UPDATE: MONDAY 10/7/2024 3:31 p.m.
(NORTH CAROLINA) — The Colorado Springs Fire Department (CSFD) announced that CO-TF1 had completed its work in North Carolina and is now heading to Florida ahead of Hurricane Milton.
According to CSFD, the team is expected to arrive in Orlando around 7 p.m. EST on Monday, Oct. 7. They will join six other FEMA Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams that are already in the area.
According to CSFD, Milton has rapidly intensified to a Category 5 hurricane with winds up to 175 mph and could impact some of the same areas hit by Hurricane Helene.
ORIGINAL STORY: Colorado Task Force 1 finds woman missing after Helene
MONDAY 10/7/2024 1:03 p.m.
The Colorado Urban Search and Rescue Task Force One (CO-TF1) posted an update Sunday, Oct. 6, stating that crews in North Carolina had found a woman who had been missing since Hurricane Helene swept through the state.
According to CO-TF1, crews were able to find the woman with the help of both live search and Human Remains Detection (HDR) K9s. She was sheltering in the remains of her house in an isolated area in McDowell County and had not been in contact with family since the storm.
Over the past several days, K9s had shown interest in the location multiple times, but crews had found nothing. CO-TF1 contacted local law enforcement who searched in the area of her home and found her.
The team continues targeted recovery searches along the Catawba River with the help of a heavy equipment task force.
CO-TF1 is prepared to deploy if needed in response to Tropical Storm Milton, which is heading toward Florida. The storm could potentially hit Tampa just a week and a half after it was battered by Helene.
