MEMPHIS, TN (abc24.com) - Post-tropical cyclone Sandy is still causing big problems for the Northeast. More than a dozen states are under a State of Emergency. FEMA has declared New Jersey and New York ‘major’ disaster areas. Many emergency response teams in the Mid-South have been activated to assist in ongoing recovery efforts.
Three swift water rescue teams from Mississippi are in Baltimore, Maryland. DeSoto County EMA Director, Bobby Storey, is a task force leader for one group. His team arrived in Baltimore Tuesday morning with two boats to help with water rescues. Swollen rivers near Baltimore are expected to crest around midnight.
“Our team is monitoring the rivers. The rivers are pretty much full to capacity with the water that came in last night,” says Storey.
Another Mid-South team, Tennessee Task Force 1, will receive rescue assignments at the base camp in Fairfax, Virginia. The team encountered treacherous road conditions while en route to Fairfax that forced a major detour.
Deputy Chief Michael Putt, Memphis Fire Department, says, "There was so much snow and ice, we had to go back to Atlanta, and go back up the east coast.”
Firefighters and emergency responders from Memphis and Shelby counties make up Tennessee Task Force 1. FEMA currently has more than 1,500 personnel on the ground to assist storm victims and the Red Cross has set up shelters in 16 states. More than 11,000 people slept in those shelters Monday night.
