Florida rescue team saves American flag as Debby roars by coastline

TAMPA, Fla. - Floridians who were hit hard by Hurricane Debby, which wreaked havoc on the Sunshine State this week, received a helping hand from a team of fellow Floridians.

Courtesy: Florida Task Force 2 / FOX Weather

Known as Florida Task Force 2, the team is part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Urban Search and Rescue Response System. They are one of two teams in Florida that are deployed to assist those impacted by disaster events.

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As Debby made landfall on Florida’s Big Bend on Monday, the storm flooded many areas, such as Horseshoe Beach, where residents were battling powerful winds and rising waters as they tried to evacuate.

Footage taken during this deployment shows a powerful moment when Task Force 2 members Angel Menendez and Daniel Santiago rescued an American flag stranded by the fury of Debby.

For Musser, this is just the beginning, as hurricane season continues for nearly four more months.

"This was our warm-up," he said. "We knocked the dust off. We're ready to roll. We're going to go back home. We're going to demobilize. We're going to kiss our families. We're going to talk about what we did and how we can be better. We're going to continue to train. We're going to be prepared to roll when we are called to do so."

The task force is made up of about 24 municipalities within South Florida, and their members receive extensive training in medicine, communications, search and rescue and other skills to help them respond during crisis situations.

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"We spend hours and hours upon hours training to be ready to assist in those people's times of need," said Grant Musser, leader of Florida Task Force 2.

One of those times was in the fall of 2022 when Category 4 Hurricane Ian blasted Southwest Florida.

Musser and his team were the only task force available to chase the storm and start evacuating residents on Marco Island. Then, they made their way to Fort Myers Beach, which Musser called "ground zero," and helped victims of the storm there.

"We were able to touch those lives, help them, evacuate them, start generators. Just a warm smile and a friendly face in the greatest time of need," Musser said. "It was very impactful. We're very humbled and fortunate that we're able to do this, to assist people."