Ohio Task Force One, Red Cross, Duke head to Florida as Hurricane Ian looms

Dayton-based Ohio Task Force 1 and several Ohio volunteers with the Red Cross are in position to help Florida as Hurricane Ian bears down on the state. A Butler County team is also headed to the coast.

The storm has already struck Cuba and is expected to be the worst hurricane to hit the Gulf Coast of Florida in decades.

Florida's governor has declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm.

Forty-seven members of Ohio Task Force 1 left their warehouse Saturday in a convoy of 14 semis, trucks, buses, boats and trailers. The team plans to stage north of the affected areas until Ian passes. The task force is an urban search and rescue team.

On Sunday, the team was moving to a destination in Alabama but said they are staying flexible as the situation evolves.

Duke Energy sent approximately 700 line workers, contractors, damage assessors and other crews south on Monday. The company's spokeswoman, Sally Thelen, said the crews are in southern Georgia, but will likely head for the Tampa, St. Petersburg area soon.

Ohio Red Cross volunteers are already in Florida.

"There are currently 6 volunteers from our region in Florida ... being staged in Orlando … but many more are expected to be sent in the days ahead. The number of our local volunteers will grow as we get closer to landfall and after the hurricane hits," the organization said.

The Butler County Incident Management Team, which is comprised of personnel from county public safety organizations, is also headed to Florida "to support logistical resource management with the State of Florida as they begin to process thousands of missions," according to a news release.

The National Storm Center said Ian is expected to pass west of the Florida Keys late Tuesday, and approach the west coast of Florida on Wednesday into Thursday. The storm is predicted to slow during this period, the advisory said.