Hurricane Ian: Philadelphia volunteers deploy to Florida in wake of storm's impact

TACONY - Hurricane Ian has made landfall in southwestern Florida, bringing destructive wind and storm surge in its wake. A lot of local people are heading south, or have arrived, deployed to help in the storm's devastating aftermath. From the Red Cross to task force members, volunteers from all over are thinking of Florida.

"It’s really windy and I think it’s supposed to get really bad in the next hour!" exclaimed Doreen Bucher.

Bucher, a Fort Meyers resident, doesn’t have to step but a few feet outside of her home to see the powerful winds and rains coming in full force from Hurricane Ian.

Bucher has been in Florida for a dozen years and four hurricanes. She’s well-prepared for what’s to come. "I put ice in my freezers, got my coolers ready, got water in my bathtub. Just hunkering down until it’s over with."

While Bucher hunkers down and also takes care of her father, vital help in the form of volunteers with the Red Cross have already arrived in the Sunshine State, ready to help.

"We’ve preloaded 20 trucks with supplies for shelters and kitchens and, as soon, as we can, we’ll start mobilizing those to the shelters that are open. They have everything from cots, water, anything you could possibly imagine you’d need for shelter,"

Beyond the civilian response to help those in need, FEMA has dispatched 45 members of the Pennsylvania Task Force 1 to head down to South Carolina and await deployments into Florida from there.

"There’s a HAZMAT component, a rescue component. We also have our planning team, so there’s a lot that goes into deployment,"

Literally truck loads of equipment are deployed to aid rescuers in their efforts and equip them with all the supplies necessary.

For Bucher, she was not ordered to evacuate and prays for friends closer to danger. "Checked to see if they were safe. Her car and boat got washed away. Not good."