SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Local first responders heading out to assist with the devastation from Hurricane Helene are now three members short.
A crash injuring a battalion chief and two captains marks the first serious accident of its kind in the long history of aiding natural disaster relief.
That history spans years.
From a series of wildfires in maui:
“I’ve never seen fire touch the beach and beyon - never seen it burn to the shoreline,” said Doug Nakama, a FEMA program specialist based in San Diego.
To flooding in Northern California:
"People losing their homes, homes being flooded, property being destroyed. The potential for people losing their lives,” said San Diego Fire-Rescue Battalion Chief Aide Barbat.
One task force deployment was Hurricane Harvey, which devastated parts of Texas and Louisiana in 2017, followed closely by Hurricane Irma, a Category 5 storm.
Seven years ago, the Urban Search and Rescue Team Task Force 8 had just about one day between disasters to recuperate, gather their supplies, and hug their families.
“As the task force was arriving yesterday, to meet their families returning from Hurricane Harvey, it was about the exact same time we got the evacuation order from Hurricane Irma," said Dave Gerboth, a Battalion Chief with San Diego Fire Rescue. "Certainly the families are a cornerstone to us being able to do what we do, I know that I couldn't be doing it without having that support back home."
Their assistance dates back to one of the most significant hurricanes in history - Hurricane Katrina.
Task Force 8 members, along with San Diego fire captains, were deployed for about three weeks.
“We're primarily a rescue team, but we're kind of a rescue team on steroids because we have that additional capability and knowledge,” said a member of the task force.
Whether it’s fire or rain, heartbreak or destruction, San Diego first responders have been there - then and now.
