Indiana Task Force 1 sends more team members to North Carolina

More members of INTF-1 headed to North Carolina

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — More Hoosiers are headed to North Carolina to help with search and rescue efforts following catastrophic flooding caused by Hurricane Helene.

Indiana Task Force 1 says additional team members will travel to Asheville with hazmat equipment and additional supplies.

“This group will bring additional personal protective equipment and decon capabilities to the search and rescue operations,” INTF-1 said in a Wednesday evening Facebook post.

Indiana Task Force 1 was activated last week before Hurricane Helene made landfall in northwestern Florida. Team members helped with search and rescue operations in the Tallahassee area and in northern Georgia before moving to North Carolina.

The team said on Facebook that it spent the early part of this week battling debris and tough terrain as they helped search for survivors.

“The work is challenging and exhausting but not compared to the challenges faced by this North Carolina community. ‘In the face of disaster, true strength emerges; it’s in our unity and resilience that we find the power to overcome and rebuild.’”

On Tuesday, 26 volunteers from the Red Cross were sent from Indiana to North Carolina to help give out meals to hurricane victims.

CNN reports at least 191 people in six states have died as a result of Hurricane Helene and its remnants. The storm knocked out power and cell phone service for millions of people in the southeastern U.S. and created a trail of destruction from Florida to Tennessee. The remnants of Helene brought heavy rain and gusting winds to the Hoosier state late last week.