Pennsylvania Task Force 1 returns home after 23-day Hurricane Helene rescue mission
Members of Pennsylvania Task Force 1 returned home to their deployment site in North Philadelphia after a 23-day mission in North Carolina, where they provided search and rescue support in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
The team of 81 men and women, and two dogs, left Philadelphia on Sept. 26, just before the hurricane made landfall, and quickly began rescue operations upon arrival.
After weeks of intense work, their focus is now on one thing — rest. We asked them what they were most excited about, and they all had the same answer.
"Get home and sleep in my own bed," said Tom Brown.
"Just get home and sleep in my own bed," said Christine Mazanitis.
"I'm excited to sleep in my own bed," said Greg Rogalski.
Rest was hard to come by during the team's mission. They worked around the clock, performing water rescues and ground searches in hazardous conditions.
"The first night we got an hour and a half [of sleep] in a vehicle in the church parking lot," Rogalski said.
"We worked pretty much the first 36 hours straight with two hours of sleep," said Mazanitis.
The team's workdays ran from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. They utilized a variety of equipment, including drones, four-wheel-drive vehicles, and UTVs, to reach areas inaccessible due to washed-out roads.
"We did a number of evacuations where we actually had people that were trapped because of mudslides — roads out, bridges out," said Rogalski. "We had helicopter operations where we airlifted people out."
Live rescue dogs like Scout were instrumental in the rescue efforts, searching collapsed structures for survivors.
"She's got a smaller footprint — can get in and take a look quicker," said Mazanitis.
Task force leader Brian Booth addressed his team, reflecting on their efforts. "We helped a lot of people — we made a difference," he said.
Booth also thanked the families of the task force members for their sacrifices during the deployment. His wife, Caroline Booth, said it was hard to see them leave.
"Praying harder for everyone out there for their safety because we know their mission is a hero mission," she said.
Now that the mission is over, these heroes can finally rest — in their own beds.