Tipsheet

Florida National Guard Springs Into Action After Hurricane Idalia Hits the State

Julio Rosas
Julio Rosas  |  August 30, 2023 7:00 PM

PINELLAS PARK, Fla. — While the Tampa Bay area did not get a direct hit from Hurricane Idalia, plenty of areas close to the Gulf of Mexico experienced significant flooding that forced people out of their homes Wednesday morning.

As Hurricane Idalia made landfall in the Big Bend region, water swelled up along costal areas as far south as Fort Myers. Personnel with the Florida National Guard had been staged in the days leading to the storm making contact, which allowed service members to respond as soon as there was a break in the weather.

Members of the Florida National Guard's 53rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (IBCT) in Tampa Bay were sent out to help the coastal city of Tarpon Springs. A trailer park near the water was flooded, requiring everyone to evacuate. Two trailers had been set ablaze during the storm. While the fire department was able to respond to the fires, they required assistance with getting their men and and equipment out of the trailer park since the roads leading into neighborhood had been flooded to the point where their own vehicles could not pass through. The 53rd IBCT used one of their Light Medium Tactical Vehicles (LMTV) to traverse the water to get firefighters to and from the trailer park.

The Guardsmen also help bring supplies to the firefighters, such as bottled water.

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Julio Rosas/Townhall

Julio Rosas/Townhall

Julio Rosas/Townhall

In Indian Rocks Beach, Guardsmen used LMTVs to go into the flooded neighborhoods to conduct wellness checks on residents who were still in their homes. During my time with that team, no one required medical attention and with the water already receding, they did not need to be evacuated.

Julio Rosas/Townhall

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jason Walters was the officer in charge of the search and rescue operations for the area and told Townhall the mission had gone well thanks to the pre-staging efforts. Originally in the Wisconsin National Guard, Walters had some past experience dealing with flooding in that state. This mission is his third activation in response to a hurricane.

Governor Ron DeSantis had ordered the activation of 5,500 National Guardsmen, in addition to other state law enforcement personnel and linemen. Power has been restored to over 262,000 people since the storm hit.

The Florida National Guard was also on hand to assist in parts of the state that took more of a direct hit from Hurricane Idalia.