VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — People are heading south from Hampton Roads to help those impacted by Tropical Storm Debby, which made landfall Monday morning.
Members of Virginia Task Force 2 (VA-TF2) USAR left Monday morning. The Virginia Beach Fire Department said they'll be staging in Columbia, South Carolina, by the afternoon.
Scott Springer, a rescue squad officer, told News 3 that the work they do to help those impacted by the storm is rewarding.
“Anytime that you can go to a heavily affected area and assist those residents in that area it’s a great feeling for not only those on the team but the team itself," said Springer.
Watch related coverage: Hampton Roads preparing for possible impacts from Debby
In addition, eight members of the incident support team left Sunday morning, heading for Macon, Georgia. There, they'll assist FEMA as needed.
The task force was called to Florida last year to support relief efforts following Tropical Storm Idalia.
Members of Hampton Roads-based Mercy Chefs are heading a little further south to serve meals to people impacted by Debby in Florida.
“We’re getting ready for an initial response in Florida while also preparing to be able to respond to a second front later in the week,” said Gary LeBlanc, founder of Mercy Chefs. “Our team is praying for all those affected by Hurricane Debby, and it’s not lost on us that the same area impacted by this storm was where we responded to Hurricane Idalia just one year ago.”
Watch: Tropical Storm Debby expected to bring heavy rainfall to Virginia, North Carolina
As of Monday night, our First Warning Storm Team expects Debby to hit Hampton Roads and Northeast North Carolina the hardest on Thursday and Friday—with 70% chance for rain on both days.
For the latest weather updates, click here.
