After Hurricane Ian slammed into Florida, some Minnesotans traveled all the way down south to help.

The Hazards Management Team spent 12 days in Desoto County, which is on the west side of Florida, southeast of Tampa and St. Petersburg. Flooding resulted in the Peace River cutting off entire sections of the county and leaving the area only accessible by boat.

Team members spent much of their time clearing debris in the community, along with setting up a base camp for emergency personnel. Those who spent time in Florida gathered in Eden Prairie to share their experiences from being on the front lines.

Isanti Fire District Lieutenant Zach Lundberg says, “The base camp that we stayed in there was to support 500 people including police services, national guard and our support staff as well as Red Cross and others afterward. Initially it was used for shelter for displaced residents and later on to be used as a donation center, so traffic and security and scene safety there was very important to us”.

Part of their recovery efforts also focused on handling the donations that have rolled in. The team was there to establish points of distribution, a place where residents can come and pick up supplies, such as blue tarps, ice, water, and ready-to-eat meals.

Kyra Crepin with Allina Health Emergency Management says, “The biggest thing that I took away from this experience, and I’m so grateful for, was our interactions with the locals. We really focused on building them up so that they felt confident”.

The Minnesota team was made up of personnel from cities and counties from across the state, including Carlton County. The group included firefighters, medical professionals and others.

You can find the complete press conference footage on the Facebook page of the Minnesota All-Hazards Incident Management team.

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