Hurricane Ian is gaining strength in the Gulf of Mexico and is expected to hit Florida's west coast late Wednesday as a Category 3 storm.
The volunteer state is stepping up to help the Sunshine State.
Governor Bill Lee has already requested the deployment of about 1,200 hundred soldiers and airmen from the Tennessee National Guard to support efforts.
The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency has also deployed a Type IV A-Team and two ambulance strike teams to Florida to provide specialized support in anticipation of Hurricane Ian.
The Type IV A-Team consists of two individuals from TEMA’s Preparedness Division and will deploy for 14 days to assist with resource requests and operational needs in Florida.
The ambulance strike teams include a total of 37 members and will deploy for 14 days. The teams represent departments from Tennessee agencies and counties.
Nashville Fire Department, Rutherford County EMA and Sumner County EMA are a few of the groups that make up the ambulance strike teams.
TEMA's EMAC Coordinator Andy Bates said Florida requested our state’s assistance through the nation’s state-to-state mutual aid system called EMAC.
Bates said that because Tennessee is landlocked, we’re always ready to lend a helping hand to hurricane states.
"Tennesseans are always open to volunteering, and every time we have a request from another state to support, we generally have more people volunteer to go than what the actual request is," Bates explained.
Bates said if additional assistance is needed in Florida, they will make that request through the EMAC system.
The state has already added an additional four requests that TEMA is reviewing and working to put offers in for assistance, according to Bates.
