Cape Coral – As rescue efforts continue in Southwest Florida, first responders from around the country are joining in. Three days after Hurricane Ian made landfall in Southwest Florida, Ohio Task Force One arrived to assist in search and recovery.
The task force is stationed at what is left of Cape Coral Yacht Club with federal recovery agents who have been searching the area since Thursday.
Jack Reall is the leader of the Ohio force. He said his crew is going back through the search area along the Caloosahatchee to find survivors.
“The difference between them leaving their house vacant and not answering the door, those are the things we have to figure out,” Reall said.
Teams use an integrated GPS system to tag structures as they search.
On Saturday alone, they had over 1,400 searches conducted to homes, boats and abandoned vehicles. There were no rescues as of Sunday.
Along with crews from Indiana, Texas and Pennsylvania, the first responders from Ohio will continue to search and rescue in Florida until the job is done, which may take several days.
WGCU is your trusted source for news and information in Southwest Florida. We are a nonprofit public service, and your support is more critical than ever. Keep public media strong and donate now. Thank you. Serra Sowers is a reporter for WUFT.