RICHMOND, Va. -- FEMA Virginia Task Force 2 is on the ground in South Carolina. The team, with three members from Henrico, arrived there Monday afternoon.
With potentially catastrophic flooding expected, they say they are ready to help out local responders as the need arises.
As Debby meanders right off the South Carolina coast, a flash flood warning is in effect with up to two feet of rain expected by week's end.
In Charleston, the mayor has extended a curfew for another day.
Task Force 2 member James Leach, one of the responders from Henrico, told me they spent Monday night in Columbia and Tuesday afternoon were sent to the coast.
WATCH: Tracking Debby into Virginia: Tuesday afternoon storm update
Leach is a medical specialist; his two Henrico teammates are specialists in HAZMAT and rescue.
He said they'll be doing the same work they've trained for at home, just in this case it'll be a few hundred miles away.
"We're down here to assist the local responders," Leach told me via Zoom Tuesday. "Should the storm become too large for them to be able to handle, we are able to provide resources and skilled rescuers to help them out in whatever situation they find themselves."
He said they have all the equipment they need and can be deployed quickly.
"We can do anything from providing care as we would off an ambulance, normally in Henrico," Leach said. "We travel with doctors as well, so we have a larger scope of practice. It allows us to also look after our team members and the canine dogs that we come with. Should any of them get hurt or injured, we're right there, right next to them, to make sure that they get whatever help they might need."
Leach said that while leaving his family at home is difficult, especially with heavy rain expected in Central Virginia, they are used to him going where the need is greatest.
"I couldn't be here without their support, for sure," said Leach. "I've got a wife at home and four kids, and we run a small chicken farm. So when I get deployed to go help other people, the workload definitely gets shifted to them. But I couldn't be here without them. They're used to it by now. I've been doing it for about 10 years. They understand that when the big storm comes, Daddy goes away and goes and helps other people. So they're okay with it."
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