Massachusetts

Beverly, Massachusetts-Based FEMA Team Prepares to Respond to Hurricane Harvey

FEMA's Massachusetts Task Force One is gearing up in case they're called on to respond to Hurricane Harvey.

The task force just finished a hurricane training exercise on Wednesday night.

By Thursday, they got word from Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters to start packing up trucks just in case they are needed in Texas to help with the response to the now-Category 3 hurricane.

This task force specializes in search and rescue - 80 members from here - along with gear and boats that are locked and loaded inside several hangars at Beverly Airport.

The team has plenty of experience deploying to major hurricanes like Katrina and Sandy. And with Harvey set to make landfall Friday night, the team now waits for word on whether it will be needed.

Some other Massachusetts residents have already headed to Texas to help out. The American Red Cross said it has deployed four Massachusetts residents to assist in sheltering operations.

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