93.9 The Eagle – The News and Talk of Columbia, MO
Three more members of Missouri Task Force 1 and their canines are heading for Florida to help after the damage done by Hurricane Michael.
The Human Remains Detection Canine Search Teams deployed Sunday morning.
The sixteen members of the Boone County-based task force who have been in Florida since Michael hit continued to perform search and rescue operations in the Panama City area through the weekend. They evacuated one resident on Friday. They’ve also checked the structural integrity of hundreds of buildings.
More from The Associated Press:
Upon touring the damage in several towns along Florida’s Panhandle, Federal Emergency Management Agency chief Brock Long called the destruction left by Hurricane Michael some of the worst he’s ever seen.
On Monday, President Donald Trump plans to visit Florida and Georgia and see the recovery effort for himself. Trump declared a state of emergency for Georgia late Sunday.
In hurricane-flattened Mexico Beach, crews cleared debris Sunday as the mayor held out hope for the 250 or so residents who may have tried to ride out the storm.
The death toll from Michael’s destructive march from Florida to Virginia stood at 17, with just one confirmed death in Mexico Beach. Mayor Al Cathey said it would be a “miracle” if the town’s death toll stays at one after it took a direct hit from the hurricane.
