One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Orange County Firefighters Head To Texas To Assist With Hurricane Harvey
A road sign warning of the impending hurricane. (Photo by Scott Raedle / Getty Images)
Hurricane Harvey is expected to make landfall late Friday night or early Saturday morning, and projections map it as a category 3 storm and possibly the worst hurricane to touch American soil since Katrina. The storm has the potential to inflict serious damage in southern Texas. As such, a group of Orange County firefighters are making the trip down south to assist with search and rescue.
The O.C. Register reports California Task Team 5 started the 18-20 hour journey just after midnight Friday. The team includes 45 personnel from the Orange County Fire Authority and the Anaheim and Orange fire departments. They're heading to the AT&T Center in San Antonio, where first responders have set up a command center for evacuees fleeing the storm.
The responders are trained in search and rescue operations in a disaster environment, according to CBS, and are bringing dogs, equipments, and boats. Other task forces from Ohio, Missouri, Nebraska, Tennessee, and Utah are making the trip as well, according to NBC.
A separate Los Angeles-based task force is on standby, according to City News Service, as well as another task force from the Oakland area.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
