FEMA says Beverly task force is no longer needed for Hurricane Ian recovery efforts in Florida
BEVERLY -- The FEMA group based out of Beverly expects to return soon from its mission in Florida. FEMA sent out a note on Monday announcing that it is deactivating all remaining urban search and rescue task forces and canine search teams.
The Beverly team helped clean debris and search for survivors in Fort Myers for more than a week.
"Fort Myers Beach, ground zero, where we are, USAR has completed their searches. Fort Myers Beach is open. We have been escorting cleanup crews to remove debris and utilities onto the island. We've established security checkpoints along the routes to ensure that traffic moves efficiently and safely," said Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno.
The sheriff said while the death toll in the county stands at 56, rescuers have saved more than 1,100 people.
Construction is underway right now on a temporary bridge to reconnect Sanibel Island to the mainland by the end of the month.
The base camp for the Beverly task force was JetBlue park, the spring training home of the Red Sox. After all their hard work, the team got a special tour of the ballpark.
