Indiana Task Force 1 heading to Florida ahead of Hurricane Milton

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Indiana Task Force 1 is, for the second time in as many weeks, going to Florida ahead of a major hurricane.

INTF-1 said Tuesday on Facebook that it is relocating from North Carolina to Florida ahead of Hurricane Milton.

The team of 80 central Indiana first responders was sent to Florida in late September ahead of Hurricane Helene. INTF-1 assisted in search and rescue efforts along the Florida Panhandle and in northern Georgia before moving on to western North Carolina, which was ravaged by flooding caused by Helene’s remnants.

INTF-1 wrote in early October that it was battling debris and tough terrain as it looked for survivors in North Carolina.

“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,” the team said on Facebook.

Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall in the Tampa Bay area on Wednesday. Milton strengthened to a Category 5 storm on Monday afternoon before weakening slightly to a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 145 mph.