying to both of these hurricanes the morale is pretty high,” says incident commander Randy Lauer. “They want to do the work. We get more complaints from the crews that aren't out there helping. They want to get out and help.”
